It's that Seventies Show
November 22, 2011 7:07 AM Subscribe
July 1979. Americans were waiting for hours in line for a tank of gas, interest rates were hovering around 10 percent, the official rate of inflation was over 9 percent, and the country was mired in recession. After nearly three years as President, Jimmy Carter gave a nationally televised speech.
In his address to the nation, Carter blamed the disastrous economy on Americans supposedly being in a psychological funk, or in what Mr. Carter called “a crisis of confidence.”
"What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well-financed and powerful special interests. You see every extreme position defended to the last vote, almost to the last breath by one unyielding group or another. You often see a balanced and a fair approach that demands sacrifice, a little sacrifice from everyone, abandoned like an orphan without support and without friends."
Pundits dubbed it the “malaise” speech.
In blaming the deleterious effects of his own policies on Americans allegedly being “soft,” “lazy,” “un-ambitious,” and “un-imaginative,” Mr. Obama has had what I’d call his “malaise moment.”
Carter’s speech resonates because it is perhaps the best example of political tone deafness in presidential history. Carter had no idea how badly his gloomy reflections (which illustrated his own dark mood better than that of his countrymen), would be received. The question for Barack Obama as he tries to play some of the same notes in the course of his own presidential crises is whether he is as connected to public opinion as he thinks he is.
"What you see too often in Washington and elsewhere around the country is a system of government that seems incapable of action. You see a Congress twisted and pulled in every direction by hundreds of well-financed and powerful special interests. You see every extreme position defended to the last vote, almost to the last breath by one unyielding group or another. You often see a balanced and a fair approach that demands sacrifice, a little sacrifice from everyone, abandoned like an orphan without support and without friends."
Pundits dubbed it the “malaise” speech.
In blaming the deleterious effects of his own policies on Americans allegedly being “soft,” “lazy,” “un-ambitious,” and “un-imaginative,” Mr. Obama has had what I’d call his “malaise moment.”
Carter’s speech resonates because it is perhaps the best example of political tone deafness in presidential history. Carter had no idea how badly his gloomy reflections (which illustrated his own dark mood better than that of his countrymen), would be received. The question for Barack Obama as he tries to play some of the same notes in the course of his own presidential crises is whether he is as connected to public opinion as he thinks he is.
This post was deleted for the following reason: You appear to have quoted a crazypants Forbes article and are conflating things that are only nominally connected in this editorializing dogwhistle of a post that basically says "come fight with me" -- jessamyn
Umm....jeez. He's talking about policymakers, not Americans. But decide for yourself with the help of the full quote:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: "Well, this is an issue, generally. I think it's important to remember that the United States is still the largest recipient of foreign investment in the world. And there are a lot of things that make foreign investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity — our stability, our openness, our innovative free market culture.
"But we've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We've kind of taken for granted — well, people will want to come here and we aren't out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America. And so one of things that my administration has done is set up something called SelectUSA that organizes all the government agencies to work with state and local governments where they're seeking assistance from us, to go out there and make it easier for foreign investors to build a plant in the United States and put outstanding U.S. workers back to work in the United States of America.
"And we think that we can do much better than we're doing right now. Because of our federalist system, sometimes a foreign investor comes in and they've got to navigate not only federal rules, but they've also got to navigate state and local governments that may have their own sets of interests. Being able to create if not a one-stop shop, then at least no more than a couple of stops for people to be able to come into the United States and make investments, that's something that we want to encourage."
But the president's critics have whittled this down to: "Obama says Americans are lazy."
And the Washington Post gives this framing Four Pinocchios.
posted by dig_duggler at 7:14 AM on November 22, 2011 [6 favorites]
PRESIDENT OBAMA: "Well, this is an issue, generally. I think it's important to remember that the United States is still the largest recipient of foreign investment in the world. And there are a lot of things that make foreign investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity — our stability, our openness, our innovative free market culture.
"But we've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades. We've kind of taken for granted — well, people will want to come here and we aren't out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America. And so one of things that my administration has done is set up something called SelectUSA that organizes all the government agencies to work with state and local governments where they're seeking assistance from us, to go out there and make it easier for foreign investors to build a plant in the United States and put outstanding U.S. workers back to work in the United States of America.
"And we think that we can do much better than we're doing right now. Because of our federalist system, sometimes a foreign investor comes in and they've got to navigate not only federal rules, but they've also got to navigate state and local governments that may have their own sets of interests. Being able to create if not a one-stop shop, then at least no more than a couple of stops for people to be able to come into the United States and make investments, that's something that we want to encourage."
But the president's critics have whittled this down to: "Obama says Americans are lazy."
And the Washington Post gives this framing Four Pinocchios.
posted by dig_duggler at 7:14 AM on November 22, 2011 [6 favorites]
From the _Commentary_ link:
"President Jimmy Carter delivered his famous “malaise” speech in which he seemed to blame the country’s problems on the people rather than their leaders."
This is followed by the linked quote, which, as far as I can tell, blames the country's problems on a toxic political climate in Congress rather than the people.
It's bad enough when people here don't read the articles, but I'm starting to think the authors don't even read their own articles!
posted by escabeche at 7:14 AM on November 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
"President Jimmy Carter delivered his famous “malaise” speech in which he seemed to blame the country’s problems on the people rather than their leaders."
This is followed by the linked quote, which, as far as I can tell, blames the country's problems on a toxic political climate in Congress rather than the people.
It's bad enough when people here don't read the articles, but I'm starting to think the authors don't even read their own articles!
posted by escabeche at 7:14 AM on November 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
The question for Barack Obama as he tries to play some of the same notes in the course of his own presidential crises is whether he is as connected to public opinion as he thinks he is.
I haven't heard this speech, but I can already tell you the answer to this one.
That said...Forbes? Misinterpreting a Democrat in a way that makes him look worse? Shocked.
posted by DU at 7:16 AM on November 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
I haven't heard this speech, but I can already tell you the answer to this one.
That said...Forbes? Misinterpreting a Democrat in a way that makes him look worse? Shocked.
posted by DU at 7:16 AM on November 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
The "malaise" speech was fairly well received at the time, actually, contra to what that last link might suggest. Carter received quite a few supportive letters and calls about it, and his poll ratings went up afterwards. Then he screwed it up by firing a bunch of his Cabinet, and then Reagan and other conservatives used it as inflammatory campaign bait in 1980. Of course, it's still being used that way, as you can see here.
posted by heurtebise at 7:16 AM on November 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by heurtebise at 7:16 AM on November 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Carter’s speech resonates because it is perhaps the best example of political tone deafness in presidential history. Carter had no idea how badly his gloomy reflections (which illustrated his own dark mood better than that of his countrymen), would be received.
Likewise, the author of this poorly researched polemic had no idea how it was received, which was: well. From a New York times headline in the week following the speech: "Speech Lifts Carter Rating to 37%; Public Agrees on Confidence Crisis; Responsive Chord Struck." Lede sentence: "President Carter has received a sharp increase in approval from a public that overwhelmingly agrees with his warning Sunday night that the nation faces a "crisis of confidence," according to the New York Times/CBS News Poll."
It's become a popular bit of Conservative revisionist history that the turning point in Carter's presidency came from massive negative public reaction to the speech, but it's nothing more than wishful thinking being reported as fact.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 7:16 AM on November 22, 2011 [8 favorites]
Likewise, the author of this poorly researched polemic had no idea how it was received, which was: well. From a New York times headline in the week following the speech: "Speech Lifts Carter Rating to 37%; Public Agrees on Confidence Crisis; Responsive Chord Struck." Lede sentence: "President Carter has received a sharp increase in approval from a public that overwhelmingly agrees with his warning Sunday night that the nation faces a "crisis of confidence," according to the New York Times/CBS News Poll."
It's become a popular bit of Conservative revisionist history that the turning point in Carter's presidency came from massive negative public reaction to the speech, but it's nothing more than wishful thinking being reported as fact.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 7:16 AM on November 22, 2011 [8 favorites]
Carter’s speech resonates because it is perhaps the best example of political tone deafness in presidential history.
Sure it is. Now watch this drive!
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:18 AM on November 22, 2011 [22 favorites]
Sure it is. Now watch this drive!
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:18 AM on November 22, 2011 [22 favorites]
Good heavens, Obama said something in a speech most voters will never listen to
posted by KokuRyu at 7:20 AM on November 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by KokuRyu at 7:20 AM on November 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Wow, that Forbes article is off the rails, even for Forbes:
Just like Carter’s anti-capitalist mentality, Obama’s also calls for “sacrifice” (as if that’s “noble”)
At root Barack Obama despises capitalism and its moral underpinnings (rational greed)
The greens want to remove existing bridges, dams, and factories – not build new ones. If Obama really wanted us to regain our “willingness” to build great things, he’d call off his vicious green dogs.
posted by brain_drain at 7:20 AM on November 22, 2011
Just like Carter’s anti-capitalist mentality, Obama’s also calls for “sacrifice” (as if that’s “noble”)
At root Barack Obama despises capitalism and its moral underpinnings (rational greed)
The greens want to remove existing bridges, dams, and factories – not build new ones. If Obama really wanted us to regain our “willingness” to build great things, he’d call off his vicious green dogs.
posted by brain_drain at 7:20 AM on November 22, 2011
Obama could read out the St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V, and the GOP would call it defeatist.
posted by gimonca at 7:21 AM on November 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by gimonca at 7:21 AM on November 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
You left out the attack by the bunny rabbit, which was like, proof that Jimmy Carter was an evil, malaise driven, peanut throwing, brother of a Libyan lobbyist.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:21 AM on November 22, 2011
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:21 AM on November 22, 2011
I challenge anyone to find a major point or proposal in the Malaise speech that the next 32 years haven't vindicated.
posted by Grimgrin at 7:22 AM on November 22, 2011 [7 favorites]
posted by Grimgrin at 7:22 AM on November 22, 2011 [7 favorites]
Since we seem to just linking to opinion pieces here:
"Did you get the impression from the GOP debates that Obama had lowered taxes? That he had not nationalized but saved the banks? That he had dispatched Osama and Qaddafi? That he had 60 percent support for a sane and succcessful foreign policy?... I remain unrepentant in my support for this president, a man who has accomplished more in the face of a more hostile environment in his first three years than any president since Johnson. I wish more reasonable Dems and a few moderate Republicans will soon have the courage to say so."
posted by dig_duggler at 7:22 AM on November 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
"Did you get the impression from the GOP debates that Obama had lowered taxes? That he had not nationalized but saved the banks? That he had dispatched Osama and Qaddafi? That he had 60 percent support for a sane and succcessful foreign policy?... I remain unrepentant in my support for this president, a man who has accomplished more in the face of a more hostile environment in his first three years than any president since Johnson. I wish more reasonable Dems and a few moderate Republicans will soon have the courage to say so."
posted by dig_duggler at 7:22 AM on November 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
Anyone interested in the actual, rather than the imagined, 'malaise' speech -- how it was written, the deeply depressing context of America in the last 1970s, and the way that it's become mythologized by the right as "Carter's failure" -- should read this book: "What The Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?": Jimmy Carter, America's 'Malaise,' and The Speech That Should Have Changed the Country."
posted by heurtebise at 7:25 AM on November 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by heurtebise at 7:25 AM on November 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
This is really, really stupid. I've been critical of Obama now and then, but it seems insane that he's being misquoted this ridiculously. I guess I expected better of Forbes - maybe that was silly of me.
posted by koeselitz at 7:30 AM on November 22, 2011
posted by koeselitz at 7:30 AM on November 22, 2011
In blaming the deleterious effects of his own policies on Americans allegedly being “soft,” “lazy,” “un-ambitious,” and “un-imaginative,” Mr. Obama has had what I’d call his “malaise moment.”I'm pretty sure that if Jimmy Cater were to run in 2012, he wouldn't have any trouble beating Gingrich, Perry, Cain, Bachman, etc.
posted by delmoi at 7:30 AM on November 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
It served t remind me how fucking sick I am of Conservatives talking shit about Jimmy Carter. They took great pleasure in blaming him for every little thing that went wrong during his tenure, gave him no credit for the many things he did right, gave him literally ZERO credit for being a genuinely decent and kind man, and did everything in their power to undermine and destroy him. Oh, and very likely secured Reagan's victory over him by brokering a deal with terrorists to not release 52 American hostages in Iran until after the election.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 7:33 AM on November 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 7:33 AM on November 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
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Seriously, saying he said Americans were lazy is totally taking the quote out of context.
posted by blahblahblah at 7:13 AM on November 22, 2011 [5 favorites]