In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Kai Bird about Jimmy Carter. They discuss the context and environment of rural Georgia in the 1920s in which Carter was born. They talk about the impact of racism in his upbringing, importance of his Christian faith, and steady bond with his wife Rosalynn. They discuss his presidency and inflation and unemployment, Panama Canal, Camp David accords, and the Iran hostage situation. They also discuss why he did not get re-elected in 1980 and his enduring legacy.
Kai Bird is a historian, journalist, and writer. He is executive director and distinguished lecturer at CUNY Graduate Center's Leon Levy Center for Biography in New York City. He is the author of numerous books and is the recipient (along with co-author Michael J. Sherwin) of the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award, the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, and the 2008 Duff Cooper Prize for American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. He is also the author of The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter. You can find his work here. Twitter: @kaibird123
#133 - The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter: A Dialogue with Kai Bird