Jimmy Carter for President 1980 Campaign Brochure

‘A Tested and Trustworthy Team.’

Working For a Better Tomorrow By

Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale have earned your trust simply by doing their jobs -- and by always telling you the truth, even when you might not want to hear it.

They are serious, substantial, committed men. Never have they been simple pitchmen, content to make the governing of a nation appear to be as simple as the selling of a detergent.

No one can match their on-the-job experience as President and Vice President. No one can match their record.

This pamphlet is about the record of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. It has been written because so many Americans are unfamiliar with that record, because so many Americans continue to believe the Carter/Mondale Administration has “done nothing” or it has not led the country toward solutions to its most serious problems. This is simply not true. Or, as Harry Truman would put it “It’s hogwash.”

So please take the time to read this record -- even though the pamphlet is longer and has fewer pictures than most political pamphlets! You may be surprised at the number of facts you have not understood about President Carter You may also find that you have made an investment in the best America tomorrow.

What do you know about President Carter’s record with the Congress? On May 7,1933, in his second Fireside Chat, President Franklin D. Roosevelt explained his proposed legislation to create The New Deal, and then added: “I do not expect to make a hit every time I come to bat. But Theodore Roosevelt once said to me if he could be right 75% of the time, he would be living up to the full measure of his hope.” Like FDR, Jimmy Carter has not made a hit every time, either. But you may be surprised to learn just how well he has done. Because so much attention is focused on conflict and failure in public life, others would have you believe President Carter has been unable to get much of his proposed legislation past Congress -- that he hasn’t done nearly as well as John Kennedy or Lyndon Johnson. The fact is: Four out of five bills sent to Capitol Hill by the Carter White House have passed. That record is as good as President Kennedy’s and President Johnson’s -- and it meets Roosevelt’s exacting standards. It is a record for all Americans to be proud of.

What do you know about President Carter’s remarkable record on Energy? President Carter was not the first President to perceive the energy problem. But he was the first to do something about it. On April 20, 1977, when, he called our fight for energy independence “the moral equivalent of war” there were chuckles from the news media all across America, Nobody is chuckling now!

Making the Hard Choices Today.

President Carter showed his courage and persistence in the energy battle Year after year, in fight after fight, he kept sounding the alarm and pushing for solutions. Because he stuck to his guns, he won enactment of America’s first comprehensive energy plan. Because he refused to give up, America will be less dependent on foreign oil -- and far more secure -- in the years ahead.

The people have responded to his foresight and leadership. Gasoline consumption in the first half of 1980 was down 12%. And we are importing one and one half million barrels a day less of foreign oil than we were three years ago That is the best energy conservation record in the world today -- a record all Americans can be proud of, a record our allies envy.

President Carter’s windfall profits tax -- the tax nobody thought could be passed -- has passed. This tax takes unearned profits from oil companies and uses the money to help people who cannot afford to heat their homes -- and to search for and develop other, better sources of energy.

The windfall profits tax is a perfect example of an imaginative administration at work. It is an achievement we can all look at with pride.

Do you know what President Carter has done to make the Federal Government more efficient and effective? Reorganization and better management of the federal government has been a favorite topic among politicians since the founding of our country. Once in office, however, most Presidents have found the job much more difficult than they had imagined, and they gave up the battle.

President Carter also found the job difficult. That didn’t stop him. It didn’t stop him from getting Congress to pass the first comprehensive reform of the Civil Service system in 100 years. A reform that allows federal managers to inspire government workers to do their best -- and fire those who don’t.

It didn’t stop him from reversing the trend in the ever-increasing burden of federal paperwork -- and reducing it by 15%.

It didn’t stop him from cutting 1,000 unnecessary OSHA regulations. It didn’t stop him from reducing the federal workforce by 20,000 employees.

It didn’t stop him from appointing the first inspectors general -- in all major federal agencies -- to look for and root out waste, and crime and inefficiency.

It didn’t stop him from increasing competition in the marketplace by working for legislation that has deregulated the airline and trucking industries.

Other candidates will talk about “getting government off our back.” President Carter has done something about it. In a sensible way.

Do you really know President Carter’s record On the Economy? In our free-enterprise system every President has had to struggle with the tension between employment on the one hand -- and inflation on the other. No President, no economist, has been able to find a simple or magical way to have high employment and low inflation.

Today, as we hear so often in news reports, inflation and unemployment are higher than any of us likes. But this is not the entire story of Jimmy Carter’s economic record. Just look at what has happened since he took office: More than 8 1/2 million new jobs have been created -- a greater increase than in any comparable period in our history. Our nation’s GNP -- the best indicator of economic well-being -- has increased by more than 12% in real terms. Real income per person in our country has increased by almost 8%.

More has to be done to break the cycle between the dual hardships of inflation and unemployment. No one knows this better than the President. That is why he is pursuing long term, responsible economic policies -- policies that are laying the groundwork for a more productive, more secure American economy. They may not be as politically attractive as the “quick fix” solutions proposed by others, in election years. But they are in the public interest -- that is, in the interest of everybody.

Do you understand what President Carter has actually done as a Peacemaker? President Carter’s continuing effort to shape an Israeli-Egyptian settlement is an immensely valuable goal in itself, but also an indication of his concern for finding peace in all situations.

In 1978, President Carter, defied all the “experts” and invited President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin to Camp David for two weeks. They ultimately took a giant step in the right direction -- they built a framework of peace to deal with the hate and suspicion that have divided the people of the Middle East for centuries. But Jimmy Carter didn’t stop them. He went to the Middle Fast and hammered out the historic peace treaty between Israel and her most powerful Arab neighbor.

President Carter knows we live in a dangerous world. In Latin America, in Africa, in Asia, he has dealt skillfully with conflict and crisis that might have led another President into war. He has done this quietly -- without fanfare. And at the same time, he has restored our country to its historic role as defender of human rights around the world.

Do know the Carter record on National Defense? President Carter has increased our nation’s commitment to a strong national defense every year he has been President. He has increased the defense budget every year and will continue to do so over the next four years. This has not been easy in the face of competing, legitimate needs for the budget dollar. But it has been necessary.

The President has strengthened our ties with the NATO Allies and renewed our alliance with friendly Asian countries.

He left no doubt in the Soviet’s mind that their aggression will not be tolerated by this nation or by our Allies. While his political opponents disagreed, President Carter took strong steps following the ruthless invasion of Afghanistan. He curbed the sale of grain and the transfer of technology to Russia. He renewed draft registration. He led the free world in boycotting the Moscow Olympics. And he was instrumental in turning the attention of our Allies to the security of the Persian Gulf area.

Do you have any idea of what President Carter has done for Women? President Carter has appointed as many women to his Cabinet as all previous U.S. Presidents combined.  He established a Cabinet-level Department of Education and appointed a woman to head it. Of his top-level appointees, 23% are women. He has fought to remove sex discrimination  -- in employment, advancement, education, and training. Under the President’s proposed health plan, all pregnant women will get prenatal, delivery and other maternal care. Infants can obtain well-baby and acute care services in their first year of life. President Carter has appointed more women to federal judgeships than had been appointed in our 200 year history.

And until the battle is actually won, the passage of the ERA will be a major priority of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.

Do you have any idea of what President Carter has done for Minority Americans? When he speaks of equal rights and human rights, President Carter is talking about everybody.

He nearly doubled the resources put into enforcement of civil rights laws. More justice is now available.

More Black Americans now have jobs than at any other time in our history. Unemployment is still too high, but this represents real movement in the right direction.

The President has appointed more Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities to senior government positions and to regulatory boards and commissions than any previous President. And he has appointed more Blacks, Hispanics and other minorities to the Federal Judiciary than all other Presidents combined.

President Carter has tripled the number of Hispanic federal judges. And, for the first time in our nation’s history, the Ambassador to Mexico and the Director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service are Hispanic.

By increasing federal support for education by more than 70%, he has laid a strong emphasis on affirmative action and on strengthening the historically Black colleges.

President Carter has developed new trade and diplomatic ties with the nations of Black Africa. He played a key role in the peaceful settlement that transformed Rhodesia into the democratic, independent majority-ruled nation of Zimbabwe.

President Carter seldom takes the time to point with pride. But he can point with pride to these achievements. We all can.

What about President Carter’s concern for Senior Citizens as well as the Health and Quality of Life for all Americans? Unlike previous Republican administrations President Carter acted to save the social security system from certain bankruptcy. He guaranteed that if you are one of the 35 million who receive benefits, the money will be there when it is time for you to collect.

This is only part of President Carter’s broad concern for our personal well-being. He has fought to cut hospital costs. He has fought for decent housing. He has worked closely with the Mayors of America to rebuild our cities. He has put more money into education and youth employment than any other President in history. And he has done more than any other President to safeguard our environment.

President Carter has put together the first National Health Bill with a realistic chance of passing Congress. Under his health bill, every American would be eligible for coverage when serious illness strikes. And the national medical bill would be cut by 53 billion dollars over a five year span.

You my never see a news report that Jimmy Carter cares about all Americans. His record proves that he does.

The Carter record may be unrecognized -- but it is Fact. It is there for all to see. President Jimmy Carter knows the workings of the American government as well as my man or woman in the nation. And he knows the minds and hearts of his fellow Americans. He knows what they want and how much they will sacrifice. But the sacrifice must be fair -- and the reason for it must be clear.

Vice President Mondale has been the most active and influential Vice President in history. His congressional experience has made him one of President Carter’s closest and most valuable advisors. He is a working partner with the President on every major issue -- both foreign and domestic.

In their first term they completed many tasks, and they set other programs in motion that will take many years to complete. They have done the work! And they will continue to reach for the best tomorrow -- by making the hard choices today.

In governing a nation of 240 million people facts may change, situations may change, decisions may change; character does not change. You either have it or you do not. Carter and Mondale are experienced and responsible men -- of character.