Former President Jimmy Carter told AARP Bulletin during a recent interview that many Americans hold “feelings of superiority” toward minorities.
Mr. Carter spoke on a range of subjects with the magazine, including campaign spending and lobbyists, but he made a point to say that the U.S. still is lacking in terms of safeguarding civil rights.
“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. […] Many Americans still have racist tendencies or feelings of superiority to people of color,” Mr. Carter told AARP Bulletin, The Hill reported Thursday.
The former president added that the politics of the 1970s have changed in such a way that he would not get the level Republican support he enjoyed as the 39th president.
“There was harmony among congressmen when I was there, and I got just as much support from Republicans as I did from Democrats. I can’t imagine myself as a successful candidate today,” Mr. Carter said, The Hill reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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