Jimmy Carter's 'Crisis of Confidence' speech. Discuss....

[LongTomH]

I watched 20th Century Women, starring Annette Bening this afternoon. One of the themes is the difference in attitudes between generations of women in 1979.

There was an excellent scene where Bening, playing a middle-aged woman was watching Jimmy Carter's Crisis of Confidencespeech with her younger friends. Bening thought the speech was excellent, her young friends were saying: "Oh, he is so screwed now!" As it turned out, the younger people were right; Reagan and his bunch spun this as the 'malaise' speech.

I believe this is the excerpt from the movie:

Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. We always believed that we were part of a great movement of humanity itself called democracy, involved in the search for freedom, and that belief has always strengthened us in our purpose. But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past.

In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.

Here's the transcript of the entire speech from PBS and the actual speech:

If you were old enough to remember that time, what was your reaction? Much of this was what the country needed to hear; but, was this a good move by a president nearing time for re-election?

[Va Lefty]

1. I was 17 when President Carter gave this speech

He was roundly criticized, but it rang true. He ran in '76 promising "I'll never lie to you." Often the American public is not very happy to hear the truth. They would much rather believe a lie that makes the feel good about themselves. Carter was not a good speaker but, an honest man.

[HassleCat]

2. An inconvenient truth.

Too many Americans thought they built it themselves, and didn't appreciate the president reminding them of their debt to society.

[roamer65]

3. He was our most honest president, period.

[yallerdawg]

4. After Nixon and Watergate...

it was always inspirational to hear from a president who cared about the people. I always found my head nodding in agreement with this good, virtuous man who led us during some real rough times.

We are at a turning point in our history. There are two paths to choose. One is a path I've warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. That path would be one of constant conflict between narrow interests ending in chaos and immobility. It is a certain route to failure.

All the traditions of our past, all the lessons of our heritage, all the promises of our future point to another path, the path of common purpose and the restoration of American values. That path leads to true freedom for our nation and ourselves...

Truer words have never been spoken.