Of their meeting Carter was left mystified, remarking, “It’s almost impossible for me to understand what he talks about.” (306) Later, in the afterword, Carter places the blame on the efforts by insurance, medical, and pharmaceutical companies to “derogate and ridicule comprehensive health-reform proposals put forward by me, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and other presidents.” (531) Kennedy favored a comprehensive approach that would insure all Americans, while Carter spearheaded a moderate proposal laid out over several years. Ted Kennedy on CBS’ 60 Minutes, saying, “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.” In his diaries, Carter recalls an early meeting with Kennedy on March 21, 1979, where they discussed their respective health-care proposals. (356)Ĭarter recently lashed out at the late Sen. (325) On September 17, 1979, when discussing Kennedy’s challenge to Carter’s presidential nod, Carter ran off a laundry list of Kennedy’s supposed faults, such as: “As a student he was kicked out of college he’s my age but unsuccessful,” etc. Carter claims Kennedy “always felt that, somehow, he was entitled to be president because of the tragic legacy of his brothers,” (365) and that Kennedy maintained an “irresponsible and abusive attitude” toward the former president. Carter’s obsession with Kennedy stems from his belief that Kennedy divided the Democratic Party, resulting in Carter’s loss to Reagan in the 1980 presidential election. No one in Carter’s book is granted more ink than Ted Kennedy-Carter’s rival for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1980. Jimmy and Ted’s (Not So) Excellent Adventure (485) Still, Carter is (slightly) remorseful, stating: “I still have deep regrets about the fact that I alienated many American Jews during my time as president, and over many years I have attempted to understand the reasons.” “I would have been better off if I had ignored them,” said Carter. Carter also seemed angry that he tried so hard to win over the Jewish vote prior to the 1980 presidential election, yet only managed about 45 percent of the vote.
Carter says he was “really disgusted with the American Jewish community” after Alfred Moses, who served as special adviser and special counsel to Carter from 1980-81, urged Carter on November 15, 1980, to not sell weapons to the Saudi Arabians.
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