(Source: MIRS.news, Published 01/02/2025) Former Gov. James Blanchard was in Congress from 1975 through 1982, watching from a front-row seat when President Jimmy Carter came in and took over the White House in the late 70s.

He recalls, "his sincerity, the freshness (and) integrity...here he was a Southern moderate, pro-civil rights, which was fabulous being from Georgia."

Blanchard recalls the harsh reality of Washington, D.C. as Northern Democrats being "suspicious of President Carter" as he was perceived as an outsider. But Blanchard said the selection of Walter "Fritz" Mondale – a Minnesota U.S. senator – as Vice President helped to bridge those reservations into a working relationship.

Nowhere was that more prevalent than in the Michigan effort to save the Chrysler corporation – the automobile manufacturer headquartered in Auburn Hills – from drowning in red ink. Blanchard received confidential details on the issue in 1979 when he was overseeing government bailout proposals on the U.S. House Banking Committee.

Specifically, the automaker was seeking a $1.5 billion loan as it neared bankruptcy. In 1970, the auto industry in the state employed 453,779 people.

"The president was lukewarm" on spending federal dollars on the company, Blanchard said, but the vice president and others inside the Carter bubble convinced the reluctant president that the economy would go in the tank if the federal loan guarantees were not forthcoming.

On the political front, "He didn't like politics. He liked leadership. He wanted to do good for the world and our country (but) he didn't like the push and pull, the wheeling and dealing...the pettiness. He didn't like it at all."

But it was on the international stage that Carter's star burned most brightly, the former Michigan governor said.

"There was the Camp David accord with Israel and Egypt" that stood out the most, but domestically he also created the U.S. Departments of Education and Energy. It was inflation and the hostage situation that resulted in him being a one-term president, Blanchard noted as he remembered Carter losing to Ronald Reagan in 1980. The Republican defeated Carter by more than 8.42 million votes.

In terms of legacy-building moments, Blanchard thought about what happened after the Dominican Republic staged a close election. Fears of riots broke out over the outcome, but Carter showed up and spoke to the citizens. 

He reminded them the election was fairly run, and the outcome was honest.  Afterward, there were no public disturbances, and Blanchard learned from a journalist who covered the event that the president averted public unrest brewing in the streets.

Given one last chance to say something to the former chief executive, Blanchard offered, "Thank you for your wonderful service and for being the best ex-president we ever had. Whether it's human rights or Habitat for Humanity, his standing worldwide was as a peacemaker (and) he was an unusual guy. I don't recall any Democrat running and claiming to be an evangelical Christian. It was really unusual and helped him with the Southern vote a lot." 

Carter’s official state funeral will take place from Jan. 6-8 at The Carter Center in Atlanta.

On social media, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) talked about meeting Carter in 2014. In the buffet line, Brinks said Carter insisted she go before him as she stood between him and his wife Rosalynn. They talked about fly-fishing and her Grand Rapids area race for the state House. He endorsed her re-election campaign, earning media attention.

Brinks posted a photo of his 2014 book, “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power,” which he signed “To Winnie” with a swirl beneath his name.

“He asked how he could help…it was my first re-elect, and the Republicans were really coming after me. Caught off guard, I said, ‘I’d love your endorsement!'" Brinks posted. “President Carter was a selfless and humble public servant, faithful to God, family and country, and dedicated to making the world a better place for the least of these.”

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a statement following Carter’s passing, calling him “a good man and exemplary American who set a powerful example for all of us over the course of his long life.”

“He rose from peanut farmer to president, serving in the U.S. Navy, the state legislature, and as Governor of Georgia along the way. In the White House, President Carter brokered peace, established the Departments of Energy and Education, advocated for solar energy, and doubled the amount of land for national parks and wildlife refuges.”

 “After serving as the most powerful person on the planet, he dedicated decades of his life to helping those around the world who had the least. He helped build thousands of homes with Habitat for Humanity and established the Carter Center, which focused on health and human rights. And he made time to preach from his community pulpit on Sundays. President Carter lived an impressive life, driven by fundamental core values that so many of us share: faith, patriotism, and love. My thoughts are with his family,” the statement read. 

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said the former president “led by example, urging Americans to act with kindness, follow their moral compass, and speak truth to power.”

 “As governor, he was a trailblazer on environmental policy and stood up for civil rights and desegregation in Georgia. Throughout his presidency, he was guided by his faith, his selfless commitment to others, and his empathy. President Carter aspired to build a government grounded in competence and compassion and leave behind a country where dreams are achievable, and hope is more than an aspiration,” Harrison said in a statement.