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But would Carter's vindication lead to a fresh start? There is concern in Washington that Jimmy Carter would be likely to feel, as he did in 1976, that he owed his victory to no one. Associates predict he would be even more private, working on only a few projects to assure his place in the history books—a strategic arms agreement with the Soviets, a comprehensive energy program that will secure the nation's energy independence. Carter's vision of the American future in a changing world is much more somber than Reagan's. "I don't claim to have all the magic answers, and I don't think there are any simple or easy answers, " he said in St. Louis last week. "We face very serious challenges." Many Americans believe he is right and that Reagan's proposals to make the future a better past are unrealistic and simplistic. Critics regard them as the free-form concepts of a man who does not understand the complexities of issues that force their way into the Oval Office and who would have as much to learn about the job as Jimmy Carter did—or more.
But many Americans are equally skeptical that Carter's prime assets, experience on the job and innate intelligence, are enough to meet challenges the next time around when they have largely overwhelmed him so far. There can be no doubt that he has learned a good deal in these four years. But whether a reborn Carter presidency would be a significantly better one is a question that remains as elusive as Carter himself.