This Just In – Jimmy Carter has given us a recipe for navigating the next four years… if we’re smart enough to follow it.
I just finished watching Carter’s public funeral in the National Cathedral. It was a lovely service and one that had his fingerprints all over it. Dignitaries and grandchildren. Songs and sermons. Some joy, some sadness and subliminal politics that the setting demands.
A joint services body bearer team carries the flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter out of Washington National Cathedral, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, following a State Funeral. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
This was an all-American display of Carter’s signature dignity and respect on a massive, undeniable scale. We watched the president-elect proceed to his assigned seat, passing by his former Vice-President, Mike Pence. They shook hands. In our current political climate, that’s a big deal.
Seated next to the president elect was former President Barack Obama. Waiting for the event to begin, Trump chatted with Obama… a lot. Whatever they were talking about seemed to amuse both of them in approximately equal measure. The other living former presidents and vice presidents filed in and took their seats, then the sitting vice president and president, along with their spouses, came in to take their front row positions.
It’s hard to overstate how singularly out of place the president elect seemed in this situation. He was squirmy, like a toddler. President Obama, well-known for his ability to soothe children, did the equivalent of shaking his car keys to amuse an overtired child. He kept talking to him. He settled.
As the eulogies went on, the broad messages of Carter’s faith and service were abundantly clear. His grandson, Jason, told a charming story of his grandfather finally getting a cell phone. He received a call and answered, knowing it was his grandfather. Jimmy Carter came on the line, “What are you doing?” Jason responded, telling his grandfather that he was just answering his phone, that Jimmy had placed the call.
“No, I didn’t,” insisted the 39th president. “I was taking a picture!”
Definitely a man of the people.
In President Biden’s eulogy (as with some of the others) there seemed to be a message directed at his predecessor/successor. He talked about service and that the most unforgivable violation of the public trust is the abuse of power. He did this while absolutely staring at Donald Trump.
The takeaway from all of this was the civility and social pressure of decency of it all. Trump wouldn’t dare raise his voice, make his usual faces and gestures, not in this situation. The massive social pressure of many hundreds of high-powered people (current and retired) surrounding him, forced him to behave as he knows damn well he should. As we ALL should.
Can we expand this form of social expectation into the conduct of the next four years? I don’t know, but if the distraction of social connection and the pressure of behaving better when company is in the house can work, maybe it’s worth a try.
Jimmy Carter wanted all of us to pursue peace and human dignity every day. As I watched this coverage, I was simultaneously wringing my hands with worry about my Los Angeles-based family that may at the same time be fleeing their homes while their neighborhoods burn. Maybe as climate change evaporates the homes of some billionaires some minds will change.
Meanwhile, Chapel Hill will be running out of milk and bread as we await 3” of snow – sure to close schools for a week. Dang. Winter is really here!
Stay safe. Drive carefully and put plenty of salt and kitty litter on your deck.
Jean Bolduc is a freelance writer and the host of the Weekend Watercooler on 97.9 The Hill. She is the author of “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” (History Press, 2016) and has served on Orange County’s Human Relations Commission, The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, the Orange County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Orange County Schools’ Equity Task Force. She was a featured columnist and reporter for the Chapel Hill Herald and the News & Observer.
Readers can reach Jean via email – jean@penandinc.com and via Twitter @JeanBolduc
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines