President Jimmy Carter has been speaking out on his recent book tour about some of the most contentious topics in recent times, and his message is often quite surprising. That trend did not change in an interview with PBS News Hour.
Carter tackled such issues as Citizens United, gerrymandering, and the growing protests for common sense gun law reform. He was vocal and said he felt quite strongly in his criticism of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Citizens United, saying:
‘The Supreme Court seems to be eager to see rich people become more powerful and to see corporations become more powerful than individuals with their — with their previous rulings.’
The former president also pointed out how campaign contributions have changed dramatically since the election he won in 1976.
‘When I ran against Gerald Ford — who was the president of the United States then — you know how much money we raised for the general elections? Zero.’
Empowered by #CitizensUnited, the NRA spends millions every election cycle to elect candidates who will do its bidding and defeat those who won’t.
To win commonsense reform, we need to overturn Citizens United and shift power back to the people. #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/vfGeT6nK4m
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) March 24, 2018
Carter said that the best hope Americans have now is the Supreme Court’s rulings on ending the biased gerrymandering that has affected so many elections unfairly. He identified his 2020 presidential election hopeful, which he feels may be swayed by the reaction to Trump’s treatment of women and his extramarital affairs.
‘I think there’s some very good people on the horizon. Joe Biden is one of them, former Vice President, and others.’
Trump Loses Big To Joe Biden And Bernie Sanders in the latest Public Policy Polling
#MorningJoe pic.twitter.com/Ur2MvZBIYF
— PoliticsVideoChannel (@politvidchannel) March 28, 2018
When asked about the March for Our Lives protests led by student activists from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Carter said he is also hopeful, although he is hesitant to say he’s completely confident in their ability to affect change. He does believe, however, that they are America’s best hope for common sense gun law reform.
‘I think they’ve already shown their ability to change legislation in Florida. I think the arousing of young people all over the country, which they did this past weekend, is a good indication that they’ll have a permanent effect on counteracting the NRA’s false premises…I think if anybody can do it, these young people, if they stick with it, I think the NRA is facing the greatest challenge that it has in the last 15 or 20 years.’
On March 24th, you marched with us. Now, continue the fight with us. Together, we will make the change. Add your name to be apart of what’s next. https://t.co/2m7ItdxgIv #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/m68RwJ7JHs
— March For Our Lives (@AMarch4OurLives) March 29, 2018
Featured image screengrab via YouTube
