[Jimmy Carter’s Address to the Nation on the Energy Crisis: A Turning Point in His Presidency
In 1979, former President Jimmy Carter delivered an extraordinary address to the nation on the energy crisis, which ultimately did significant political damage to his presidency. Carter listed criticisms of his presidency, painting a picture of a listless nation trapped in a moral and spiritual funk. He described the crisis as a “crisis of confidence” that struck at the very heart and soul of the nation’s will.
The speech came back to haunt Carter and made it easy for opponents, including Ronald Reagan, to portray him as a pessimistic and uninspiring leader. Despite this, Carter’s command of foreign policy at the height of the Cold War seemed to give him a fair shot at a second term.
However, the Iran hostage crisis, which began in October 1979, conspired to sweep him out of the White House. The crisis began when the United States allowed the Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, to enter the country for medical treatment, infuriating Islamic revolutionaries who saw him as an oppressive US puppet. On November 4, students who supported the Islamic revolution seized the US Embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans hostage.
The 444-day standoff transfixed the nation, souring the national mood day by day as television news bulletins tallied how long the hostages had been in custody. The crisis gradually dashed Carter’s hopes of a second term. His fortunes were also battered by a daring and ultimately disastrous rescue bid in which a US helicopter carrying special forces crashed in the desert, killing eight US servicemen.
As the Cold War approached a pivotal point, Carter decided to boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow and asked the Senate to delay ratification of SALT II. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 and the lengthening humiliation of the hostage crisis fostered an impression of US power under siege.
In the final months of his presidency, Carter’s political future was determined by the fate of the hostages. If they were released, he was convinced his election would be assured; if the expectations of the American people were dashed again, there was little chance he could win. Throughout the campaign, Reagan berated Carter as an ineffectual leader consigning America to perpetual decline.
On Election Day 1980, Reagan pulled off a stunning landslide, winning 489 electoral votes. In the final humiliation for Carter, Iran released the hostages on January 20, 1981, 20 minutes after Reagan was sworn in.
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