Former president Jimmy Carter claims that America would have had comprehensive health care decades ago if it weren't for Senator Ted Kennedy.
Speaking to Lesley Stahl on the CBS show "60 Minutes," Carter said that Kennedy's actions delayed comprehensive health coverage for Americans for 30 years. He says that Kennedy killed Carter's own health care bill which would have provided meaningful coverage.
In the interview Carter says, "The fact is that we would have had comprehensive health care now, had it not been for Ted Kennedy's deliberately blocking the legislation that I proposed … It was his fault. Ted Kennedy killed the bill."
Carter says that Kennedy blocked the bill out of spite. Kennedy ran against the president for the democratic presidential nomination.
"He did not want to see me have a major success in that realm of life," says Carter.
Carter's new book "White House Diary" contains extracts of his diary, which he kept during his presidency. One of the diary extracts says "Kennedy continuing his irresponsible and abusive attitude, immediately condemning our health plan. He couldn't get five votes for his plan."
Speaking to Stahl he also says that his energy conservation program lowered America's dependence on foreign oil by 50 percent. He said "Unfortunately, now we're probably importing 12 million barrels a day, since part of my energy policies were abandoned."
Carter also said that Ronald Reagan had removed the solar panels he had fitted on the White House. "[Reagan] wanted to show that America was a great nation. So great that we didn’t have to limit the enjoyment of life," said Carter. "That's right, America responded to that quite well."
During the interview he admits that he made mistakes during his presidency, such as attempting to de-formalize his office and also trying to do too much. He says that he passed more programs than most presidents. "I had the best batting average in Congress in recent history of any president, except Lyndon Johnson," says Carter.
The interview will be aired on Sunday, September 19, at 7 pm ET/PT.
42 Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.maloney | Sep 21, 2010, 10:01 PM EDT
nygregory...You can dish it out but you can't take like the rest of you lame arse libs.
maloney | Sep 20, 2010, 07:49 PM EDT
nygrgory... Here we go again with the grammar & spelling lessons. Nothing you can say about the facts though. I do have a dangling participle you may be interested in.
edmundburke | Sep 20, 2010, 07:41 PM EDT
Typical Carter, waits til the man's dead to diss him. Hope they did a head count for Teddy's lying in state so they can match it against Carter's. Carter has been a disgrace as an ex-Pres since the hour he became one on Jan 20, 1981.
IrishAndProud | Sep 20, 2010, 05:44 PM EDT
Dublinjas, you don't have to actually mention the word JEW to be quite obviously and openly hostile toward them (which you are) -- and you've just made my case, perfectly: calling me a 'zio-nit in sheep's clothing.' Yeah, the notion of backing the Jews' presence on their own ancient homeland is inherently twisted (and only worthy of wing-nut territory), and further I'm obviously trying to hide it from you (never mind that I've been quite open and vocal about my pro-Israel sentiments every time the subject's ever come up)...but you (with your sizeable grasp of the obvious) have 'caught on' to me. You bash Israel relentlessly, clearly loathe its existence, use terms like 'zio-nit' toward those who defends it...but of course you're not an antisemite. Riiiiggghht. Kiddo, you cannot separate Israel from the Jews any more than you can separate the wet from water. If you're attacking the country and its people and its identity and its existence, then YOU'RE...ATTACKING...THE...JEWS, since their very identity is inseparable from all of that. Incidentally I'm still waiting for YOU to name three good things that Carter did as President -- and his attacks on Israel really don't count, since they are A) NOT good, and B) were made long AFTER he was President.
gregoryny | Sep 20, 2010, 05:25 PM EDT
what an idiot you are Maloney. you think you know something about politics yet you can't even spell politician!!! and that surely isn't a missed key.
maryjeandc | Sep 20, 2010, 04:01 PM EDT
Kennedy said he regretted not taking that deal. I think he'd agree with President Carter
maloney | Sep 20, 2010, 01:35 PM EDT
The 2 worst time I remember in my lifetime were Jimmy's time in office & now. G.W. Bush, do you miss him yet? Irish&Proud, you are a PATRIOT!!
manhattan | Sep 20, 2010, 11:58 AM EDT
Dublinjas, you are wasting your breath. Irish & Proud beats you every time. You would be wiser and smarter if you read what he says. He is amaazing and I pray he stays on Irish Central to bury all you know it alls.
joanmoody | Sep 20, 2010, 11:09 AM EDT
What is in the past is in the past and can't be brought back but Ted Kennedy did have an ego and didn't like people to upstage him. Let's be kind to Carter as he had done a great deal of decent things since leaving office. Who else has?
Irishlassred | Sep 20, 2010, 11:09 AM EDT
I am disappointed that the former President, or anyone, waits until a person is dead to take a shot at him/her. Easy enough for Carter to say things now - who can rebut them? But I too lived through his tenure, including living in GA when he was the Governor. What a mess he was: he did so much to stir up the troubles in the mid-east we now face. He didn't start the problems but he did nothing to eleviate them. What always struck me was what an insenstive person he was/is. No wonder he only served one term - and Ted Kennedy was not that reason.
Monsoonman | Sep 20, 2010, 10:40 AM EDT
Jimmy Carter gets large amounts of funding from jihadists sources...You did know that?
BreezyPat | Sep 20, 2010, 09:42 AM EDT
Jimmy Carter who? Tee Hee!
maloney | Sep 20, 2010, 08:08 AM EDT
The majority of the dems. refuse to talk about carter or have anything to do with him. They know he should have stayed down on the peanut farm. You see the same thing with obama now, dems stepping away from him & his policies. Pay attention to your own polititions. They long ago cut carter loose & now are saying NObama.
Dublinjas | Sep 20, 2010, 05:19 AM EDT
Maloney Bologna, I see the Republicans have brought in their Big Guns in the Deep thinkers like @ willieboy ......Willie if you hit the Key "Caps Lock" it will bring you to the small writing...
Dublinjas | Sep 20, 2010, 05:09 AM EDT
IrishAndProud Where do you see one mention of the name "Jew" in any of my posts????
Dublinjas | Sep 20, 2010, 04:16 AM EDT
IrishAndProud Methinks you are a Zio-nit in sheep's clothing...ooops did I spell that right???
willieboy | Sep 19, 2010, 08:46 PM EDT
WHAT AN EGO. OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN EGO TO EXPKLAIN BEING THE WORST PRESIDENT THE U S HAS EVER HAD. THAT IS, TIL NOW...
IrishAndProud | Sep 19, 2010, 06:27 PM EDT
Dublinjas, exactly how many times have you even asked a Reagan supporter (btw that's spelled with an 'ea') if they can list any of his accomplishments? The only so-called Carter 'accomplishment' that YOU could list was his open and vile hostility toward Israel, which you clearly share -- and not satisfied with that you then you proceeded to use this thread to go on yet another predictable, Israel-bashing rant. Instead of sitting around hating the Jews, how about YOU list three things that Carter ever did, other than verbally LIE about another country? Oh btw Reagan rebuilt the U.S. military after we stood on the brink of collapse while the Soviets expanded, stared down the Soviets and triggered the collapse of worlwide communism as a result (no thanks whatsoever to people like you), brought an unprecedented 92 months of economic prosperity to the USA, and restored a sense of national purpose after years of Carter's 'malaise' (his own words). As for your mocking of what Reagan said at the Berlin Wall, try that approach with a former East Berliner who could soon thereafter walk freely across to the other side of his own city without being machine-gunned to death. Yeah, Dublinjas...freedom for millions from communist oppression is a rather big deal, to those of us who actually recognized what communism was. As for the deficits, part of it was necessary for national survival to rebuild the U.S. military -- and as for the rest, in case you were not aware it's CONGRESS that overspent the massive infusion of economic money and did not even stay within its own spending limits under Gramm-Rudman-Hollings. Obama (with his obedient lap-dog Congress) has run up more debt than George Washington through Reagan, COMBINED. Take your deficit 'concerns' where they really belong, and go bark up the right tree, please.
killowen | Sep 19, 2010, 04:30 PM EDT
Carter should spell out his cottonpicking peanut health plan - he should have his listed on one side and deceased Teddy's on the other side. Carter could not care for the health of the few held during his watch by Iran. Monday morning quarterbacking envy is what he suffers. The worst president in history spouts off for notice. Apartheid Israel retractor chap. Eh! what?
Monsoonman | Sep 19, 2010, 02:56 PM EDT
There is one thing that is staring us in the face that carter is directly responsible for: The rise of Islamic fundamentalism around the world. His acquiescence in letting the shah of iran be deposed and his aiding and abetting the ayatollah khomeini to power in Iran, lead to our troubles with the Islamic fundamentalists all over the world. Carters thanks from the Ayatollah and his henchman achmadinajad: The storming of our embassy in Tehran, the killing and butchering of Americans worldwide and the hostage taking of our embassy staff in iran. They utterly disrespected the spineless carter and thumbed their noses at us, knowing carters impotence would not harm them.
FredSchollars | Sep 19, 2010, 12:55 PM EDT
I am quite sad to learn that Senator Kennedy for whom I had such great respect, had been responsible, if true, for having fought against President Carter's desire to have passed by the Senate a comprehinsive health bill for all Americans. This is especially true since all Congressmen and Senators have access to fantastice health insurance not affordable by the average American. Sincerely, Fred E Schollars at fschollars@juno.com .
maloney | Sep 19, 2010, 12:18 PM EDT
No matter, Carter sucked B4 & he sucks even more now. If you are a dumocrat you have always sucked & always will. Just like carter, the more time passes the more you suck.
FastEddy | Sep 19, 2010, 11:07 AM EDT
Coulsa, woulda, might have been? ... LOL
1661996usmc | Sep 19, 2010, 10:01 AM EDT
Why weren't these comments made while Ted Kennedy was alive. I guess that Carter needed to justify his failure as a leader.
Ajreaper | Sep 19, 2010, 09:59 AM EDT
Hindsight makes us all pretty smart men doesn't it? When you have the benefit of history pointing out where others fell short does not take a wise man at all.
Callahanjm | Sep 19, 2010, 09:38 AM EDT
It's water over the bridge!!
Searlit | Sep 19, 2010, 09:23 AM EDT
Does anyone remember the Iran/Contras and that Reagan traded arms for hostages? Also Reagan supported the Afghan Rebels who the Russians were fighting - guess who their leader was? Osama Bin Laden.
maloney | Sep 19, 2010, 08:40 AM EDT
One thing Ronnie Reagan did was beat a Democrat not once but twice in Presidential elections. His 1st achievement was done before he became President. He freed the hostages from Iran. Carter was so lame the Iranians feared him not at all. But they released the hostages as Reagan was taking office to keep him from kicking their butts. Now that's real power.
Dublinjas | Sep 19, 2010, 07:06 AM EDT
@debthedem Good Post I agree 100% with you, When you ask these dyed in the wool Regan supporters to name 3 outstanding measures Regan achieved they cannot tell you, Yet they will still argue "He was the greatest". He Spent like crazy ran up huge deficits and he said "Mr Gorbachev tear down this wall"
Dublinjas | Sep 19, 2010, 06:54 AM EDT
Also Carter was the first US president with balls enough to criticize the Israeli State When he called it an Apartheid State The State of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians has been compared by the United Nations, human rights groups, and critics of Israeli policy to South Africa's treatment of non-whites during its apartheid era. Carter was correct.....Under the "Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law" Arab children born through the marriage of and Arab to an Israeli Must leave the Israeli State by age 12, It is a pure Apartheid State. Yet hardly any Popular Press including this publication ever Criticizes the Israeli's, Carter Did.
Dublinjas | Sep 19, 2010, 06:35 AM EDT
The Lineups at the gas stations and the crippling interest rates were no more Carters fault than the present economic collapse is Obamas, I was working in London England and we were thrown on to a 3 day week when the Arabs Withheld Oil supplies to the west 1973, Nixon was US president and I remember seeing US News articles about people lining up at gas stations, That Arab Embargo was caused in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war, it lasted until March 1974. As a matter of a fact Almost all of America's Woes since the start of the latter half of the 20th Century Can be laid at the door of its heavy handed support of the Israeli State.
IrishAndProud | Sep 19, 2010, 05:13 AM EDT
Well, perhaps Jimmy can take some solace in the fact that the health scare deform which Barack Obama forced on a nation that did not want it (and still doesn't) has lent itself in no small way to Jimmy no longer being our worst President. Ted's dead, Obama's dying (politically), and Jimmy is no longer the worst. Reagan was unquestionably the best.
tdgonline | Sep 19, 2010, 02:26 AM EDT
And, by the way, the comparison of George W. Bush as an icon besides Carter is breathtaking. Because, there cannot be any comparison. Since Bush belongs in that special category of epic failure that if anything, had such an incredible and sustaining intensity behind it, that I believe everyone will agree me when I say that most people were blinded by his stupidity.
tdgonline | Sep 19, 2010, 02:10 AM EDT
Reagan's light may shine brighter than Carter's, but I do believe in the long run that Jimmy Carter will get the credit he deserves. And, if it not for his presidency, then most certainly for his post-presidential humanitarian efforts that far outshine anything Reagan ever did before, during, and after his time in office.
CullenAbroad | Sep 18, 2010, 08:50 PM EDT
I should have said "You've nailed IT debthedem - you at least know what you're talking about.
CullenAbroad | Sep 18, 2010, 08:49 PM EDT
You've nailed debthedem - Well said. Also Carter has morals and integrity, which cannot be said about too many presidents, thank God for him!
debthedem | Sep 18, 2010, 07:39 PM EDT
It looks like you never read a book of Carter's or any of his prior interviews while Kennedy was alive. He went on to say in those interviews after his presidency. He was always "bitter" about Kennedy and not totally without reason. What he says about Kennedy is true. Not only did Kennedy scuttle a health care plan for Carter but one for Nixon and Clinton as well. Kennedy did not allow Hillary Clinton's Health Care plan to get out of Committee in a Democratically controlled Congress. Kennedy was too wrapped up in himself to allow modest small steps back in the Nixon and Carter days. Now if the worst thing you ever remember being wrong for America is that during the 70s you had to wait in line to buy gasoline you have led a very charmed life. Carter was way ahead of his time on energy. Ronald Reagan did nothing for this country except to run up the debt and began the assault on the middle class in ernest. Until Bush the 2nd I thought he was our worse president. I did not appreciate Carter when he was in office. When they play his talk about Americans measuring by material goods rather than what talents they possess he was right. Interest rates may be low now but what difference does it make if people are not working and financial institutions have rules that most people will not qualify? The poverty rate was low under Carter. I have come to realize Carter understood that we are as good as our bottom. Energy is a problem that will be crippling us.
Verum68 | Sep 18, 2010, 06:02 PM EDT
Interesting that he didn't have the courage to bring this up while Kennedy was alive. Easy to attack someone who is dead and can no longer defend himself. Sounds like sour grapes to me.
manhattan | Sep 18, 2010, 01:36 PM EDT
OOPS!
manhattan | Sep 18, 2010, 01:18 PM EDT
Anyone out there remember what it was like under Jimmy Carter? He was the worst President I ever lived under and there were quite a few. He is a sour old Man who thinks he never got the respect he deserved. Believe me he will never get. He is jealous of Kennedy, Reagan and anyone else that was respected and loved by Americans. I know all you Bush haters will compare them, but believe me Bush would be an icon compared to him.
manhattan | Sep 18, 2010, 01:12 PM EDT
P.S. The 18% was the interest rate under him.
manhattan | Sep 18, 2010, 01:11 PM EDT
JIMMY CARTER WAS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN MY LIFETIME AND I LIVED THROUGH MANY OF THEM. HE IS SOUR OLD MAN WHO WILL NEVER GET RESPECT FROM ANY OF US WHO SUFFERED THROUGH 18% /GAS LINES/ AND THE BEST OF ALL WAS WHEN HE ASKED HIS DAUGHTER WHO WAS ABOUT 10 WHAT SHE WOULD DO ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS. HOW ABOUT WHEN OUR HOSTAGES WERE CAPTURED AND HELD IN IRAN, HE ASKED US ALL TO LIGHT A CANDLE. WELL THOSE CANDLES BURNED TO NOTHING BECAUSE THOSE POOR PEOPLE WERE HELD FOR YEARS. I COMMEND HIM FOR THE HABITATS HE BUILDS BUT NOTHING ELSE. HE IS JEALOUS OF KENNEDY OR ANYONE THAT GOT PRAISE FROM AMERICANS BECAUSE. I KNOW ALL YOU BUSH HATERS WILL BE OUT IN FORCE BUT BELIEVE ME NEXT TO CARTER BUSH WAS AN ICON.