Jody Powell dies at 65

ABC News is reporting, and the Associated Press has now confirmed, that former Carter insider Jody Powell has died.

From ABC:

This afternoon at his house on the Eastern Shore in Maryland, Powell had an apparent heart attack, a family friend said.

The former press secretary for President Jimmy Carter was the CEO of the PR firm Powell Tate. He was 65.

Powell’s death comes a year after the passing of Hamilton Jordan, a fellow Georgian who served as Carter’s strategist.

This was the first word from the New York Times:

Mr. Powell acquired the nickname Jody after the young hero in Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s classic “The Yearling,” writes David Stout in an obituary that will soon appear on The Times’s Web site. Joseph Lester Powell Jr. was born on Sept. 30, 1943, in Vienna, Ga. Like Mr. Carter, he had a farm background — in Mr. Powell’s case a 500-acre spread where his father raised cotton and peanuts.

Powell was Carter’s press secretary not just during the presidential years, but during Carter’s gubernatorial years, too. After the loss to Ronald Reagan, he worked as a newspaper columnist and television news commentator.

At the White House, Powell was the fellow who had to deal with killer rabbits and other issues that sank the Carter administration. In 1984, Powell wrote a book about his experience with the media, entitled “The Other Side of the Story.”

Here’s an excerpt the AJC ran at the time:

It seems to me that what journalism needs more than anything else is real competition not just two strong, independent newspapers in every town, but no-holds-barred, take-off-the-gloves competition similar to what exists in politics.

If your competitor is a liar, or lazy, or cavalier with the truth, say so.

If the opponent makes a serious mistake, pounce on it, tell the world about it.

If you think your opponent may have made a mistake, find out. Don’t just sit around waiting for an admission of guilt and an apology. Dig up the evidence and force the admission and apology if an adequate defense or explanation is not forthcoming.

If The New York Times accuses someone of wrongdoing based on flimsy evidence, why shouldn’t the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal or the Los Angeles Times feel an obligation to check into the matter and, if need be, set the record straight?

If ABC blows its coverage of a major story, thereby misinforming tens of millions of people, why shouldn’t CBS and NBC and CNN accept the responsibility for answering the public’s legitimate questions about what happened and why, and what is being done to keep it from happening again?

If it is news that a member of Congress is sleeping with his or her secretary, or snorting coke, maybe it ought to be news if a nationally known journalist is doing the same thing.

And wouldn’t it be great if the same people who write those magazine pieces about ”The 10 Dumbest Congressmen in Washington” would turn one out on ”The 10 Dumbest Columnists in Washington”? Now that would be a horse race. It would take a photo finish to separate the top five.

Randy Lewis, a publicist who spends much of his time in Republican circles, has posted the following on his Facebook page:

I had the privilege of working with Jody for more than 5 years – and of knowing him ever since. But this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill job and boss relationship.

I was just a 19-year-old kid when he placed tremendous confidence in me and took a huge risk by giving me a large role in the Jimmy Carter presidential campaign. And, less than a year later, when I was only 20, he gave me a highly sought, highly coveted job in the West Wing of the White House. His decision made my entire professional life possible and changed the grim, less than promising career life I faced at the time.

I came from what would now be called “challenging circumstances.” I was fortunate to have parents that were very encouraging, and an intense interest in presidential politics and policy. Beyond that, there wasn’t much to work with. From the time I was 13 or so, I believe that I read every political nonfiction book and novel that was available at the Orlando Public Library. I wanted to make sure that my preparation was ready when it collided with opportunity – and it did.

I sought out the Carter Presidential Campaign very early – so early that my seeking was considered a novelty to the then skeletal Carter staff. They were, I thought, surprisingly welcoming. I didn’t understand how rare I was at the time. It was a good match because I never had much interest in sleep, and I didn’t complain when there wasn’t much or any pay. And that is how it started.

During the White House years, there must of have been a hundred times when people thought my age was grounds to appeal my decisions or role in West Wing life – and they would go to other higher ranking staff or directly to Jody to appeal. I don’t remember Jody ever doing anything but backing me up. Even now, I am shocked at some of the assignments he gave me on foreign trips that allowed me to see the inner workings of such fascinating events – responsibilities that should have been assigned to much more senior persons. I especially recall one night during the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty negotiations in Egypt – which is a story for another time.

Over the years, we drifted apart politically as I became more disenchanted with the direction of the Democratic Party and its policies. He and I would toss barbs toward one another each time we were together, but always within the boundaries of our friendship. He also never quit prodding me over something that I failed to do – he thought – for him. But, nothing will ever change the overwhelming thanks that I will always have for him and the chances he gave me to prove myself when I was young and desperate.

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