(Cross-posted at Daily Kos and MyDD)
Hi, everyone. I’m new here at Booman Tribune, but I’ve been an occasional lurker for months. I’m sorry that I’m jumping right in here with a campaign diary (I’ve noticed that this blog doesn’t care as much about campaign nitty-gritties as Daily Kos or MyDD), but the election’s just two months away, so now’s the time for me to hunker down and get serious about taking back the Senate. I hope you’ll hunker down with me.
My Dad is Jack Carter, who’s running for US Senate in Nevada. We had a big Labor Day weekend for two reasons: 1) my Dad’s first grandchild was born on Saturday to my brother Jason and his wife Kate; and 2) it marked the official beginning of the campaign season. Henry’s birth has given us a little extra motivation as we head into the final two months of this campaign, and we’re pretty excited.
The campaign is in great shape, but we’re going to need your help (you can contribute money here).
To kick off the campaign season, the Las Vegas Sun published an article in which they compare and contrast the candidates’ positions on Iraq. Here’s the section about my Dad’s race:
Democratic nominee Jack Carter, son of former President Jimmy Carter, says the Iraq war has not only cost the United States money and lives, but lowered its standing in the world and allowed terrorism to flourish.
“I think Iraq is the most visible example of the administration’s failed policies,” he said. “It took our eye off the ball, which was al-Qaida. Instead of extinguishing that terrorist organization, we put all of our chips into Iraq.”
Carter said U.S. forces should now lean on the fledgling Iraqi government by setting a timetable for troop redeployment. Under Carter’s preferred scenario, American troops would begin to withdraw to a “more defensible position” in the region within three to four months as part of a “quick-response” program that could respond to local flare-ups, he said. Further aid – economic and military – would be contingent on the stability of the Iraqi government.
Carter’s opponent, Republican incumbent John Ensign, an ardent supporter of the war, declined to be interviewed for this story, instead issuing a statement that echoed language used by Bush and his surrogates in speeches last week.
You can see more about my Dad’s stance on Iraq on his Issues page, and for more on John Ensign’s position . . . well, you can look at his Issues page, I guess, and not get much more.
It couldn’t be clearer that John Ensign represents more of the same, while Jack Carter is coming up with ideas for improving the situation. This is Ensign’s pattern: he has voted with the Bush Administration 96% of the time since he’s been in office (including a perfect score in 2004). He’s on shaky ground here in Nevada because of it. According to the most recent SUSA polling, Ensign only gets 50% approval rating (and has been stuck there for months), making him the 76th most popular Senator. Bush’s approval rating in Nevada is at a pathetic 36%.
The most recent polling in the Senate race shows that Ensign is indeed vulnerable. A Wall Street Journal/Zogby “interactive” poll came out last week showing my Dad within 3.5 points of Ensign:
Margin of Error: 4.3%
John Ensign: 48%
Jack Carter: 45%
I know that the “interactive” poll’s methodology is not well-established. But, it does back up the earlier Rasmussen poll that had my Dad within 7 points of Ensign:
Margin of Error: 4.5%
46% Ensign
39% Carter
4% some other candidate
11% not sure
Regardless of the numbers, all of the polling that’s been done recently (WSJ/Zogby, Rasmussen, and Mason-Dixon) has shown a large amount of movement in our direction. We’re in really good shape going into the official campaign season. For more on the polling, see jedinecny’s recent diary.
We’re going to do everything we can to link Ensign to Bush’s policies, but we need money. We’ve received some outside help: Barbara Boxer recently sent out a fundraising email on our behalf, and the DSCC has committed $250,000 dollars to the campaign. But, we’ll need every penny we can get to combat Ensign’s inevitable cash advantage. The election is now just two months away. If you’ve considered giving money, now is the time to do it. If you’ve already given some, but can afford to give more, please do so. This race could very well be the sixth seat that determines control of the Senate – you should be a part of it!
Thanks for reading!
Sarah
You can always find more at the Carter Blog