Also keep in mind his disasterous debate performance when he tried to maintain that eastern Europe was not dominated by the Soviet Union. It was a combination of things including Carter's claim thathe was an outsider and not a Washington insider which Ford was.
Yes, Oli, Carter's "outsider" claim was a very important contributing factor to his win. But, Carter should have seen it for what it was--a campaign tactic. As President, he became the ultimate
insider.
Instead, Carter's "outsider" persona became a warm, safe place for him to retreat when the going got tough. The worst part: in '79, with the Shah deposed, oil shortages and violence at the pumps, and 66 Americans held hostage by the Iranian crazies, Carter took off for a week at Camp David, incommunicado, speaking with unknown parties--in effect, abdicating the Presidency for a week. And when he returned, he went on TV with that smug, sanctimonious smirk on his puss and revealed what he'd learned: "Washington is out of touch." I practically threw my shoe at the TV. Who did he think "Washington" was, if not
him?
