Pragmatic public service in the Georgia Senate

Carter's early legislative style appears more practical than consistently ideological. He usually sought common ground and cooperation, though he sometimes dug in when an issue demanded it. His recurring premise was that public officials were there to serve and had to deliver institutions that worked. He tried to stay close to subjects he cared about, which led directly into his education committee work. This political style provides a civilian counterpart to the can-do service ethic established earlier.