By Rick Griffin
Times of San Diego
LA JOLLA, California — Barry Jagoda, a Lo Jolla resident who served as President Jimmy Carter’s TV advisor and debate coach, said he was not sad when he heard the news about Carter’s passing at age 100.
“I don’t feel a sense of sadness because he lived such a very productive life,” Jagoda told Times of San Diego. “At 100 years old, it wasn’t a surprise. He had incredible fortitude, despite being in hospice the past two years.”
On Sunday, Dec. 29, the day Carter passed, Jagoda said he spent time in interviews with local and national news media outlets about his work with the former president. “I’ve been inundated with news media requests,” he said. “I’ve talked with CNN, NewsNation, and local TV.”
In 1976, Jagoda coached former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter for his presidential debates against incumbent U.S. President Gerald Ford. Later, Carter became the 39th U.S. president. Carter won the popular vote (40,831,881 to Ford’s 39,148,634) and garnered 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240.
“Carter had a lightning-quick mind and immersion in data was most important for the debate so I strongly recommended several days of isolation for study,” Jagoda told Times of San Diego.
“Carter agreed to that recommendation, and I knew he could better manage facts than could the incumbent. That was the way it turned out, especially when the voting public could see President Ford stumble over basic geopolitical realities, particularly regarding Eastern Europe.
“A fundamental goal for Carter was to make sure the American public saw the two candidates standing equally on the debate stage with the challenger ready to take on the incumbent in appearance and in substance.”
Jagoda writes about his role as Carter’s campaign TV advisor and later as special assistant in the White House in his memoir book, Journeys with Jimmy Carter and Other Adventures in Media, published by Koehler Books. Prior to working in politics, Jagoda worked as a producer for CBS News, winning Emmy Awards for coverage of the first man on the moon and the Watergate scandal.
“The book has sold 4,000 copies, which is pretty good for a memoir,” said Jagoda, 80, who has lived in La Jolla the past 21 years. He has been semi-retired since 2013. He is a contributing writer for Times of San Diego.
Jagoda worked for 53 years in journalism and public relations and marketing communications. After leaving the White House in 1979 (Jagoda did not assist Carter with his 1980 debates against Ronald Reagan), Jagoda worked as director of public relations at George Washington University, director of communications for IMPAC, a productivity consulting firm, and communications director for the University of California, San Diego.
“He (Carter) was a tough boss, demanding and always precise,” Jagoda said. “He asked from us who were working for him to always do our best, which he promised the American people he would do. So many of us have been honored to serve the country under his leadership because we thought he always put the national interest first. I’m in awe of a guy who can live 100 years and have such accomplishments in that life.
“Our nation will miss him,
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Rick Griffin writes a “Market Link” column for Times of San Diego.