EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL THE REAL CARTER If, in a religious sense, a man's character is usually revealed in the way in which he accepts defeat, it is also true that, in another sense, we can judge a man by how...
...Carter has, he would maintain, been himself all along...
...Carter's choice will indicate what kind of man he himself really is: whose principles best fit his policies and the nation's needs...
...One is to open up the Vice Presidential selection process...
...But there is no question that he has consistently trimmed his positions and his language so as to alienate the least number of voters and find some common ground with, if possible, every American...
...Thirteen of our 38 Presidents have been Vice Presidents first...
...A true leader must find words that find resonance in every heart...
...Indeed, one of the disquieting things about Carter-and the thundering rush of the whole Democratic party to embrace both him and his positions-is that not the thirst but the lust for victory may so dilute the core principles of Democratic liberalism that the July Democratic Convention will resemble in tone if not in content the Republican Convention of 1972 and the Presidential campaign will offer the public the intellectual challenge of a revival meeting...
...This is not, in itself, bad...
...There are a number of ways in which Jimmy Carter can demonstrate soon that he has been and will be worthy of this trust and that victory and power have given him true freedom rather than making him more remote and possessive...
...Not "Trust me...
...To use power for the public good, first you have to win it...
...He has been quoted-in one of his least fuzzy and least attractive remarks-as saying: "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser...
...In time, as it did with Nixon, the line between principles and pragmatism can blur...
...how far be will compromise principle for imagined political advantage...
...bow comfortable he is with another strong personality...
...The obvious danger is that a man who consistently trims his positions to gain power will eventually begin trimming his principles to maintain it...
...He should tell us now which men he is really considering and let the press and the people look them over before the Convention...
...Second, although he is uncomfortable with the "liberal establishment," when he writes his acceptance speech he should remember his own, and every Democrat's, roots in Jeffersonian liberalism, which means, "Trust the people...
...EDITORIAL THE REAL CARTER If, in a religious sense, a man's character is usually revealed in the way in which he accepts defeat, it is also true that, in another sense, we can judge a man by how he behaves when he wins...
...Victory should free a man to be himself...
...and some of those who have put their trust in Jimmy Carter now fear they may be left with not a vision of a more just and "compassionate" America but a mirage that may tempt them further into the desert of disillusionment...
...If winning is not everything to Jimmy Carter, it is certainly a great deal...
Vol. 103 • July 1976 • No. 14
