Former President Carter said on Thursday, “many Americans still have racist tendencies” that are opening up new wounds and keeping old ones from healing.
“The recent publicity about mistreatment of black people in the judicial and police realm has been a reminder that the dreams of the civil rights movement have not been realized,” Carter said in an interview published by AARP Bulletin.
“Many Americans still have racist tendencies or feelings of superiority to people of color,” Carter added.
Carter also warned Americans against the prevalence of wealthy special interests in politics.
Rampant campaign spending, he said, had changed the scope of presidential elections since he launched his own campaign in 1976.
“I don’t think anybody now can hope to be the nominee of the Democratic or Republican Party if they can’t raise like a quarter of a billion dollars,” Carter said.
“This massive infusion of money automatically polarizes our country.”
“When hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent tearing down the reputation of an opponent in order to get elected, animosity and negativism carries on into Washington,” he added.
Carter said, “No,” when asked if he could imagine raising enough money to secure a presidential nomination in a present-day contest.
“There was harmony among congressmen when I was there, and I got just as much support from Republicans as I did from Democrats,” Carter said. “I can’t imagine myself as a successful candidate today.”
June 04, 2015, 05:38 pm By Mark Hensch
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