A Letter From Jimmy Carter to Zell Miller

[praying]

To Sen. Zell Miller:

You seem to have forgotten that loyal Democrats elected you as mayor [of Young Harris] and as state senator. Loyal Democrats, including members of my family and me, elected you as state senator, lieutenant governor and governor. It was a loyal Democrat, Lester Maddox, who assigned you to high positions in the state government when you were out of office. It was a loyal Democrat, Roy Barnes, who appointed you as U.S. senator when you were out of office. By your historically unprecedented disloyalty, you have betrayed our trust.

Great Georgia Democrats who served in the past, including Walter George, Richard Russell, Herman Talmadge and Sam Nunn, disagreed strongly with the policies of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and me, but they remained loyal to the party in which they gained their public office. Other Democrats, because of philosophical differences or the race issue, like Bo Callaway and Strom Thurmond, at least had the decency to become Republicans.

Everyone knows that you were chosen to speak at the Republican National Convention because of your being a "Democrat," and it's quite possible that your rabid speech damaged our party and paid the GOP some transient dividends.

Perhaps more troublesome of all is seeing you adopt an established and very effective Republican campaign technique of destroying the character of opponents by wild and false allegations. The Bush campaign's personal attacks on the character of John McCain in South Carolina in 2000 was a vivid example. The claim that war hero Max Cleland was a disloyal American and an ally of Osama bin Laden should have given you pause, but you have joined in this ploy by your bizarre claims that another war hero, John Kerry, would not defend the security of our nation except with spitballs. (This is the same man whom you described previously as "one of this nation's authentic heroes, one of this party's best-known and greatest leaders --- and a good friend.")

I, myself, served in the Navy from 1942 to 1953, and, as president, greatly strengthened our military forces and protected our nation and its interests in every way. I don't believe this warrants your referring to me as a pacifist.


Zell, I have known you for 42 years and have, in the past, respected you as a trustworthy political leader and a personal friend. But now, there are many of us loyal Democrats who feel uncomfortable in seeing that you have chosen the rich over the poor, unilateral pre-emptive war over a strong nation united with others for peace, lies and obfuscation over the truth, and the political technique of personal character assassination as a way to win elections or to garner a few moments of applause. These are not the characteristics of great Democrats whose legacy you and I have inherited.

Sincerely, and with deepest regrets,

Jimmy Carter

2004 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0908-10.htm

 

[InnerPhyre]

This is why I hate politics. Everyone is expected to tow the line, and if they follow their conscience over their party, they're outcasts. Zell Miller doesn't like the direction his party has taken, speaks out, and is called a traitor. John McCain doesn't like something the President has done, says so, and people call him a turncoat.

 

[praying]

Since when is Jimmy Carter a model of political success?

Why does that matter, he is a very honorable and sucessful, faithful evangelical Christian who thought that Zell Miller's speech went beyond politics into personal attacking and he is calling him on it.

This is why I hate politics. Everyone is expected to tow the line, and if they follow their conscience over their party, they're outcasts.
Zell Miller doesn't like the direction his party has taken, speaks out, and is called a traitor. John McCain doesn't like something the President has done, says so, and people call him a turncoat.

I think you missed the point of the letter and the issue he has with Zell Miller

"Perhaps more troublesome of all is seeing you adopt an established and very effective Republican campaign technique of destroying the character of opponents by wild and false allegations"

I think that quote sums up his position in a nutshell.

 

[InnerPhyre]

Of course those who disagree with Miller's position would say the allegations are false. If they thought they were true, they wouldn't disagree with him. Maybe I need to go re-read the transcript for Miller's speech, but from what I remember, the most effective parts of it came from bringing Kerry's voting record, not his character. The exact same things happened to John McCain though when he denounced the swiftboat veteran ads. Republicans everywhere said that he was attacking the character of the veterans who had served honorably, etc and called him a traitor to the party. Thank God I'm an independant.

 

[Firscherscherling]

Since when is Jimmy Carter a model of political success? This is why I hate politics. Everyone is expected to tow the line, and if they follow their conscience over their party, they're outcasts. Zell Miller doesn't like the direction his party has taken, speaks out, and is called a traitor. John McCain doesn't like something the President has done, says so, and people call him a turncoat.

Jimmy Carter is a person whose example you could only dream to follow. He is one of the finest diplomats we have, called on by presidents of both parties to negotiate in times of trouble. He is a philanthopist and a community leader.

I'd think if there was any man a conservative Christian would revere and respect, regardless of his political party, it would be this man.

 

[praying]

Jimmy Carter is a person whose example you could only dream to follow. He is one of the finest diplomats we have, called on by presidents of both parties to negotiate in times of trouble. He is a philanthopist and a community leader.

I'd think if there was any man a conservative Christian would revere and respect, regardless of his political party, it would be this man.

You said it much better than I did.

 

[InnerPhyre]

So as to keep the thread on track and not turn it into "Jimmy Carter good" V. "Jimmy Carter bad" I removed my comment about him from my previous post.

 

[MethodMan]

Jimmy who?

 

[Kaan]

Jimmy Choo?

 

[elanor]

As for Zell Miller, his venomous and mean-spirited attacks were tasteless and reprehensible. This is one Democrat who doesn't want him back. His speech at the RNC and his behavior afterwards demonstrated an angry, hateful, spiteful character. I don't even want the name Democrat associated with a person like that. You Republicans can keep him.

 

[Law of Loud]

Of course those who disagree with Miller's position would say the allegations are false. If they thought they were true, they wouldn't disagree with him. Maybe I need to go re-read the transcript for Miller's speech, but from what I remember, the most effective parts of it came from bringing Kerry's voting record, not his character. The exact same things happened to John McCain though when he denounced the swiftboat veteran ads. Republicans everywhere said that he was attacking the character of the veterans who had served honorably, etc and called him a traitor to the party. Thank God I'm an independant.

I have delved into the various bills which Senator Miller referred to, and several non-partisan groups have done similiarly, and there is no substance to his claims. Most of the votes were for post-Cold War cutbacks, of the sort that were supported by such Republican figures as John McCain, George H.W. Bush, and Dick Cheney. Several others were for the cancellation of what had become obsolete weapons systems, such as the Seawolf-class Submarine, which was obsolete due to a better design.

Part of the problem with Zell Miller is that the most effective part, where he talked about the voting record, was blatant lying, and I am surprised that his aides couldn't figure that one out.