Violence, Scandal, and the End of the Cold War 289rather than being driven. Apparently he wanted to convey a more
populist image, one that eschewed formality.
But the new president did not have a strong staff; nor was he able to
build pop ular approval. Worse, he failed to win support among Demo-
crats in Congress. None of his proposals on welfare, energy, and taxes
were enacted in the form he set forth. Thus, despite large majorities in
both houses of Congress, little of note was accomplished during the
Carter administration. Even Republican lawmakers were mystifi ed. The
President would inform the members about what he wanted, declared
one Republican, “and that was the end of it.” There was no follow-through,
no active participation in the lawmaking process. Carter was good at de-
tail, trying to micromanage the pro cess, “but he didn’t have a clear vision
for the country, and he wound up judging the Congress and not leading
it.” One Democrat said that Carter knew “more about more things than
any President in the history of the United States.... And yet... he...
didn’t pat you on the back, he just didn’t get along with people.”
In attempting to micromanage his administration, Carter found it an
impossible task, and only produced a lack of confidence in his leadership
by the public. Tip O’Neill claimed that Carter’s leadership style also
resulted in the loss of twelve House seats and three Senate seats in the
midterm election of 1978.
Carter also held a particularly unfortunate ten- day domestic eco-
nomic summit at Camp David, a presidential retreat in Maryland, to
deal with mounting inflation and what he regarded as an energy crisis.
Over a hundred participants of different backgrounds attended. In a
televised speech on July 15 , 1979 , he described what others called a na-
tional malaise, although he termed it a “crisis of confidence” because of
economic conditions in the country. It set a tone that profoundly dis-
couraged the nation. He also reshuffled his cabinet and forced the res-
ignations of several members.
Inflation remained a problem, and when oil prices rose sharply in
1979 the Consumer Price Index registered an annual price rise of al-
most 18 percent. Gasoline prices climbed over the $ 1 -per-gallon mark.
The Federal Reserve Board raised the prime interest rate to a high of
twenty percent in order to reduce the amount of money available for
loans. And installment buying was discouraged by additional restric-
tions on consumer credit.