Posted on 10/30/2009 2:00:23 PM PDT by seanmerc
WASHINGTON -- White House press secretaries often have a higher public profile than the president himself. They take the blows often meant for the president but they rarely get the bows.
The passing of Jody Powell of a heart attack at the age of 65 brought back memories of his years as press secretary to President Jimmy Carter.
Powell was like a son to Carter. So it was left to Carter to go to a nursing home to inform Jody’s ailing mother that he had died Sept. 14 while gathering firewood at his Eastern Maryland home. Powell had been Carter’s driver and aide-de-camp when he ran successfully for governor of Georgia and then, in 1976, for the presidency.
In his eulogy at an Oct. 3 memorial service at the Second Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., Carter recalled that he and Powell often stayed in private homes while on the campaign trail for the Democratic presidential nomination. When they couldn’t find free lodging, "We would rent the cheapest hotel with a double bed. And those are not the most pleasant moments of my life." Carter made the crowd of mourners roar with laughter when he said Powell "snored a lot."
Those were lean days for Carter, a relatively unknown former peanut farmer who was campaigning in Iowa, eager to talk to any reporter with a scratch pad and a tape recorder.
One night Powell awakened Carter to tell him that he was going to be on a television show the next morning. On the way to the station Powell was very evasive about the program until he finally asked Carter if he knew any recipes. He had booked the candidate on a cooking show!
The former president said Powell "knew how to take a mountain of problems and make a mole hill out of it," adding: "He didn’t do that often enough."
When they campaigned in Wisconsin, a "bunch of antagonistic students" pelted Carter with peanuts. When later asked about the incident, Powell said, "I’m just glad Gov. Carter doesn’t grow watermelons."
Carter said when they arrived in Washington everyone thought they were joined at the hip. And when Jody said, "`This is the policy of the government of the United States of America,’ they knew he was speaking for me," Carter told the gathering.
The former president acknowledged that "there were a lot crises, up and down" and "we had some successes. We had a lot of failures. We had a lot of personal disappointments."
Carter recalled that he sometimes felt discouraged during the day but was much better after talking to Jody, who told him "that the days in Washington were always worse than the nights."
"I realized that there were a lot of things that Jody and Hamilton (Jordan, his chief of staff) did that I never knew about -- and for that I have always thanked God,” Carter quipped.
He touched on the fact that Powell was a civil war buff and had researched all the battles in which Carter’s great grandfather had fought for the Confederacy, including Gettysburg. Powell joshed with reporters, especially those from the South, and handed out scoops to his favorites.
He hailed from Vienna, Ga., and had all of us calling his home town "Vyanna," as he did.
Carter gave his friend the highest praise, saying he was perhaps the only press secretary who never told a lie, though he admitted he had to be evasive at times when "we were planning something that was momentous and we didn’t want it to be revealed ahead of time."
Between tears and laughter, Carter told Powell’s family and friends that Jody was "a patriot, who understood this nation and its history."
He also had integrity, courage and "a tender heart."
That’s all it takes to be a good press secretary.
"the big pic's coming I know it, I know it"
That's assuming that Carter knows anything about patriotism.
Sorry...at this point, only God can recall Jody.
I liked Jody. Finally gave some respect to “Jody” as a male name, after that Whittaker jerk kid from Family Affair.
seanmerc’s right, leave the HT hate aside a moment to appreciate Jody Powell.
Actually, if you look closely, you’ll find HT in the lower left (foreground) of the picture I posted. :-)
Even at a young age, I liked to read the news. I remember when I was 10 or 11 and Time Magazine had a cover article called “Jimmy’s Boys” which featured Jody Powell and Hamilton Jordan. These were the young men with a huge influence on the White House. Both died well before their time.
Yeah....and they’re both dead much too early.
Maybe there’s a conspiracy in there someplace.....
What a heart-warming tale from the pee nut farmer!!!!
“White House press secretaries often have a higher public profile than the president himself”
What a crock. Maybe back when Cal Coolidge took a few months off to go fishing, but not since. How can anyone write crap like this with a straight face?
Hey, good find! And quick too!
Powell seemed like a decent sort, as did Jordan. I like Pat Cadell as well....seems like Jimmuh Cawtuh at least had the sense to hire better men than himself. It’s a shame he’s outlived them (except Cadell).
Jody Powell was “Defender-in-chief” of a flawed candidate exposed by Lester Maddox. Powell said that Lester Maddox exposing Jimmy Carter was like being called “ugly by a frog.” People to their misfortune believed Carter and not Maddox. Maybe you can fool nearly all of them all the time.
The gibbering 'rat peanutsuckers are easily amused.
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