MPR News Feature; Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter talks about his background, qualifications and campaign strategy

I'm a scientist and a businessman and a farmer. And an engineer. And I think I have the capability. Of tough competent. Businesslike management of government. I've had experience as a governor for four years. I've had experience as a state senator. I know how to deliver services to people. I think it's an advantage in not being bogged down in the bureaucratic mess in Washington. I have a good experience in foreign affairs I've traveled extensively all my life I'm a graduate of Annapolis. I've done my graduate work in nuclear physics. I have excellent relationships with the civil rights leaders of this country. In fact so far as I know every civil rights leader. Who has expressed a preference at all has already endorsed me for president. And this is a very good characteristic to have as a Southern governor where people might be concerned about my stance on the race issue. The other one politically speaking. Is being a full time candidate every time one of the others put in. Which in a day a week.

I would have already put in five and a half days a week and it then the cumulative effect of that would be very profound and the last thing I might mention is that I'm in a race to stay. I'm not going to withdraw. I am not interested in being vice president. I intend to be elected president. And that those who know me realize that a total commitment on my part so they don't have any doubt that at the last minute I'm going to say I don't think I want to run anymore I'll be running right on up through the end of the convention when I receive the nomination. I'm interested that you chose to run for the presidency after serving as governor of Georgia rather than going through the more traditional route of being elected to higher and higher office is why did you choose to do that. Well I don't personally consider membership in the U.S. Senate or the Congress to be our office and governor. My personal inclination is toward executive management and not debate. And it's obvious that. As far as understanding the

needs in domestic affairs energy transportation health. Welfare environmental quality and so forth that a governor has a much better way to assess how to deliver proper services to the people in the state. Much better than than a U.S. senator will. Well congressman would have another very important aspect of it is that I have a good knowledge. Of those areas in the federal government which most governors would not have. I served in the Navy for 11 years I'm a graduate of Annapolis I worked on submarines. I. Have had a chance to serve on Admiral Rickover in the development of the first atomic project submarines. I've travelled all my adult life extensively in foreign countries I'm familiar with. The Far East the Middle East South and Central America Europe I've traveled in all those areas for instance the last two years. So that combination makes it much better I think for me to run for president as a

governor who is experienced in managing domestic affairs and also knowledgeable about foreign affairs then you know I went to the mall. The highly publicized. Responsibility is in Washington which primarily consists of debating on the inevitable question and I'm wondering where you stand viz a viz George Wallace. I've heard it said that you are appealing to his same constituency and also have the advantage of endorsement by civil right leaders. There is some concern in Minnesota I think that he's going to split the Democratic Party how do you react to all this. Well I don't have the slightest. Reluctance to run. Against Wallace in an open. And completely aggressive way. The response that I have gotten in areas which have been extremely strong for us in the past has been very encouraging to me. WALLACE. As you may remember 1972 you went from Florida to Michigan where you got 51 percent of the vote in Michigan.

And throughout the entire campaign in 1972 got more votes. Than McGovern or Senator Humphrey or anyone else. He got the most votes of all so I think it's very important that that Wallace be faced head on very early preferably in the south with a campaign that would reveal his performance in office and his solutions to problems that he has raised for years as as issues. And I feel quite confident it will come out well against him. Do you see any one candidate and I'm including President Ford here is a truly for Midol opponent. It would be a mistake to underestimate President Ford the only candidate I see who's had a substantial shift in support in the last six months has been Senator Jackson who I think to be perfectly frank has dropped drastically from where he was last November. WALLACE maintains about a 20 percent support. Which he's had for the last 10 years. The other candidates are

not making any progress to amount to anything. Congressman you doall is concentrating on just a couple of parts of the country and he's been to New Hampshire almost every week since last October and he's been to Wisconsin Minnesota several times but the rest of the country he goes to sort of Benson probably hasn't made any move anywhere around the country should just raise money. And my name recognition factors it is now about three times what his is. So I'm not. Trying to knock the rest of the candidates but I'm trying to give you a Frankenstein question I think Ford President Ford has built up his popularity recently. It's primarily because he's being compared only to the Congress and that's not a fair contest because presidents always look better than the Congress looks even when President Nixon was at the bottom of it. His popularity in the midst of the Watergate. Tragedy Congress always had a low popularity rating. With the public then did Nixon. So President Ford is now being compared to the Congress you can expect the Congress to lead this nation or

inspire the nation out of spell out definitive solutions to our problems. President Ford has shown no leadership at all. So I think in the long run. Well that President Ford will have to be compared. Not with a Congress but with a specific opponent namely myself. And he'll also have to answer for his total lack of leadership in solving the problems of faces a nation in a g environment housing employment and so forth which he has shown no inclination to do.