Watching an interview with former President Jimmy Carter the other day reminded me of all the caring work he’s done since losing his bid for reelection in 1980. Carter has spent the past three decades working on housing issues for the poor, most notably as ambassador for Habitat for Humanity; in addition, perhaps more importantly, his Carter Center has been promoting free and fair elections and human rights throughout the world.
I then thought about former President Clinton and Vice President Gore, both of whom have worked tirelessly since leaving office on major global health initiatives and raising awareness about climate change. President Clinton, through the Clinton Foundation and Clinton Health Access Initiative, has raised billions of dollars and likely saved millions of lives.
My thoughts then turned to modern-day Republican presidents and vice presidents. The contrast is stark.
Let’s give Ronald Reagan a pass. According to his son, he may have been suffering from Alzheimer’s as early as his second term, and kept a low profile for the remainder of his public life.
It’s been almost 20 years since George Bush I left office, and he’s done very little in the way of humanitarian or charitable work. He does manage, though, to host his own annual fishing tournament in Florida.
George Bush II and Dick Cheney have been ordinary civilians for three years now, and there’s no sign that either one is inclined to devote any significant time to helping others. Bush II shows up at sporting events every so often, and has appeared as a paid motivational speaker in large arenas, but has shown little interest in working on the issues of freedom and democracy that he committed so much blood and treasure to while commander-in-chief. Dick Cheney seems far more interested in continuing to make the case for “enhanced interrogation techniques” (a.k.a. torture) than in doing anything helpful for humanity. (See this Frontline documentary for the facts about the damage that the sanctioning of torture has done to U.S. interests and our moral legitimacy).
Of course this is a small sample, but to me it highlights one of today’s big differences between Democrats and Republicans. The biggest cheers at Republican primary debates come from the mention of record executions in Texas and letting sick people without insurance die; at the same time, Cheney makes the rounds on TV shows to hustle his book and reaffirm his support for torture.
When he was elected, Bush II claimed to be a compassionate conservative. Whatever amount of compassion he meant to bring to the Republican Party, it is now completely gone. All we’re left with is cruelty, selfishness and mean-spiritedness (in addition, of course, to a complete disregard for science and facts).
Former Democratic presidents and vice presidents spend their time saving lives, promoting human rights and free elections, and trying to rise to the challenge of climate change; former Republican high officials lounge in their mansions and gated communities and periodically promote their bankrupt ideologies.
It’s a perfect reflection of the difference between the two parties.
Jason Scorse