Jimmy Carter Does Not Like Ted Cruz

Now that the Republican presidential race is down to just Donald Trump and Ted Cruz (oh, and John Kasich, sure), let's not forget that one of the country's most liberal former presidents — in fact, he's tied with President Obama, according to On the Issues — said that he would vote for Donald Trump. That's not to say he's all about the Donald — who is? It's just that former President Jimmy Carter just thinks that Ted Cruz is that bad of an option. Since February, Carter and Cruz have been in a fight that spans oceans and puts the Donald Trump / Megyn Kelly showdown to shame. One former president beloved by many versus one current candidate liked by some: the Carter-Cruz Feud.

Speaking to the British Parliament back in February, Carter said he'd prefer Trump to take the White House over Cruz:

I think I would choose Trump, which may surprise some of you, but the reason is Trump has proven already that he's completely malleable. I don't think he has any fixed opinions that he would really go to the White House and fight for.

Why's that?

Ted Cruz is not malleable. He has far right-wing policies, in my opinion, that would be pursued aggressively if and when he would become president.

So no, this is obviously not an endorsement of Trump. Having no political convictions or beliefs is not exactly a compliment. It's just that Carter thinks Cruz is that right-wing wackadoo crazy. Getting rid of the IRS, blocking net neutrality, and carpet bombing the Middle East (hopefully where ISIS operates, and not Aladdin's hometown) are pretty extreme views. Which ones scare Carter the most is a mystery. But he pointed out that Cruz doesn't have any support from his fellow senators, and that Marco Rubio would have been a stronger candidate. Ouch. But I guess Cruz doesn't have to worry about that anymore.

Cruz tried to make the best of it and spin it to his conservative base (they're probably not big Carter fans). He even made an advertisement using Carter's words. Cruz may have made Carter's attack work in his favor, but the same ad could be used in a general election in Georgia or other parts of the South, where Carter remains popular.

In any case, when Carter was weighing his decision, he probably never thought Trump would get as far as he has. He said at the time that Trump would probably, "fade away ... when people get ready to actually put on a ballot, 'this is a person I want to lead me for the next four years.'"

And don't worry; even though Carter has gone through a lot lately — including beating cancer — he's still with it. This fall, he will be voting for the Democrat — whoever it is.