UNCHANGING PRINCIPLES

Episodes

My grandmother Rosalynn Carter passed away this afternoon. Even though she was 96, and even though she lived one of the best lives anybody could ask for, it’s still hard. She was a wonderful First Lady, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. I put together an episode with my initial thoughts about how her legacy of caregiving and her advocacy through her Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers helped us through her final months. I’ll have more later. WLYTG, Mom.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro named one of the most prominent buildings on the Naval Academy campus Carter Hall in honor of Jimmy Carter, Class of 1947. I had the incredible privilege of accepting this honor on my grandfather’s behalf. In this episode, I deliver the speech that I gave at the Naval Academy on February 17, 2023 and I recall telling my grandfather about this experience.
Every year, the Carter Center holds a retreat where we share our successes and update our benefactors on the Center’s work around the globe. In this episode, I talk about some of the unbelievable Carter Center auction items, the Center’s Democracy projects, my grandmother’s favorite latrine story (yes, she has a favorite latrine story), and the Carter Center’s efforts to eradicate guinea worm from the face of the earth.
This episode was difficult to compose. In this episode, I tell you the story of my experience with my grandfather winning the Nobel Peace Prize and how the lessons from his lecture resonate today. I also aim to apply the lessons of my grandfather’s lifelong quest for peace against the backdrop of the death and destruction we see in Ukraine. I wanted to do this while exploring the new geopolitical pressures and realities as they change live-time.
In this episode, I talk about how January 6, 2021, compared to January 6, 1981, and January 6, 2001. I discuss the election that was almost stolen from Jimmy Carter, and how that experience sparked a lifelong commitment toward protecting Democracy. And I share my view on the narrow path forward that America must take to ensure that our Constitution stands, that our Democracy is protected, and that our freedom to choose our own leaders remains central to the 245-year-old American experiment.
Annette Carter was my mother. This episode is the eulogy that I delivered at my mom’s funeral.
This episode is about the history of voting rights in America. I discuss my family’s intimate relationship with voting rights and my grandfather’s beginnings of the Carter Center’s Democracy programs. I discuss the 2021 voting rights bill that was passed and signed into law in Georgia. This law is just the latest volley in our history of fighting over voting rights, which we have been doing since before America was a country. I start this story of America’s voting rights where America started its story of representative democracy–in Plymouth Colony, 129 years before the United States of America was formed as a new nation with the power given to the people.
In this episode, I discuss the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. I also give an update on some personal stories, including my son Jonathan’s health, mine and my grandfather’s history with The Coca-Cola Company, my grandparents’ conversation with the new President and the Vice President, and Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
In this episode, I talk about a very personal story about my son Jonathan and the incredibly rare disease we are fighting. His disease is difficult to manage and is unfathonably expensive. I tell this story because there are families like mine all across the country that have their lives turned upside-down by a difficult diagnosis and a mountain of medical bills. The Affordable Care Act is now the most important piece of legislation in my life, and in this episode, I outline why it needs to be protected and strengthened for those of us who need constant medical interventions.
In this episode, I discuss our nation’s founding, and how one of my favorite people in history, Benjamin Franklin, helped ensure that the power of our government continues to be held by We The People through Democracy. I have examples where Democracy is kept, and what happens when governments specifically disclude Democracy as part of their foundation.
Welcome to Unchanging Principles! My name is Josh Carter, and I am President Carter’s grandson. My grandfather was President of the United States from 1977 – 1981. The 1970s’ were a long time ago, so in my first episode, I would like to re-introduce you to Jimmy Carter so that you get an idea of where I am coming from. And I’ll have stories about my life and my family throughout the podcast, starting with this first episode.