Originally Posted By vbdad55 <I guess if we can have a guy on here defend bush, we can have a guy defend carter!< makes my head hurt thinking about defending either at this point
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <<<huh? oh yeah, I wanted 4 more years of 18% interest rates, runaway inflation and a 25% misery factor --- go Jimmy. ( he was a boob )>> Actually, the highest average mortgage rate under Carter was about 12.5%. Rates peaked at 14-15% in 1981 and 1982 under Reagan. < I can tell you for a fact that as a first time home buyer the best interest rate I could get in April 1980 was 18%. yes Reagan was in office for 90 days, I guess he should have fixed the mess Carter left behind in that time....?
Originally Posted By vbdad55 5.75 % inflation to 13.91 % inflation -- Carter in - Carter out timespan. <a href="http://inflationdata.com/inflation/Inflation_Rate/HistoricalInflation.aspx?dsInflation_currentPage=2" target="_blank">http://inflationdata.com/infla tion/Inflation_Rate/HistoricalInflation.aspx?dsInflation_currentPage=2</a>
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I can tell you for a fact that as a first time home buyer the best interest rate I could get in April 1980 was 18%.>> I'm just reporting the facts. The average mortgage rate in 1980 was about 12.5% (did you look at the graph at the bottom of the page?). If you couldn't find anything lower than that you must have lived in an area where for some reason the rates were higher than average. Or perhaps as a first time buyer you were looking to get in with less than a 20% down payment, which would increase the rate.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 ^^^^^^^^^^ I was young ( believe it or not) and inexperienced at the time and yes I likely had more like 10% down....again I can only comment on my own experience - I became a renter for 3 years....and when I did buy the rate was 12.75% on my first home. Still high compared to today, but at least manageable
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<5.75 % inflation to 13.91 % inflation -- Carter in - Carter out timespan.>> Due to oil price increases. Just like the double digit inflation under Nixon/Ford was attributable to oil price increases. Carter just had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. U.S. inflation now is increasing because of oil prices. Are you going to blame Dubya for that? I intensely dislike the guy, but I don't blame him for oil prices.
Originally Posted By jonvn "makes my head hurt thinking about defending either at this point" Which was worse? I'm kind of inclined to go with carter. Why? Because of his inaction when the embassy was seized, he laid the course for 30 years worth of mid east turmoil.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Which was worse? I'm kind of inclined to go with carter. Why? Because of his inaction when the embassy was seized, he laid the course for 30 years worth of mid east turmoil. >> I would have to say Bush is worse because of the way world opinion has turned against the United States because of his actions. By the way... I'm no huge Carter fan. Although I voted for him in 1976, I voted for Reagan in 1980. I just think that Carter was blamed for many things that were beyond anyone's control. He had the misfortune to be President during a terrible time in our history. I'm not sure Ford (or even Reagan) could have done substantially better.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<And he was. And continues to be.>>> This is your opinion, fine. I disagree.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<Do these 8, by contrast, constitute a full rack?>>> LOL This should certainly go in the LP post hall of fame.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad You cannot blame the President for EVERY single thing that goes wrong in the world or the US. I am surprised anything gets done in Washington in 4 years time.
Originally Posted By jonvn We can blame carter for lackluster leadership, and an unwillingness to engage the public or congress regarding the issues of the day. There is a reason he got so trounced in 1980, and why Kennedy ran against him then. There is a reason Reagan ended up so popular in comparison.
Originally Posted By DlandDug >>You cannot blame the President for EVERY single thing that goes wrong in the world or the US.<< Hey, hey. If he gets credit for the things that go right, he gets the blame for the things that go wrong.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Okay I am finally reduced to my last fallback argument and final line of defense... Well he was not a great President, which is disappointing because he was a fantastic Governor. Also for jonvn, How many other Nobel Prize Winners do you have NOTHING good to say about?
Originally Posted By vbdad55 ^^^^^^^^^^^^ not sure I'd go there, I'd start with Yassar Arafat right off the top...
Originally Posted By jonvn "How many other Nobel Prize Winners do you have NOTHING good to say about?" Well, as mentioned, Arafat. Oh, perhaps Kissinger.
Originally Posted By jmoore1966 Its amazing you can get a peace prize just for taking a break in blowing up people.
