Give Jack a chance

As we await the mainstream media chorus proclaiming the utter futility of a challenge to Republican Sen. John Ensign from Jack Carter, son of Jimmy, let's ponder a point or two.

Yes, a Carter candidacy, reported as an all-but-done deal in the Review-Journal Wednesday, has to be viewed as a genuine example of taking one for the team. No credible candidate was on the horizon - Harry Reid disgustingly and shamefully made sure of that - so Jack Carter will prop himself up in front of the Ensign inevitability train, and dutifully get run over. He'll score points with Nevada's Democrats in the process, and be poised to be a state party poohbah in the future, and gosh, isn't this interesting, Jack being the former president's son and all? But everybody in the state that says anything about Carter will say there's absolutely positively no way the recent arrival, or "carpetbagger," in Republican parlance, can win.

And that, more or less, will be the storyline.

Probably true, too. Who could possibly envision a scenario where Carter, who will have lived in Las Vegas for less than four years by election day, could unseat Ensign? Who would dare be so silly?

The Gleaner!

First, the obvious: Iraq, gas prices, Brownie, DeLay, Abramoff, Savafian, Rove, Frist, Schaivo, Katrina and the growing perception that Republicans are the party of crony capitalism, corporate influence, corruption and incompetence. So that's a start.

And then there's Yucca Mountain. Yes, yes, all Nevada politicians are "against" Yucca Mountain, and Ensign is no exception. But as we've said (and documented) before, one of the keys to Ensign's 2000 campaign was his claim that, by virtue of being a Republican, he would be able to convince other Republican senators to support Nevada in the Yucca Mountain fight. He didn't deliver. He failed to convince a single additional Republican senator to oppose the nuke dump. Nevada voters, even relatively new ones like, well, Carter, already suffer from Yucca fatigue. But this isn't about Yucca, really. It's about Ensign's utter inability to do what he said he'd do.

According to Survey USA's tracking polls, Ensign enjoyed a 53 percent approval rating as of August, with only 31 percent disapproving of the Hair-do's performance. Not bad. Below average, though - the same polling set of Senate approval ratings nationwide found an average approval rating of 56 percent, and 57 other senators had higher approval ratings than Ensign. As recently as May, Ensign was below 50, and he could easily be there again if somebody were to start saying something bad about him.

But nobody has. Ensign's Senate tenure has been largely of the stealth variety - not unlike his Yucca Mountain lobbying effort with his Republican colleagues. Nobody's said anything bad about him, because nobody's said much of anything about him at all.

Given the closeness of the presidential election in Nevada last year, the more or less even split between Democrats and Republicans among Nevada registered voters, and Ensign's freshman status, he should have been a prime target for challenge long, long ago (and probably would have been, if not for Reid). He is exactly the type of Republican senator who, by all rights, deserves to have a fight on his hands.

Yes, the odds against Carter appear insurmountable. But the nation's political environment may very well be in flux. We've referenced last month's analysis by venerable political handicapper Charlie Cook before, but we like it so much we'll quote some of it again:

"...in about one of three elections, the playing field becomes so tilted in one party's favor that the normal political laws of gravity are suspended: Inferior candidates are suddenly capable of beating superior ones, weak campaigns can beat strong ones, and underfunded -- in some cases, almost unfunded -- campaigns can beat ones that are flush with cash.

It's too early to know if 2006 is one of those elections. But that also means it's too early for Democrats to swallow the conventional storyline, no matter how seductive, on the futility of Carter's candidacy.

"I'm disgusted when I see where the country is going," Carter told the R-J's John L. Smith.  If Nevada Democrats disagree, if they like where the country's headed, then they should go ahead, swallow the conventional wisdom, pride themselves on being all politically savvy and everything, and give up on Carter before he starts.  They should also probably switch parties.

If, on the other hand, Nevada Democrats are also "disgusted" by Republican cronyism, corruption and incompetence, then now is not the time to give up on Carter.

Not just yet.

Comments

[Diogenes]

With respect to seated politicans running for re-election, a much younger disciple of mine came up with a law called the "Peter's Principle". I ask is it time to clean house (both the House and Senate), and stop some of these extremes by people who have demostrated that they have reached the pinnacle of their incompetence? But then again, its' all about oil, money and power! As Stalin once said, it isn't who wins the vote, its' who counts the vote.

[Woody]

Good analysis.
About candidate Carter we don't know much. We know his father was effective in retail campaigning, good in a small state like Nevada. Sadly, Jimmy Carter's term ended with the U.S. Embassy in Iran held hostage. It was terrible. But personally, Oh, please God, I'll trade 10 hostage embassies for one failed Iraq War. Importantly, Jack Carter's father projected -- and continues to do so -- qualities of personal and public integrity, humility, decency, and deeply felt spiritual beliefs that he never tried to force on anyone else. Those qualities may be coming back into fashion, after the public has had enough of the Rethug culture of corruption.

[Ken Seversen]

I served with Jack on a rescue and salvage boat in Vietnam. He was a brilliant electronics technician with courage to spare as evidenced by his actions during a typhoon. He projects a stable, gentlemanly manner that will win over voters. His wife is a terrific asset. I've visited with him since then and twice in the last two years in LV. His readily apparent intelligence is now "masked" a bit by maturity and his devotion to his personable and equally bright wife. He is sincere, level headed and an ethical businessman who is an ardent promoter of Nevada.

[mc]

Well, I already like the guy. From what I've read, it seems like he could be a pretty good candidate. It looks like we have ourselves a race here!

Now if we could only find a challenger for Porter's seat...

[Patricia Axelrod]

Thanks for introducing me to your blog and a second thanks for introducing me to Jack Carter. I admit to an unabashed admiration of his father Jimmy; a man who had the courage and leadership to avoid US war in Iran. I'll give son Jack a chance with the hope that he has learned on his father's knee. Neveda must shed the reputation of the 'Old Mississippi of the West." Nevedans deserve good goverment. Forgive me for singing to the chorus. Run Jack RUN!

Patricia Axelrod

[frank fiasco]

Patricia, what a scream!

Your "unabashed admiration" of Jimmy Carter...as a peacemaker in Iran?!

The man who travelled to Iran to toast the Shah just a few months before he was toppled! The man who declared the "Carter Doctrine," declaring the Persian Gulf as an American sphere of Influence!

OK, sure he didn't nuke 'em... But neither did Reagan, for chrissakes.

But wait! Jimmy was the first nuclear-sub President, the man who reinstated the draft, proposed the MX missile and neutron bomb, who deployed cruise missiles in Europe, who declared the energy crisis to be "the moral equivalent of war."

Stop me from dieing from laughter! Patricia Axelrod, who loves to talk of uranium forever, kissing the extended hand of Mr Neutron bomb.

Jack Carter may save us "Nevedans" from becoming Mississippians. Who will save "Neveda" from the carpetbagging moveon.org-types like Ms. Axelrod?

[Patricia Axelrod]

January 27, 2006

RUN FATHER, RUN SON!

RE: Jack Carter and his run for office

I have just had the chance to read a comment made by Gleaner reader Frank in response to my letter 'Give Jack A Chance'.

The writer had some 'factual' information wrong. President Jimm Carter did not re-institute the draft. Surely this writer knows that there is no draft in this country. Hopefully he is informed enough to know that the issue of the draft is a much discussed issue in congress and throughout the country. But there is no draft. There is a sitting draft board that has just nominated new members for the next draft board session. But THERE IS NO DRAFT. WE ALL KNOW THAT 'SAYING IT DOESN'T MAKE IT SO', SO I - like your Gleaner readers - should dismiss this writer's claim of a current U.S. draft as harmless error.

As for the Frank's claim that Mr. Carter advanced nuclear weaponry during his Presidential tenure; this is a correct statement. Mr. Carter served in the U.S. Navy for many years under Admiral Rickover and became seduced by the 'glory' of nuclear weaponry. During his tenure as President he did indeed help promote tactical first strike sea, air and land launched nuclear missiles as well as a host of land and mobile based pre-emptive nuclear missiles such as the MX, Pershing II and other systems. There can be no doubt that Mr. Carter did indeed add to the U.S. nuclear arsenal and that his deeds promoted remarkable U.S/(then) Soviet
nuclear missile build-up.

Mr. Carter also encouraged warfare in Central and South America when he turned away the then Nicaraugian Sandinista President, Daniel Ortega. Ortega appealed to Mr. Carter for help in developing the U.S. backed civil war-torn nation of Nicaragua. Mr. Carter turned Ortega down. Ortega then turned to the Soviet Union for assistance in rehabilitating Nigarauga. Unfortunately. Mr. Carter's action brought about years of Central American warfare and help set the U.S. stage for years of American covert warfare in Central and South America as well as for the subsequent invasions of Grenada and Panama.

With all of this said I still sing the praises of Mr. Jimmy Carter. Obviously, I am not blind to his mistakes but I have watched Mr. Carter through the years and I feel convinced that he has learned from his mistakes. Yes it is true that he was a 'Cold War Warrior' par excellance. I am not making excuses for his behavior. I am not a Carter apologist but I believe Jimmy thought the times required his anti-communisim; as irrational as this stance seemed to many (including me). As a professional activist and military scientist for peace I spent years attempting to un-due Mr. Carter's Cold War warring. Working with Nuclear Free America, I traveled America writing and sponsoring nuclear weapon free zone referendums and resolutions. After years of 'battling' against U.S./Soviet nuclear weapon build-up I am happy to say that the U.S. and Soviet governments agreed to a mutual and verifiable nuclear weapons freeze and consequent build down. ( It should be noted that George Bush 2 is working feverishly to undue the freeze and build down with his proposals and plans for new radioactive weaponry and dial a yield tactical nuclear missiles).

I am confident that Mr. Carter has learned by his mistakes. For all his failings, I am equally confident that he will go down in history as one of the greatest Presidents in U.S. modern history. And for sure he is the best former President America has had the priviledge of knowing in these modern times. Sadly, Mr. Carter was defeated by Ronald Reagan's propoganda campaign after just one term.

Now here is a shocker for writer Frank who so disparaged Mr. Carter. I say: Jimmy Carter has one term left. He should run for President again. Just one run by Jimmy Carter would help save this country from the Bush/evil shrub clan. Run Jimmy Run! Save us from the Bushavicks! Bring the power of your wisdom, intellect, and compassion to the Presidency. Even if Mr. Carter didn't win he would do much to remind the American people of what a Presidential grade candidate should be. I nomiate Jimmy Carter for next American President.

I also stand firmly behind his son Jack. RUN JACK RUN! RUN JIMMY RUN! SAVE US FROM THE GRIPS OF THE TRYANTS! I'll help elect either Carter in any way that I can.

Sorry Frank - you may be right about President Carter's nuclear weapon
addiction but you are all wrong about your criticism of the Carter father and son.

Patricia Axelrod
Director, The Desert Storm Think Tank And Veterans' Advocate

[smokey]

To anybody who is living in some fantasyland and thinks Carter can unseat Ensign...LOL! Keep smokin' the dope.