I attended a session of the Clinton Global Initiative conference in Nashville 2 years ago with D and we noticed the pronounced tremor that Bill had then. I googled it when I got home and he has evidently had it for a number of years, but news accounts say not Parkinson’s. I saw him on C-Span Book TV promoting his most recent book and it was about the same as what I saw in February, 2023. I actually thought that he looked the most in tune of the 3 former presidents who were born so close to each other during the funeral. The others were struggling with staying awake at times from what I saw.
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It has looked like an essential tremor
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I thought everyone at the funeral was fine (except Karen Pence, who just seemed rude). It is a big shuffle to get all those former presidents and VPs to their seats, from the side, without causing a commotion.
As the Carter family was exiting, the ‘presidents’ started moving and I saw several people walking forward. It was the secret service. Not sure if they were sitting behind the presidents or standing off to the side and just had to file in before the presidents could move out. All went forward and out by a side exit. Just think how many SS there had to be for 5 presidents plus spouses, the three VPs in the back (do they still get SS details?) and Harris. That’s a lot of people to coordinate for just a few minutes to get them out. Also in the crowd were other heads of state and their security details (Trudeau was there, and I think some Israelis who may need added security?).
And there were religious people with big sticks escorting people out and on the alter. I’m sure it is a nightmare for the SS to keep people moving quickly to their seats and not making extra moves to shake hands more than one row from the one you are assigned to.
They were all fine. I do think the row of former presidents should have been reversed, with Trump sitting behind Biden and then Obama, Bush and Clinton. That seems the most logical, to have the most recent on the aisle.
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I’m confused about this, there’s protocol as to where former presidents sit in this situation. Seniority to recent.
Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump as the most recent former presidents.
The vice president’s were in the same order.
Quayle, Gore, I don’t think Cheney attended, if Biden was never president that would have been his place, Pence.
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Hey, if I had to sit anywhere near the guy who threw my H to the wolves, I wouldn’t be very friendly.
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Here is how they sat at G H W Bush’s funeral:
Trump, Obama, Clinton (assume Geo W was with the family), with current on the aisle and down the row with latest to oldest. VPs in the row behind.
They could have done that at Carter’s too, with Harris and the VPs behind.
Here’s how they did Reagan’s
Yet a different order but still current pres, then the VP, then Clintons (next past)
Next row George HW (and Reagan’s VP), Carter, Ford
Both have the most recent former president on the aisle after filling the row in front.
So yes, I think the row behind Biden should have been Trump, Obama, Bush, Clinton not the other way (the way it was, Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump).
Trump seems to be the only one crossing his arms in the picture That immediately stood out to me.
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I don’t imagine that we’ll ever be told why the former presidents were seated in that fashion – could have been a Carter family preference, a Secret Service preference (since Trump is the president elect as well as a former president I imagine he has a larger security detail), or just about anything else. Really doesn’t matter. It was good to see that all of the former presidents attended.
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Seating for Reagan funeral MAY have been designed to allow father (41) to sit directly behind his son (43). I imagine more planning, security concerns, etc. goes into these seatng arrangements than the public will ever know. The order of seating doesn’t change, but there does seem to be some leeway.
IMO the important thing is to see the former presidents publically pay their respects.
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This.
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My sister and I were discussing whether this funeral was a personal or state event. It’s a bit murky in a country where theoretically we don’t have a state religion to have these events that are religious by nature but also for the country. So then was the family required to invite (or allow?) Trump to attend if they wanted to have it at the National Cathedral? Which is not a government building but an Episcopal Church building. We don’t know the details about who decides what about services there. Does government protocol have to be followed in these situations? I suppose they do, but do they have to? Carter was a Baptist. I was surprised to have Episcopal prayers over the casket on arrival and departure, though much of the rest was not any particular liturgy. Perhaps that was something the Cathedral asked for?
I was also surprised that no one thought about how it would look to not have any women speak given Carter’s support of women. I think it was mostly incidental – Ford had designated his son to speak, Mondale’s daughter who might have brought his words is already dead, despite Carter’s support for women the White House aides he was closest to were mostly men, etc. I would have had a daughter or female granddaughter read the scripture, but maybe they didn’t want to. I wondered about the theological beliefs of the grandson who did, because he used a very conservative version of the Bible, not the NIV or NRSV, which are the versions Carter taught from when he taught Sunday School most recently. And when he said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” rather than “children of God”, he paused and looked over at the family. I wondered what that was about.
I hope the family found the services meaningful and that there isn’t conflict about scripture in the family. I was glad to be able to join with others electronically to say a formal goodbye. The charitable donation I feel the best about of all I have made is the one I made to the Carter Center to help eradicate guinea worm. If he did nothing else in his life, that alone would have made it one of the most consequential lives ever lived.
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The Washington service was a state event
Every president is required to have a funeral plan in place upon entering office, which is approved through all levels of bureaucratic channels. Carter’s was likely revised several times. But it’s unlikely that anything in the final 411 page document was done without his knowledge and approval and equally unlikely that there were any major deviations from the plan
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And one of the first lady’s top was inappropriate (the design on the collar was of a couple … ummm… embracing), but not sure if we can mention that here or not.
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That’s funny because I’ve never had as high an opinion of her as when she refused to pay any respect to the man to tried to have her husband lynched. I wanted to cheer for her for the first and only time since she appeared on the political stage.
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The basic beliefs of Episcopalians and Baptists are not in conflict. There are man made rules based on different interpretations that distinguish denominations, but the root of their faith is the same God and the same Bible. I am sure that the prayers said during Carter’s service did not include anything that would be problematic.
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Baptists are Protestants. I think the callout was that the National Cathedral is Episcopal. Anyway, Carter was not the only former president of a different denomination to have a state funeral there; Reagan and Eisenhower were Presbyterian. The church’s capacity vs alternative venues likely came into play.
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OOP, I meant to say Episcopalians and Baptists. I’ll edit.
My husband had a boss who deliberately treated him horribly and caused him a lot of stress and distress. Husband recently encountered him (2 years later) and spoke to him civilly. I know if I encounter him I will walk past without speaking. I think it’s easier to forgive those who hurt us than to forgive those who hurt people we love.
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I absolutely agree. I usually get over stuff that only affects me but if you hurt my kids, I will be wishing you ill fortune forever!
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