Jimmy Carter - 39th President

[apple1]

15 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I agree with this:

Yes! No comparison between these two women.

[kittykay]

For years now there have been no public figures that I admire more than President & Mrs. Carter.  Honest, sincere, and down to earth.  Lived their faith every day.  Very sad day.

[Loveday]

Is anyone else watching the funeral service for Rosalynn Carter? I was all right until they brought President Carter out to take his place in the front row with his children and the presidents (Biden and Clinton) and first/former first ladies. Then the tears began to flow. 😢 

I do have to be very mean-spirited and annoyed for a moment, though. Melania is there, sitting next to Michelle Obama. I feel nothing but distaste towards her and I don't feel as if she should be there. I'm sure Jimmy and Rosalynn would not agree with me; they are/were far finer Christians than I can ever hope to be.

Rest in peace, Miss Rosalynn, you will be much missed.

[kittykay]

45 minutes ago, Loveday said:

Is anyone else watching the funeral service for Rosalynn Carter?

Yes, I sure am and losing it same as you.  And I must admit to the exact same feelings about Melania.  I guess I am mean spirited because Melania couldn't care less about Rosalynn and poor Michelle Obama is the unfortunate one to be seated by Melania.  I just loved Jimmy & Rosalynn and as posted before I admire both more than anyone in public life.  

Trisha Yearwood singing my favorite song "Imagine".  Wow!

[GreyhoundFan]

I read somewhere that Rosalynn asked Melania to be there. I’m not sure if it’s true, but it makes sense as Rosalynn was a class act. 
 

I’m just glad the orange menace didn’t show up. Unlike Melania, he would have made a scene. 

[kittykay]

Couldn't agree more, Greyhoundfan.  Rosalynn was everything tRump isn't (and can never be).  He would have thrown a temper tantrum to make sure he was noticed.  Very moving service.  I lost it when the music began.  Worried Jimmy may be joining Rosalynn soon.

[JermajestyDuggar]

I will probably explain this wrong. But I think of religious Christian democrats before the “religious right” took over as Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn. I guess I think of religious Christians back then as being both a good mix of republicans and democrats before the religious right started in the 1970s. But nowadays, the very religious Christian politicians are almost always republican. And often far right republican. As if you must vote republican if you are a Christian. 

[kittykay]

JermajestyDuggar you are exactly right.  I was raised in a small Texas town where everyone I knew was white Christian.  And most were Democrats.  But that all changed with the passage of Civil Rights legislation mid1960s.  A few remained Democrat and Christian (my father being one) but most Christians couldn't run to the Republican party fast enough.  I remember reading Bill Moyers, advisor to Pres Johnson, saying to the President that the Civil Rights legislation has lost the South for the Democrats for the next hundred years.  How true has that turned out to be?  

But Jimmy and Rosalynn are so much like the people I grew up with.  Decent, honest people.  They are my inspiration.

[apple1]

2 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I will probably explain this wrong. But I think of religious Christian democrats before the “religious right” took over as Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn. I guess I think of religious Christians back then as being both a good mix of republicans and democrats...

As a person who is no longer young - Yes. That was how it used to be.

5 hours ago, Loveday said:

...Then the tears began to flow. 😢 

Rest in peace, Miss Rosalynn, you will be much missed.

Yes, many times that I found myself wiping away tears. Many things that reminded me of my own mother, who left this earth in 2000. Many reminders of my own faith as well. I really hadn't expected to be so moved by her service.

[church_of_dog]

I watched most of it, very moving and what a remarkable woman she was.

There were even a few chuckles, like when Jason Carter acknowledged all the First Ladies and then added "and thanks to Secretary Clinton and Dr. Biden for bringing their lovely husbands."

I also was a bit fascinated watching Melania and wondering if she might get her eyes opened a bit being around people who talk about the goals of love and peace rather than bloating their own ego like T does.  I can't fathom that she truly holds the same nasty views he does, but I know it's likely.

There was also a nice little jab at T during Jason's speech when he was relating a visit Biden had made post-election to see Jimmy Carter, and Carter expressing his pleasure and "great relief" at Biden's election.  Wish we could have seen the camera on all the formers at that line!

Yes, I do suspect Jimmy will follow shortly, and he'd probably want it no other way.

We need more good people like them.

*sniff*

Edited November 29, 2023 by church_of_dog

[GreyhoundFan]

This made me cry:

[GreyhoundFan]

5 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I read somewhere that Rosalynn asked Melania to be there. I’m not sure if it’s true, but it makes sense as Rosalynn was a class act. 
 

I’m just glad the orange menace didn’t show up. Unlike Melania, he would have made a scene. 

This article mentions that Rosalynn wanted Melania to know she was invited: "Melania Trump joins first ladies at Rosalynn Carter memorial"

Quote

As five first ladies gathered Tuesday at an Atlanta church before a service to honor the life of Rosalynn Carter, one stood out in the crowd.

Former first lady Melania Trump wore light gray in a sea of mostly dark dresses and jackets — a visual reminder for many of her distinction in the crowd of dignitaries.

She was gracious as she met the family of Carter, whose husband, Jimmy Carter, has regularly clashed with Donald Trump, and she seemed happy to be there, according to Rosalynn Carter’s family.

“She said sweet things about my mother,” said Chip Carter, the Carters’ son, in an interview. “She thanked us for getting an invitation and we thanked her for coming — and I gave her a hug.”

Carter family members said they did not witness a hint of awkwardness on Tuesday between Melania Trump and the others — Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton — while they were together out of public view.

But there seemed to be plenty when they were on camera. The women barely looked at each other or smiled, and appeared to take pains to stare straight ahead after entering the church.

Melania Trump stood next to Michelle Obama, but they did not appear to speak or even acknowledge each other. At times, Obama — who has said that false claims by Donald Trump about her husband’s citizenship led to threats to her family — seemed to be leaning away from her.

Historically, there was nothing particularly notable about a former first lady attending a memorial for one of her predecessors — a solemn occasion that has long bridged partisan divides and brought former White House occupants together to mourn.

But Trump has rarely been seen in public since she left the White House shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, where many supporters of her husband said they believed the election was stolen by Joe Biden. Accompanied by her, Donald Trump left Washington without attending Biden’s inauguration, the first outgoing president not to stand with his successor in 150 years.

Carter’s family said she specifically wanted Melania Trump to know she was invited to the service. In a time of division, she hoped all the first ladies would join in a show of solidarity as her farewell tribute.

“My grandmother campaigned against and voted against some of their husbands,” said Jason Carter, the Carters’ grandson. “But she believed that there are some things that are more important than politics.”

Carter wanted Trump included out of respect for the often unsung role of first ladies, according to her family and friends.

“They know what goes into the job,” said Paul Costello, who worked for Rosalynn Carter in the White House. “I wouldn’t call them best buddies, but I think they have a great deal of respect. … A unique bond, no matter what party they’re in or no matter how well their husband is respected or not respected.”

During the service, several speakers alluded to that enduring connection between first ladies — a role that Carter, who died at 96 this month, modernized. She hired professional staff to take advantage of the high-profile platform and despite criticism from some voters, attended cabinet meetings and national security briefings. A staunch supporter of women’s rights, Carter was also her husband’s closest political adviser.

“These women have a personal bond, not many people share what they experienced,” added Jason Carter, in a speech at the tribute.

Jason Carter acknowledged each of the first ladies by name from the altar and spoke of their “remarkable sisterhood.” In a nod to the power and influence of his grandmother and other first ladies gathered, he also drew a laugh from hundreds in the church by adding, “We also welcome your lovely husbands.”

President Biden, who has known the Carters since they were in White House, and former president Bill Clinton, a Southern Democrat whose path from governor to president echoed Jimmy Carter’s career, were at the service on Tuesday. Donald Trump, George W. Bush and Barack Obama did not attend.

Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff also attended the service. Jimmy Carter, 99, remained in a reclined wheelchair and looked pale and frail. The only dignitaries he met privately with before the service were Joe and Jill Biden.

Rosalynn’s death “has shaken” Jimmy Carter, said his son, Chip. But he said his father sat with her body for 30 minutes Friday and “is coming to grips with her loss.”

Virginia Tate, a privacy lawyer standing near the church on the Emory University campus, held out little hope that a gathering of first ladies at the service would make any mark on America’s political fractures. “It’s kind of meaningless,” she said.

But others thought the images counted for something.

“That’s something the country needs. It’s so hyper-polarized right now that people are always ready to pick a fight,” said Mark Rosenberg, a global public health advocate who was standing nearby.

 

[kittykay]

I have always known Rosalynn and Jimmy were much better humans than I.  Every time I see Melania I just remember the image of her at the border to see immigrant children jailed and separated from their parents then boarding a plane while wearing a jacket that proclaimed "I really don't care.  Do you?"  To me, that sums up Melania.  And I do think her personal opinions match those of tRump's.

[libgirl2]

15 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I read somewhere that Rosalynn asked Melania to be there. I’m not sure if it’s true, but it makes sense as Rosalynn was a class act. 
 

I’m just glad the orange menace didn’t show up. Unlike Melania, he would have made a scene. 

I'm no fan of Melania but I do think she knows how to behave at a funeral and not make it about her. I remember another funeral, I don't recall if it was the elder Bush or Barbara or Nancy, that she was pictured with the former presidents/wives and everyone looked comfortable. Maybe they don't mind her, just hate her husband? 

[moreorlessnu]

Amy's speech brought me to tears; my heart goes out to her. She is a grown woman now, but she will forever be a 10 year old running around the White House in my mind.

[Loveday]

14 hours ago, moreorlessnu said:

Amy's speech brought me to tears; my heart goes out to her. She is a grown woman now, but she will forever be a 10 year old running around the White House in my mind.

With her cat, Misty Malarky Ying Yang! ❤️ 

[SPHASH]

I noticed Obama and Bush43 weren't at the funeral.  Remember when Conservatives have a conniption fit when Obama didn't attend Nancy Reagan's funeral?  Crickets this time.