Transcripts For CSPAN2 Rosalynn 20240705

Television companies, supports cspan2 2 as a public service. Cspan2 2 as a public service. Rosalynn carter, do you remember when you and president carter started having conversations about him running for president . Guest i do. Host what was that like . What was that conversation . Guest it was very interesting. [laughter] we hadad a friend that wrote and told jimmymy that he thought he ought to run for president. Well, we couldnt even say the word. [laughter] my husband is running for well, i didnt tell anybody because we kept it very quiet with. And but then once he decided that he would do it, that was when i couldnt he could hardly say im going to be president. It wast. Just something that wa, we never, ever dreamed would happen. And, but it was exciting i was excited about it. I had campaigned the whole last year before the governors race for him, and it was hard. Amy was a baby, and i didnt like teave her all the time. But i ening joyed it. I mean, i learn ared so much about our state. We have 159 counties. I knew the capital of every county. I knew and, in fact, thats how iw got involved in Mental Health issues, running campaigns for jimmy. Our big Mental Health facility, hospital, thered been a big techs poe say can expoe saw, and the [inaudible] had been passed in 9, this was, you know, 63. And this was 19166 1966 when jimmy first rap for governor. Got beatt that time, but we got in because our leading democratic candidate had a heart attack. But they were moving people out of the hospital because there was 12,000 people and they had room for 3,000. It was awful. This was happening all over the country. And they were moving them out before they had any facilities, no services in the communities. And everyone started talking to me about what would your husband do if hes elected governor of georgia . I just learned so much about what wasas going on. And after we lost that election, i worked four years to learn a little bit about Mental Health. And then the first month improved services of the ppmentally and emotionally handicapped. But when he told me about that, i thought this isiv giving me a chance to look across the whole country. [laughter] and television so much fun to me. I just, i love to go into peoples homes. When we first tarted campaigning for starts campaigning for president , i went to florida and iowa in the beginning, those were the two primaries. Andad i had been working in the [inaudible] when we got home from the navy, jimmy had me [laughter] i didnt work the first year, but i started helping him. And he onlyin had seasonal a labor. I started working for him, and he said why dont you come and keep the office while i go out and visit thed farmers. So i would go into iowa to a tea, there might be 6 people in somebodys house. Iri knew the price of fertilize [laughter] i knew how much they could get for their corn. I mean, i loved it. And i met so many it was hard, but i was so excited. I had been able to learn all about georgia, and i was able to learnhe about the country. And i thought, i knew hed be a good president. Host mrs. Carter, when did you know during that campaign that your husband would be electedd president . Guest i never doubtede it. [laughter] we never doubt canned it. I dont think anybody in our whole campaign thought we would lose. Weca campaigned all the a time just like we were going to win. Host what was the peanut brigade . Guest peanut brigade was a lot of our friends. It started out from georgia, but being just people from georgia, but it just grew and grew and grew and grew who would campaign all over the cup for us. It wasd really wonderful. They paved they paid their own way. Everybody who worked in our campaign had to find a house to stay in that would let them spend the night with them. Either they had to pay [laughter] they had to pay for a hotel. That couldnt happen now. But it wasn the really [inaudible] not with the money that you have even to win the nomination. Lin carter, january 20th, 1977, what do you remember about thatha day . Guest it was inauguration day. We walked down pennsylvania avenue in the cold, cold weather. It was exciting. Diswhs whose idea was it to walk in. Guest it was jimmys idea. He didnt tell me until the night before. He didnt tell anybody else except the secret Service Agents. Because we didnt well, the secret Service Agents [inaudible] security. In fact, they didnt want him to walk at all. But i guess he just thought it was,s, nobody was anticipating e him walking down pennsylvania avenue. I think he thought that everything would be different. Maybe we shouldnt do it if everybody knewit it. Anyway with, it was really wonderful. Host so january 20th, 1977, youre the first lady of the uniteded states. How do you prepare to become first lady . Ing from welsh guest well, therm hard part was going from the beautiful Governors Mansion. It was new. The outgoing governor had only are lived in it for two years. [inaudible]d, authentic period furniture all the way through. And i went to see the outgoing governors wife, i said we i asked her who did the cooking, and she said, i do. I said, who serves is the tables . She said, i do. Everything i asked her, she did. And i said, id like to see your office, wheres your she said, i dont have one. My office is, my staff is in thn office in the governors in the capitol with the governors, and they the handle my correspondence. I said do you make speeches . She said, no, i let the governors mother do that. I went home and said, what have we done. And all theth help in the house was [inaudible] from the prison. And the first thing i do was hire h a housekeeper e. [laughter] and then we told the prisoners taught the prisoners to cook and serve the table. And i developed a fairly we ten staff competent staff. [inaudible] had invited me to entertain ben [inaudible] he was coming tomi play, to perform in atlanta. So on january 30th, we actually moved into the Governors Mansion on january the 12th. So is jimmy had an aunt in this area, and and i called her because shes this really wonderful person. And she came and we did a beautiful dinner for him. We put tuxedos on the prisoners finish. [laughter] which was new and different for them. Anyway, we had a really wonderful meeting. And then aunt sissy, we called her. I got her to organize [inaudible] take people through the governorsme mansion. So when i went, the first time the state patrol were guiding the tours, and i thought that didnt seem very homey. So i got with aunt a sissy had a list of people that came and helped, came every day. Every dayev theyd come in. The mansion was open anyway, i had to learn everything. I had to develop the staff. We learned by trial and error. Had my assistant that helped me, and we, for instance, when we entertained, one of the first entertainers we had was a man who we read his biography, his talent and what he did, and it sounded perfect. We had a lot of race car driver cans. Atlanta has a speedway, and they were coming to eat dinner with us. So we got him. He stood up. When he stood up to sing, he sang light opera. If you can believe i slid under the table. After that we learned we had to audition everybody. We just learned by when i got to the white house, everything was already done. I had a social secretary, the i didnt have to worry about, you know, what we were going to serve or any of those things. She would make our plans for me and bring them to me, and i would decide what i wanted to do. It was really quite wonderful. And amy was if 3 years old when we moved to the aboves mansion. Shed never known anything else. And you couldnt in the Governors Mansion the only thing that i would change is you couldnt get from our upstairs where we live to the kitchen without going new the tourists. And amy learned at 3 years of age to walk through the tourists like this because everybody theres the baby, theres the baby. She got where she would walk just straight through without even seeing them. And i remember when we got to the white house and she went to school the first day, here was amy going in like this, which she had been doi all her life, going through the tours. And everybody felt so sorry for her. It was just part of her life. And, actually, after that happened onaf the first day, the press got together and decided not to bother amy anymore. Finish and so, and that was really wonderful too. We didnt have to worry about that very much. Host where did you withwh first meet jimmy carter . Guest well, plains, georgia, has a population 634. I think i knew if everybody in town. And there were no girls my age inn. Town. And, of course, i knew who he was. Dr [inaudible] i knew him, but he was 3 years older that i am. But his little sister, who was 3 years younger that ian am, would stay in town for, if we had a basketball game or some event at the school, she would stay with her grandmother who lived in town. And we became really close friends. She was my best friend going up. Host this is ruth. Guest this is ruth, uhhuh. And,d, but he graduated from hih school at 16. We only had 11 grades back then. And i was 13. Well, theres no way i ever thought i would go with jimmy carter. And i didnt go with him until he came home before he was a first classman. He came home from the naval academy. I went out with him the night before he was going to leave. But ruth and i plotted to get me out there with hum because i wanted to with him, i had fallen in love with his photograph on the wall. [laughter] and so she would call me and say hes here. He had a months leave. And i would go out there and hed be gone. And one day we, we had a farmhouse, participants had a farm parents had a pond out fairly close to their house. Everybody in town used it for Church Events and School Events and things like that. One day she called and said that somebody had used the [inaudible] the night before, andth and they were going out there and cleaning up. She and jimmy. And wanted me to come and spend the day with them. At night i went to a church meeting, standing at the door it was a youth meeting one night during the week. And ruth with her boyfriend and jimmy drove up, and he got out of the car and asked me to go to movie with them. So i went to the movie with them, and end then i went to the railroad or station to see him off the next night. And then we started writing letters to each other. And at christmas time he asked me toe marry him, and i turned him down. [laughter] i was young. I had promised my father on his death bed that i would go to college. I had not finished college. I went to annapolis on the weekend of the ring dance. I dont remember what they called the weekend with, but he he asked me again and i accepted. I was still young. [laughter] host it was july 7th, 1946. Guest thats right. Host you said your father died when you were quite young. Guest 13, uhhuh. I was the oldest of four children. I had two brothers and then the my little sister who was 4 years old. And my father had developed leukemia. I didnt know he was sick, and id h been wanting to go to a church camp in the summer, and they told me we didnt have enough money for it. And then one day i came home from school, and my daddy asked me if i would like, till like to go to the camp, and i said, great. What i didnt know was he was going to the hospital to see what was wrong. And he died just maybe that was may, he died in november. Host how did the that affect your role as the oldest child . Guest well, everything changed for us. I was the oldest one. My mother had never written a check. She had a, she went to college for two years and had a teachers certificate, but she had never taught. And back then in plains you ordered your groceries and had plains mercantile brought your things, and they would send the groceries to the house. My daddy paid for it all. And when he was on his death bed, he called us all in, the children, and told my mother that she wanted him to sell the farm because she wanted us to all go to school. And i think we i dont know [inaudible] so the next year her mother died, she was an only child. And mama died not even we had no idea she was sick, and my grandfather wanted us to live on the farm. Went out to milk the cows, and when he came back in, she was leaning over. She was tying her shoe dead in her chair. And a somebody called my mother 111 month ifs after my daddy died 11 months. And wed be depending on them so much. Rn and saidme your mother died this morning. I cant imagine anybody doing i was getting ready to go to school, and i heard her screaming in the hall where the telephone was. And it wasas tough. My mother went to school she worked in the Grocery Store and then she worked in the school lunch room. And then when i was till in high school, she got a job in the post office and worked her the rest until shead had to ad she had to retire at age 70. It was the law. And i was campaigning, this was 1975. Christmas, because her birthday was christmas eve. And on her birthday he had to retire. She had ore retire. So i was campaigning. I was campaigning after christmas. I camei back home, and my brotr said call me. As soon as i got home. He said, go to see mother, she cried all week long. So i went to see her. And s i said, mama she had to be to work every morning at 7 00,no and then she came back later in the afternoon. My grandfather came to live with us when my grandmother died. So my mother had flexible hours because the postif master didnt want to get up early, and he didnt want to stay late. But anyway, i said, mother, dont you enjoy just being able to sleep in . She said its not that, its just that im nobody thinks i can do good work anymore. So that, that made an impression op me. And then on me. So when jimmy was president , i did work with aging, i became interested in working with Mental Illness because there were no doctors to care for people with Mental Illness. And actually no geriatric doctors. We paid we z passed an age discrimination if law and with people in the federal government could work as long as they wanted to, and people outside could work until they were 75. So i worked a lot on host rosalynn carter, you have always been a political partner to your husband. Is that a fair statement . Guest ive been a partner, i would calltn it a partner. He was in the navy for s seven years after we got married. We had three boys. And the first two years after the first year, had one baby. And he was gone for who years. He was on battleships. Back then you had to serve two years before you could go to the air force or submarines. I had to take care of everything. And then whenen we got home andi began working in the farm supply business, i knew [inaudible] than he did. And i think thats when we really developed this really good partnership, like i say. Done buy corn anymore, were losing money on it. I could advise him. And it just developed into a really wonderful partnership. And so i didnt campaign when he ran for the, senate. I kept the business while he campaigned. But then when he i campaigned when he ran for governor, thats the firstmp time i campaigned. But then when he got in the governors race, you know, i learned alll the issues and campaigned and did the same thing when he was w running for president. I think itt was the first time i i know lady bird had come through plains on a train, but i think it was the firstop time people, that the women had campaigned. Of i know i i got in the [inaudible] when jimmy started to run for president. And we just with, i wanted to know if i could campaign in other states like i did in georgia. We went tori florida and stayed0 or 12 days. And they would have no idea what they would call. My husband is running for president. I would like for you to interview me. The president of united states. Youve got to be kidding. No, im not kidding. They had no idea, i had five or six questions that the things i wanted people to know about jimmy, about those things. I came over and said i can do it. What is unless everybody would say they were good family, good things for our family. The church, usually they wanted to sit down, place to worship. They want to make a living and had a good life. I mean, everybody wants the same thing. Regions have different other things, but just in general people want to be happy and have a good home and a good family. Host in your book first lady from planes, youre right that you areal more political tn your husband. What did you mean by that . Guest he said what he thinks the matter what it is. Because i think you have to be political in a certain way. You have to be honest and you have to say the same thing, but still you have to cater to peoplei sometimes i think and know what they want and need to be able to influence them to vote for you. Its not being dishonest. Its just finding out what they want and letting them know how youre going to help them with the problems, the things they want, or the things they want. Just being political. But jimmy thinks something needs to be done, and needs to be done now. When he wasd in office, well, when he wasresent i dont think he ever did anything that wasnt controversial. That bothered me sometimes. I didnt like the controversy all the time. Host rosalynn carter, in the white house youve held press conferences, traveled solo, acted as the president s emissary. How did you develop the issues that you wanted to talk about or became expert in . Guest i worked on Mental Health. I had i worked problems on the elderly andom a lot of that came from seeing what happened to my mother. Because that was in the campaign. But also in campaigning they took me where there were a lot of democrats, as i went to a lot of nursing homes, facilities for older people. And saw what great needs there were in that area. So that influenced my work. I have worked on immunization in georgia, have a good immunization program. And dale bumpers who was later a senator, he was a senator when jimmy was elected, but he was governor at the same time jimmy was. The governors conference, they work with a senator for Disease Control and really good immunization program. She taught me to doing at as well. Two weeks after the cut to the white house she called me and, of course, i was ready to work on immunization in the white house. That was one of my great victories. Immunization was required by schoolage and only 15 states. Those a little bit of a argument about whether it was 15 or 17. The first year we started working with betty, the secretary of hhs, we got in all 50 states. Thatan was exciting. We had this big meeting in washington. I go from oneot subject to the next. We have this big meeting in washington celebrate, have people from all of the country. The next day there was not one word in the paper. I was so upset. I called joe california. I know there was a camera. He said it was ours. But nobody was interested in immunization. The press i get upset with the press because they covered my Mental Health work, my first few meetings i had, and then they never showed up anymore. One of the things i wanted to do was bring attention to the issu issue, what few services that were. And think just get out and the public, thats what i did in georgia, developed a good program in georgia by the way. But they just didnt, and someone day i was walking in the downpour, downstairs floor in the white housese and it was his woman who was one of the press people. And i said, you know, nobody ever covers my meetings. She said, ms. Carter, Mental Health is just not a sexy issue. That i didnt like but i r did get very much coverage for it. But we toured the country to find out what was needed, develop legislation, and passed the Mental Health system act of 1980. It passed through congress one month before jimmy essie said involuntarily retired from the white house and incoming president put itg on the shelf, never implemented it. The greatest disappointments of my life. Now we had a Mental Health symposium, a great Mental Health program here. Last week. And one of the people who worked with me in the white house, the program, the subject was at the Affordable Care act, and he did a a comparison of what we did in 1980 with what the Affordable Care act did. Its almost identical. We just passed parity and it was announced here the final regulations. I had parity in the 1980 system, Mental Health systems act. Its really, things that move very fast in the Mental Health field but im so thrilled now that we cannot parity and the Affordable Care act covers parity, and we also had immigration in the making it a legislation like combining Mental Health and substance use, Mental Health. Host and yound betty ford worked on that togethe guest thats right. Aftereeft the white house betty and and i would go to washington. Shean would get republicans thai d get democrats and we made some progress. Host your hbands were known as becoming best friends, i very good friends. Did you and betty ford at the same relationship . Guest yes. We develop a really Good Relationship. It started, jimmy and gerald ford we went to anwar sadat funeral at as we left the whe house. Thats when jimmy and gerald ford begin talking a lot of times and saw how much each one, well, they thought similarly. And then betty and i started working with betty and we develop a really wonderful relationship. Host mrs. Carter, there are several first ladies still living. Is there a a sorority of first ladies in a sense . Guest i had a Good Relationship with betty ford and with lady bird. As long as she was alive. Thats about it. I dont think, theres never been a real, we see each other at an event and library dedications, but theres never been that closeness that they hd with betty for an lady bird. Host when you were first lady you had a weekly luncheon with your husband. And would attend cabinet cabinet meetings. What was the purpose of that . Guest well, i had a luncheonit jimmy, there was always on them wanted to and some of it was about a family and finances and things going on back home. But we also talked about issues. I would say it was more family and personal things that were going on. But again it give uss time to do that. But almost, after we were there until about august, jimmy stayed at the oval office a good bit come in the dane time. He didnt go back much at nht. But inn. August he started callg me about 4 30 in the afternoon. My office was in east wing. It had always been in the white house but it put her over in the east wing. But he started calling me and say lets go jog or lets go do something. Also i wanted be home when amy got home from school. So stop to scheduling anything in that part of the afternoon. We would jog, exercise, swim and sit on the truman balcony of talk but we get done during the day and what today, and we just had a Good Relationship. But what i learned in the white house was that there is no way to know what happened because of the press. I mean, you cant learn from newspapers. You cant learn from two minutes on tv. Tv to me was we didnt have computers. Nobody had ever used the big mainframes. I dont know whether the cut is activated or got more. This was a long time ago. 30 something years ago. But i couldnt tell. He said everything, he stepped off the elevator upstairs i would ask them, why did you do this or why because i had to know. I was touring the country. I was doing press conferences. So in february after come one day when used depth off of the elevator he said, why dont you come to cabin meetings and then you will know why we do thanks . And thats when i started goi to cabinet meetings. A lot o people dont know, cabinet meetings have staff around the room. But i set by max cleveland, he was in a wheelchair. He was head of veterans affairs. I i sat by him next to the door. And i went every time i could that the cabinet met. Because it was, i felt was necessary for me to know what was going on so i could explain to people inco a country as ice toured around. Host rosalynn carter, did you receive criticism foror retaining those meetings and for being the president s emissary . Guest i dont think it ever received criticisms from the west wing. They knew how close we were and how interested i was. But there was all kinds of criticism. You know, i learned while jimmy was in a state senate, thats the hardest because you know everybody criticizes you. Then you expect when you get to be governor, and jimmy had been governor for four years, when he went to the white house i knew was coming. I didnt like it but you have to, you have to accept the attitude. What i did but i think you almost have to in public life, that you have to know that what your husband does what he thinks is the best possible thing for our country. And what im doing i think is best possible thing for my country. In the states and i would get so upset picky set me down one day in recent ifdo you dont think d do the best job i can do, then worry about it. You have to just accept that, but also my feeling was if they didnt come if the reported things in the way we didnt like them its because they didnt know or they were ignorant about what was going on. Lots of times its true. If they know why youre doing it and so forth, i mean thats what you cant come in today with todays television theres no way to know whats happened because its talked about all the everyday. Thats why they were so confused by the time we had our meeting with people whoho really knew wt was in the law which was so good for us. And then to have the tribulations, we found out the day before Kathleen Sebelius kinch is going to announce the final regulation, passed the law in 2008. Ki iab had been talking to her abot it. Shes a good friend. Her father was governor when jimmy was governor and her mother is good friend. Ive been talking about regulations. E im sure her hands were tied by the white housese because i thik they wanted the Affordable Care act. To comment and announce a compass and i started shaking this is 33 years after i wanted this. I was excited. Host was a possible two other private life in the white house . Into the white house feel likee home . Guest f hit felt like homeo us almost immediately. Because e had all been campaigning, all our voice ofen bpaigning, and ive been campaigning. And we were together. Not all of us, two of her sons and amy were there. We had meals together. We had to make a rule that if you were notl, going to be there for a new headgear check off a little thing so we could know who would be there. But, and most of the time i was there, when she came home from school and i took her to her violin classes. And then as a said earlier jimmy and i would jog and swim, or if it was raining go to the bowling alley, and amy liked that. We had a fairly good family life. I think it was so precious because we had been gone traveling for two years. Host does the white house affect a marriage . Guest i think it could. I dont think it, it didnt affectrs hours. We had just been partners working together for so long. Because, and, and i could see if the first lady was not particularly interested in the different issues, i think would be very difficult. But ginny could talk to me about all this. At a think it happens that we more and more with first ladies get some of the early first ladies were very active but then it were others who were not. Host t when you look back at previous first ladies before you served, who did you admire, who did you emulate, who did you learn from . Guest well, the closest person i had, the closest and only personal i had of knowledge of was lady bird. She came to georgia for the highway beautification program. I just knew her and she, the main thing she told me was if i would to ask her something she would say enjoy, enjoy, because acai going to last long. Just enjoy. But she did help me a lot. Of course everybody, i still looks back at Eleanor Roosevelt who was quite wonderful. One person that had a a big it on my life was margaret mead. When i decide i was going to run, that husband work on Mental Health issues, she came to georgia to see me. We develop this really wonderful relationship, and she would give me advice and went to canada for a Mental Health meeting. Anyway, she just come she was just the neatest, twometer was emotional for me. I would like to have met Eleanor Roosevelt. , rosalynn carter, your husband in 2010 published his white house diaries. Did you keep a diary or a journal during during the white house years . Guest i i kept them at different times. I didnt do very much in the beginning but then i started having a secretary put spaces between events and had a desk in my bedroom and i left it there and i would go to the desk and who was happening and who would be the progress toward whiteness about what happened. I did that pretty regularly for a while. I was really good, i kept those those all the time from the first day. Host are those public . Guest no. Host if and when will they be public . Guest i dont know how long, i just went through them and edited them. I didnt edit anything. I struck out a few passages. Host why . Guest well, i might not want you to know what i called some of them are. It was just, just not personal along with what was happening. I didnt sit in any of the meetings, but i was there the whole time. And as soon as they would come out at a meeting i was there to see whats going on. Incredible. It was from the heights of excitement that was going to happen to theat depths of despar that it was not. I came home one day, for instance, we did know we were going to be there 13 days, and so the last few days i had to go into town to do some events for jimmy and some for me. Something i had planned. I got back one day and this was toward the end, and jimmy ann Hamilton Jordan and jody powell who were staff people were in the Swimming Pool at camp david. And they said its over. And he thought it was. And it was a bad evening. But, and would you left when jimmy, but they they came back jimmy said, its either the date or not, were just going to have to end it. We had we opened that i mean, we had pbs did our events for a while, and i cant remember who was there that day i had to come in. I had to come in and introduce them. I got a call about halfway through it. No, about halfway through the concert, and jimmy told me he thought they had it that dont tellll anybody. Didnt know for sure but that was interesting. Anyway, when they came in that night the helicopter lands it was dark, dust or dark, im sure it was dark. They came in and mrs. Begin and i were standing by the door of the blue room and they they mr. Big and come straight to her. Mama, were going to go down in history for this. S. It was really thrilling. Host do you think we will see aar carter camp david accors diary book sometime . Guest we might. Theres actually i guess its all right before stillness, theres actually a theater in washington on camp david. Early next year i think. Host will you be there for it . Guest i will be therere for it. Host another issue during your husbands president morsi out of what ask you about, mrs. Carter, the iranian hostage crisis. Did you keep notes . What were your feelings throughout that whole crisis and how did that affect you as a person . Guest it was awful. I look back now, i have memories of just waiting for the press conference and irane to say what happened that day. Because we had no idea what was going on. The only way we knew what was goingwo on was when they would come out and announce it. And so, and he was just, thinking about, thinking, we met with the families all along, thinking about the people whose family members were there and what it was doing to jimmys presidency. It was awful. It was awful. But, and i would go out, i would go out and campaign. I have found out earlier that i could, when the president goes out hes so surrounded, but people would, he speaks to them to say hello and so forth but he doesnt get close enough to people to have conversations, normally like you would otherwise about what their hopes and dreams are and what i was doing or what you know is doing or anything we could help them. I had learned that early when jimmy, during his presidency. But i would go out and everybody would say, tell the president to do something, and tell him hes got to do something. I would come over and i would say, why dont you do something . And he was taken what do you want me too do . Do you want me to mind the harbors . Is a lot of people were talking about. He said it did have them bring out one prisoner every day and hang them in public . Well, maybe thats not the best thing to do. You know, i wanted it over. Of course he did, too. Everybody did. Every night on new tv program started and nobody got over it at all, i mean could get over it. Just think about it because it was every day, every night. It was awful. I kept up with what i was doing, i never stopped doing the things i was doing. Host by the time four years were over, how tired were you . Guest you know,mb you lose the election in november, and thats depressing, was depressing for me. But then you are there until january the 20th, from november, december, january. I just wanted to go home. And did what i got home i dont know what i was tired. I guess i was tired but i just remember coming home, boxes to the ceiling. We live right on the edge of the woods. We had been gone ten years because jimmy was governor, four the campaign, two. The. The woods had, around our house. The vines in things. We both had agreed to write books, and it was overwhelming. I actually didnt have time to really worry about it, i mean to really more it. I think i mourned it before he left the white house. I used to walk around, theres my Mental Health legislation, so much. I think ive realized how importanta it is for president o have a second term or obligee mccarter without with data changed anyway. He would not have changed anything. Host in your book first lady from plains, written in 1984, you close by saying i i would be out on the campaign trail today it jimmy carter would run again. Guest all the time right after lost the election i cant theres no way hes going to run again. I wouldve been there. Host you have a grandson who Just Announced for governor of georgia. Are you going to be on the campaign trail . Guest i will do whatever he asked me to do. Hes a great young man. He graduated from duke university, went to the peace corps for two years. Came home, went to law school. He spent a long from now and as two terms as a state senator. Host rosalynn carter, you have had 33 years postpresidency, presidency, the longest in history now. And you and president carter have been very active. What do you think your legacy, all, as first lady is . Are what would you like it to be . Guest well, i hope my legacy continues more than just first lady. Because Carter Center has been an integral part of our life waging peace, fighting disease and building hope. I hope that have contributed some to Mental Health issues and improved a little bit people, the livesng of people maybe with Mental Illnesses. But i also hope, i have had great opportunities for so long now, and to go to africa, countries in some african countries. A that we go to after two or three times a year. And to go to those villages, and now things are come to fruition. Weve been working all these years like with almost eradicated getting warm. To go to those with or so longer guinea worms, it is a celebration. I mean, one of the good things about the government is we dont deal money to the government. Recent people in to teach, to help people in that country how to do something, and we work with the people in the villages, and the Health Department does. We work with them. And they do the work. I mean just go to a village and explain to them about guinea worm, if you get their chief approved, thats what you have to do. But it tastes see or hear about it from another country, they are happy to hear that. But just to see, to go back when its gone from a village or almost gone, and the hope that gives to them, most of the time its the first thing theyve ever seen that was successful. And its just so wonderful, just to see the hope on their faces, something good is happening. I didnt mean to get emotional. Host rosalynn carter, we are here in atlanta at the Carter Center for this interview. How much time do you spend in atlanta, how much time in planes . Guest ekreschedule one week a month a year ahead of time to be here. Posted time wait to come to come back more than enough like my Mental Health conference we will be here three days last week and yet this is my weak year. This is my weekend. We have to come back more than that but we schedule that so we can plan our travels around the creek and wemo travel almost too much. This year i will be interested to see, maybe not half but most of the time, i guess most of the time, i dont know, its not half of the time most of the time but its getting pretty close. The only thing, i mean, like to go to africa, something so wonderful happens if you go there and come from the Carter Center. Because everybody let me tell you one funny story. We put mobile 2000 and africa because without them that if the heads of state get credit for what they do, i mean if somebody has, gets rid of guinea worm from the village, the wheatfield, crop has grown by three, three times as much as it used to, so they get so excited, the head of state does your my agricultural program, so anyway, but the word gets around. One time we were in this village. There was a farmer who had been named the farmer of the year. We went to this village and this mightve been anyway, we were in a village and they were pulling these plush chairs, really wonderful, blue tarp over them. The whole village came and it was a little girl, about halfway through what you were saying she got held up a sign that said away, guinea worm, jimmy carter is coming. I mean, word gets around the people know it. So when we get to the village, i mean, to other countries may be, the word is already around. Its just, the Carter Center, it just works magic sometimes i think. It gives hope to people who have never had any hope of their lives everything better. Its exciting. Host and finally, rosalynn carter, what is your advice to furniture to future first ladies or first husbands . Guest well, in the first place i i would say enjoyed, whh is what lady bird told me. But i think i have learned that you can do anything you want to. They used to ask me if i i tht ought to be paid. If you get paid, then had to do what first lady is supposed to do. You can do anything you want to, and at such a great soapbox. I i mean, its such a great opportunity. So i would advise any first lady to do what she wanted to do. If another thing, shes going to be criticized about it. I could have stayed in the white house, poured tea, had receptions, and i wouldve been criticized as much as i was criticized outside for what i did. I got a lot of criticism. But you learn to live with it. As i said earlier, you just live with it. You expected and you live with it and never let it influenced me. But i would just tell her also just enjoy and do what she wanted to do, and in the process, i knew she would, another first lady will have things that she wants to do because women have changed, what we do now change from what they did when i grew up. I could be a secretary or school teacher, librarian, a few things, but now women, most women are more active. So do what you want to do and dont worry about the criticism. Host thank you. 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