The title for this post is one for our older Bereans that remember Dan Quayle’s debate with Lloyd Bentsen in the 1988 vice-presidential debate. Yet the real purpose of this post is to stop the disparagement of Jimmy Carter by comparing Joe Biden with him. As the nation sinks deeper into an inflationary morass, with Biden’s poll numbers tanking abysmally, there is a temptation to name him a failed president like Jimmy Carter. I disagree with those that go that route, because Jimmy Carter was a far better president. Why? As bad as his presidency was, Jimmy Carter learned–to a degree–from his mistakes and was willing to change. Joe Biden? Every mistake he makes is simply another opportunity to double down, and tell the American people they’re wrong (e.g., his current proclamations that his economic policies are working, and the rest of us just don’t see it yet). He steadfastly and stubbornly refuses to change. This Jimmy Carter did not do.

As a reminder to older Bereans, and an introduction to younger Bereans, here are a few major things that Jimmy Carter got right after being wrong in the first place. After his naïveté with the Soviets was dashed with their invasion of Afghanistan, Jimmy Carter began the significant military buildup that Ronald Reagan continued and accelerated. After allowing the inflationary stop/start process to continue early in his presidency, Jimmy Carter appointed Paul Volcker as the Fed chair, who ultimately vanquished inflation after brutal back to back recessions 79-82. Finally, it was Jimmy Carter’s presidency which really began some of the great deregulatory efforts that Reagan championed and accelerated, notably including deregulating the airlines and allowing millions of regular people to be able to afford to fly for the first time.*

The Jimmy Carter era was tough; I remember a family friend starting a business with a 20% loan from the bank, and his business failed. As a high school student in a small town, I knocked on the doors of every business looking for work, and none was to be had. And everything just continued to cost more and more. Yet Jimmy Carter did have the modicum of humility to learn from his mistakes. Not so with Mr. Biden.

Mr. Biden, I knew Jimmy Carter. He was not a friend of mine. But Mr. Biden, you’re no Jimmy Carter.

* Personal remembrance. My brother had to take an airline flight to Denver from Little Rock in summer of 1978 to go to the Air Force Academy, and, prior to deregulation, his one-way ticket cost $800. That would be the equivalent of $3586 today!