Why does a man who failed in a bid for the presidency elicit so much praise after his death?

Jimmy Carter took loss and ran with it. The fact that he was a past president, even if only a one-term one, still allowed him access to carry out the things he really wanted to do: encouraging peace, lifting up the poor, and building affordable housing, among other activities.

Perhaps his success after his failures had something to do with his Christian commitment. After all, Jesus was something of a failure, too, in the beginning.