What Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech tells us about his presidency.

Summary

Consider This from NPR: What Jimmy Carter's "Malaise" Speech Tells Us About His Presidency

Released on January 3, 2025

In this insightful episode of NPR's Consider This, host Mary Louise Kelly delves into the complexities of Jimmy Carter's presidency, focusing particularly on his infamous "Malaise" speech. Through expert analysis and historical context, the episode explores how this pivotal moment reflects Carter's unique approach to leadership and its lasting impact on American politics.

---

1. Introduction

Mary Louise Kelly opens the discussion by highlighting Jimmy Carter's distinctiveness among U.S. Presidents. With guest Kai Bird, author of The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter, they characterize Carter as an outlier:

Mary Louise Kelly [00:00]: "Jimmy Carter was different from other US Presidents."

Kai Bird [00:04]: "He was an outlier in all sorts of ways."

Bird emphasizes Carter's humble beginnings and principled stance, portraying him as a president from the "19th century" who prioritized doing what was right over political consequences.

2. Jimmy Carter: An Unconventional Leader

Kai Bird further elaborates on Carter's background and political demeanor:

Kai Bird [00:12]: "He grew up, you know, in very spartan circumstances, no running water, an outhouse... he always wanted to do the right thing."

Carter's commitment to transparency and integrity is underscored by his promise to the public:

Jimmy Carter [01:15]: "I'll never tell a line, I'll never make a misleading statement, I'll never betray the trust of those who have confidence in me, and I will never avoid a controversial issue."

3. The "Malaise" Speech: Context and Content

In 1979, amidst an energy crisis, soaring inflation, and widespread discontent, Carter delivered what would become known as the "Malaise" speech. This address diverged from the traditionally optimistic tones of presidential speeches, presenting a candid assessment of America's struggles.

Jimmy Carter [03:53]: "The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will."

Historian Kevin Matson, author of What the Heck Are You Up To? Mr. President, Jimmy Carter, America's Malaise and the Speech that Should Have Changed the Country, provides in-depth analysis of the speech's origins and objectives.

4. The National Backdrop in July 1979

Mary Louise Kelly sets the scene by outlining the myriad challenges facing the United States at the time:

Mary Louise Kelly [04:47]: "OPEC was making it difficult for Americans to think that they could get gas at an affordable amount... gas lines were forming as people rushed to fill up their tanks."

Matson explains the pervasive sense of individualism and self-interest that Carter aimed to address:

Kevin Matson [04:47]: "...he thinks that the American people need to do some soul searching and ask themselves, how did we get into the position where there's this kind of rampant individualism that seems to be out of control?"

5. Initial Reception and Approval Surge

Upon delivery, Carter's honesty resonated with the public, leading to a significant boost in his approval ratings:

Mary Louise Kelly [07:23]: "Within hours, his approval ratings had jumped 11 points."

Citizens responded with actions reflecting the speech's call for unity and responsibility, such as adopting fuel-efficient behaviors and conserving energy.

6. The Fallout: Cabinet Firings and Declining Support

Despite the initial positive reception, Carter's subsequent decision to dismiss his entire cabinet created public confusion and disappointment, undermining the momentum gained from the speech:

Kevin Matson [07:26]: "He decides for some reason or other to fire his entire cabinet, which just creates this maelstrom of despair and confusion on the part of the American people..."

This move led to a sharp decline in his approval ratings, negating the earlier surge and casting doubts on his leadership.

7. Comparing Presidential Rhetoric

Kelly contrasts Carter's approach with more optimistic speeches from Presidents Reagan, Obama, and Trump, who emphasized unity and American greatness:

Kevin Matson [09:00]: "He knows that he had to say to the American people, there's only so much that government can do. We need to change our kind of consciousness."

Carter's candid acknowledgment of national struggles marked a departure from the traditionally hopeful tones, making his speech both radical and ahead of its time in some aspects.

8. Legacy and Historical Assessment

Matson assesses whether Carter's speech achieved its intended impact:

Kevin Matson [10:43]: "Some people ask the question... is it just too late in the game to really make a significant dent on the consumer culture that's creating so many problems as he sees it."

He notes that while there was initial enthusiasm for unity, broader societal change proved elusive. Additionally, Carter's inability to effectively communicate that he wasn't blaming the American people themselves limited the speech's effectiveness.

9. Carter's Reflections on the Speech

In later years, Carter regarded the "Malaise" speech as his best work:

Kevin Matson [12:01]: "He said it was his best speech. He felt like he nailed it."

Carter believed he succeeded in addressing significant national crises and fostering a necessary dialogue, despite the political backlash that followed.

10. Conclusion

Mary Louise Kelly wraps up the episode by acknowledging the enduring relevance of Carter's insights:

Jimmy Carter [08:40]: "There is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media and other institutions."

The episode underscores how Carter's candidness and willingness to confront uncomfortable truths set him apart, offering lessons on leadership and integrity that remain pertinent in today's political climate.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Jimmy Carter [01:03]: "They mark the commitment of the United States to the belief that fairness and not force should lie at the heart of our dealings with the nations of the world."

• Jimmy Carter [01:46]: "It's clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper... I need your help."

• Kevin Matson [04:34]: "He was really saying the American consumer culture... is failing."

• Jimmy Carter [08:40]: "There is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media and other institutions."

This episode of Consider This provides a comprehensive examination of Jimmy Carter's leadership style, the challenges he faced, and the enduring impact of his "Malaise" speech on American political discourse.

Transcript

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Jimmy Carter was different from other US Presidents.

[Kai Bird]

He was an outlier in all sorts of ways.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Kai Bird is author of the book the the Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter.

[Kai Bird]

He grew up, you know, in very spartan circumstances, no running water, an outhouse. He sort of, you know, was a president still from the 19th century and then as a politician. He was a Southern white man who was a liberal, and yet he was also a politician who cared not for the political consequences of his decisions. He just always wanted to do the right thing.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Carter's efforts to do the right thing led to political decisions that are still unpopular in some circles today, like negotiating the treaties that would eventually give control of the Panama Canal and surrounding land back to Panama. The US had controlled the canal since its construction. Here's Carter speaking after signing the agreements in 1977.

[Jimmy Carter]

They mark the commitment of the United States to the belief that fairness and not force should lie at the heart of our dealings with the nations of the world.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

But perhaps his promise always to tell the public the truth is what distinguishes him from today's political climate.

[Jimmy Carter]

I'll never tell a line, I'll never make a misleading statement, I'll never betray the trust of those who have confidence in me, and I will never avoid a controversial issue.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

In 1979, in the midst of an energy crisis and soaring inflation, Jimmy Carter told the truth as he saw it about what was happening to the country.

[Jimmy Carter]

It's clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper, deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation or recession. And I realized more than ever that as president, I need your help.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Consider this as we continue to remember the life and legacy of Jimmy Corder. We look back at the speech that some historians refer to as the crisis of confidence or malaise speech, and what that speech tells us about his pres. Presidency. From npr, I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

[NPR Announcer]

Wait, wait, don't tell me. Fresh air up first, NPR News. Now Planet Money TED Radio Hour Throughline the NPR Politics podcast Code Switch Embedded books we love Wild Card are just some of the podcasts you can enjoy, sponsor free with NPR. Get all sorts of perks across more than 20 podcasts with the bundle option. Learn more@plus.n.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

It'S consider this from NPR. When American presidents address the public, even during times of strife, they often try to strike a hopeful tone.

[Kevin Matson]

The things that unite us, America's past.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Of which we're so proud.

[Kevin Matson]

This nation is great because we built it together. This nation is great because we worked as a team as long as we never Ever stop fighting for a better future, then there will be nothing that America cannot do.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

That was Presidents Trump, Obama and Reagan hitting notes of uplift. Contrast that with a speech from July 15, 1979, height of an energy crisis, unemployment, inflation. And President Jimmy Carter spoke to what he saw in the spirit of the American public.

[Jimmy Carter]

The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

That address became known as the Malez speech, and it's probably the most widely debated speech of Carter's career. Well, as we remember the 39th president this week, we wanted to look back at that speech and its legacy. We called historian Kevin Mattson. He literally wrote the book on that speech, a book titled what the heck are you up to? Mr. President, Kevin Matson, welcome.

[Kevin Matson]

Great to be here with you.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So I just ticked through some of the problems the country was facing when Carter came out and delivered this speech. Would you flesh out what was happening in the country in July 1979? What was the backdrop?

[Kevin Matson]

Well, OPEC was making it difficult for Americans to think that they could get gas at an affordable amount and get gas, period, because they're cutting off a lot of the. The oil that they exported to the United States and other countries of the West. And what I think is important about that is that, you know, obviously America feels like it's being beholden to a third world set of countries, to use a pejorative term, but is basically cutting off supplies. And what happens then is because of that, the impact is felt immediately on the gas lines that start to form, people rushing out to get gas as best they can. And one of the. One of the stories that I tell about the gas lines where I think really see the kind of corrupt individualism that Jimmy Carter's going to decry is a story of a woman who cuts into a little gas line and says, I'm pregnant, and so therefore, I think I should go before other people. And she gets up out of her car to do something, and the two pillows that she had shoved up into her blouse fall down on the ground, making it clear that she was not pregnant and she was just playing for trying to get first place. And I think that that's the sort of thing that Jimmy Carter is reflecting upon. Him is the corrosive element of individualism, self interest, people who can't see a public good any longer. And that's, I think, what's deeply troubling to him. And that's the issue that he addresses in the speech.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So I read that Carter was originally scheduled to give a speech address the nation on Independence Day. He canceled at the last minute, and then 11 days later, he comes out swinging with this speech. What was he trying to do?

[Kevin Matson]

Well, what he did between the cancellation of the original speech to the one that gets known as the Malay speech, he was basically trying his best to draw from some of the conversations that he decided to hold at Camp David. And this is a vast array of type of people, priests, political leaders, civil rights activists, people like that across broad spectrum. And he listens to what they say is wrong, and he then translates that into his own language to basically make an argument that I am a part of the problem. No doubt he's not above it all, but at the same time, he thinks that the American people need to do some soul searching and ask themselves, how did we get into the position where there's this kind of rampant individualism that seems to be out of control?

[Mary Louise Kelly]

So initially, it went down quite well. Right. His approval. Within hours, his approval ratings had jumped 11 points.

[Kevin Matson]

Yep.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

And then what happened?

[Kevin Matson]

Right. I should point out that having spent a lot of time at the Carter Library, I was able to go through written notes that were being sent to the president from ordinary citizens about what they were going to do. One person said, I'm going to ride my moped to work. I'm not going to ride my car. Another person's talked about using a bicycle to get to work. People talked about keeping their thermostats lower than they usually would. I think that the speech hit people because it was a desire for citizen activity, at least in part to solve the problem. And so he does quite well. He gets the biggest bump that he has had for quite some time, and he decides for some reason or other to fire his entire cabinet, which just creates this maelstrom of despair and confusion on the part of the American people, because that didn't seem to really be what he suggested in the speech. And so his polls plummet after that, and he's back into the place that he was probably before July 5th and July 15th.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I mean, it's striking because as I was going back and reading the actual text, line by line of the speech, some of it you can imagine President Biden delivering today. Let me play you one other little bit of the speech that leapt out to me.

[Jimmy Carter]

There is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media and other institutions.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I mean, that part, the distrust of institutions like the media sadly, that feels really relevant. Was Carter, was he just ahead of his time?

[Kevin Matson]

I'm not sure if he was ahead of his time because I think a lot of what he did to craft the speech was to reach out to different people. One case in which he had a dinner, this is before the actual speech is made. He has a dinner with a group of public intellectuals who gather together to talk about things like the corrosive element of individualism. Some people start saying to him, you should use the Puritan language of a covenant. You should basically call people together to form a city on a hill. Which Ronald Reagan will also take up later in some of his early speeches. But I don't think he was necessarily ahead of his time. I think he just knew that he had to say to the American people, there's only so much that government can do. We need to change our kind of consciousness. And I think that's what in some ways makes it such a radical speech because he's really saying the American consumer culture that has been central to our development, especially in the post war years is failing. It's creating bad values, it's creating more selfishness and self interest than anything else. So I think he kind of identified something that had been going on for a While throughout the 1970s, you know, the so called me decade in Tom Wolf's words. And I think he's like basically saying, okay, now is the time to face this kind of discussion about the problems of America that emanate during the 1970s and put it into bold language and attack the energy crisis at the same time. That's a big job.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

The full title of your book argues that Carter's speech should have changed the country. Did it? I mean, did the speech ultimately change America, Americans behavior in any measurable way?

[Kevin Matson]

I think that among some of those people that I mentioned who were sending notes to the White House, there was a kind of flickering of some sort of enthusiasm for unity. But I think that, you know, some people ask the question, and I think it's a fair question, is it just too late in the game to really make a significant dent on the consumer culture that's, that's creating so many problems as he sees it. The other problem is that he can't get seemed to get across the point that he's not blaming the American people, which he will immediately be described as in the words of Ronald Reagan and Ted Kennedy, who's running in a prime in the upcoming primary against Jimmy Carter.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Yeah, Reagan in his campaign when he announced president, he said, I find no national malaise in the American people. It became a talking point for the opposition.

[Kevin Matson]

That's absolutely right. And the other thing that Reagan says in his inaugural speech is that not only what you mentioned, but also that we have the right to dream what we want to dream and hope for what we hope for. And we don't need sacrifice. Sacrifice is a bad word for Ronald Reagan as it would be a positive word for Jimmy Carter.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Do we know later in his life, years after he delivered this speech, do we know how Jimmy Carter himself came to think of it?

[Kevin Matson]

He said it was his best speech. He felt like he nailed it. You know, it was like it worked for him. He had said about the the original plan for a speech, he said, I just don't want to and I don't know if I'm allowed to say this on on air, but he says, I just don't want to be the American people any longer. I want to be realistic. I want to talk about some significant crises that the country faces, and I want to do that. And I think he thinks at the time that he's doing exactly that. If it hadn't been for the Cabinet, you know, firings, who knows what might have happened?

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Kevin Matson is a professor of history at Ohio University and author of the book what the Heck Are youe up to? Mr. President, Jimmy Carter, America's malaise and the Speech that Should have Changed the Country. Kevin Matson, thank you. Happy New Year.

[Kevin Matson]

Thank you. Happy New Year.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

This episode was produced by Mark Rivers. It was edited by Justine Kennan and Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. Thanks to our CONSIDER THIS plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors. You can learn more at plus.NPR.org It's Consider this from NPR. I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

[NPR Announcer]

Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon prime members can listen to Consider this sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get consider this [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.