The reception to Carter's speech was overwhelmingly positive: Approving phone calls poured into the White House more calls than when President Richard Nixon had announced the invasion of Cambodia along with many letters of support. But the goodwill was short lived. Within days of the speech, Carter fired several members of his cabinet, closing what Mattson calls "a window of opportunity."
"It's from then on that Carter had a really difficult time at bouncing back and being seen on the part of the American people as a strong and significant leader especially a leader that could take America through solving the energy crisis," Mattson says.
"Carter goes out there and he essentially condemns the American way of life," he says. "He says our consumerism, our materialism have really gotten in the way of this problem."
Mattson says the fact that Americans responded positively to a speech that berated their way of life suggests that they don't mind having their values called into question. In that way, he says, the malaise speech had the potential to effect a significant cultural change.
"[Carter] did blow the opportunity," Mattson says. "But I think the original success that the speech had symbolizes the fact that Americans will listen when they're being criticized and when they're being called out to their better selves."
wow that's a spin on my understanding... I think you're right
