Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter spent a careful half hour Tuesday sidestepping partisan politics in favor of a wide-ranging talk in Atlanta, touching on common issues across the globe such as elections and the decriminalization of marijuana.
Unrehearsed, the one-on-one conversation in Atlanta was the final event of the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, which pairs corporate leaders with nonprofit groups and foundations in an effort to undertake philanthropic projects. The New York-based initiative, which has tackled issues such as early childhood development and workforce readiness, is an offshoot of the Clinton Foundation, which was founded after Clinton left office in 2001.
“All of our Christian and other religions tell us everybody is equal in the eyes of God, that we should not look down on anyone,” Carter said when asked by Clinton what he knew now that he didn’t know when he was 20. “We’re now seeing again that African-American neighbors and others are not treated as well. If we just listen to what’s going on and take steps to correct the problems we face, we’d be much better off as a nation. But it takes political courage to admit we’d made some mistakes.”
The 91-year-old Carter, who with his wife, Rosalynn, still makes his home in Plains, has won a Nobel Peace Prize and still actively works on humanitarian issues through his own Carter Center, based in Atlanta. He beat back cancer earlier this year after announcing in August that doctors had found four small melanoma lesions on his brain.
Clinton, 69, mentioned his wife, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, only in passing. Instead, the men, alone together on stage, exchanged ideas and experiences both in the White House and out of office — although Bill Clinton did most of the asking, something Carter wryly pointed out to laughter.
On voting and ballot access, Carter said if he had his preference, young people turning 18 would automatically be registered to vote. Clinton called it “breathtaking” the difference in voter turnout during presidential elections and during off-year midterm elections, when the number of voters historically plummets. “We need to come up with some system where citizen activists can come up with a way to get more people to vote (in midterms),” Clinton said. “Both parties would have to compete for both Democratic and Republican votes.”
On economic inequality, Carter said every president since he left office except for Clinton had reduced taxes on the richest citizens. Clinton defended President Barack Obama, but he added that the nation needed simpler rules that could not be sidestepped by tax shelters or giveaways.
On easing drug laws, Carter said as president he had called for the decriminalization of marijuana. Instead, lawmakers began passing strict drug sentencing laws that have put a heavy load on the prison system. Both men said they wanted changes to the criminal justice system that worked with offenders to avoid prison time. And those that were jailed, they said, needed help to stay out once they got out. “You can’t have people let out of prisons but they can’t compete for jobs,” Clinton said.
On political divisiveness, both men at Clinton’s request took a global outlook, saying sharp rhetoric was on the rise around the world.
Clinton noted tensions were on the rise amid the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, muscle-flexing among countries in Asia and, in the closest comments he got to the current American president election, “a lot of candidates are getting elected saying rather bizarre things.” That included, he said, recent comments by the president-elect in the Philippines that “corrupt” journalists in his country could be legally killed under his new government.
The talk came a day before Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to hold both a noon rally Wednesday at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta as well as a private fundraiser with top Georgia Republicans. Polls in Georgia show a tight race between Trump and Hillary Clinton, though no Democrat has won the state since 1992.
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