‘A Widening Abyss’: Jimmy Carter Says Country Faces Potential ‘Civil Conflict’ Over Political Divisions
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Former President Jimmy Carter is so concerned about political division in the country that he warned Wednesday that Americans could ultimately find themselves engaged in a “civil conflict.”
In a guest column for the New York Tines, Carter portrayed the country as being in a grim position one year after the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“Our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss,” Carter warned. “Without immediate action, we are at genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy. Americans must set aside differences and work together before it is too late.”
With regard to the violence in Washington last year, Carter said he initially hoped that the country would unite. He signaled that hope is fleeting.
“There followed a brief hope that the insurrection would shock the nation into addressing the toxic polarization that threatens our democracy,” Carter wrote. “However, one year on, promoters of the lie that the election was stolen have taken over one political party and stoked distrust in our electoral systems.”
The former president also wrote that he and other former presidents are united in attempting to bridge the partisan gap that separates so many Americans.
Carter wrote, “All four of us former presidents condemned their actions and affirmed the legitimacy of the 2020 election.”
He did not mention former President Donald Trump by name in the op-ed. He did, however, write he feels that lawmakers in Florida, Georgia, and Texas are leveraging the “distrust they have created to enact laws that empower partisan legislatures to intervene in election processes.”
“They seek to win by any means, and many Americans are being persuaded to think and act likewise, threatening to collapse the foundations of our security and democracy with breathtaking speed,” Carter warned. “I now fear that what we have fought so hard to achieve globally — the right to free, fair elections, unhindered by strongman politicians who seek nothing more than to grow their own power — has become dangerously fragile at home.”
The former president published his warning on the eve of the anniversary of the riot, which occurred as lawmakers were attempting to certify the results of the 2020 election.
President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on Thursday from the Capitol. Trump had planned a press conference for Thursday but canceled it on Wednesday.
