By Stephen Yellin
(Note: This article covers not only my journeys with Jack, Elizabeth and President Jimmy Carter, but also President Carter's speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, which was on the record)
Yesterday was the best day I ever had off from school. You see, due to the impending inclement weather my high school closed for the day, leaving me several extra hours to sleep. About an hour after I woke up, I got a phone call from Jack Carter (http://www.carterfornevada.com). As some of you may recall, Jack is Jimmy Carter's son, and is running against John "Senator Goodhair" Ensign in November. I was having the honor of attending President Carter's fundraiser last night in NYC, courtesy of Jack Carter, who I've been supporting online.
"This is Jack Carter," the soft Georgia voice intoned on the other end. "I'd like you to come early if possible, and spend the day with us."
And so my day with the Carters began...
I quickly got dressed for the day (gray suit, silver tie to match) and took the next train for New York City. With my mom in tow (she went to visit her friend for the day), I pulled into Penn Station at 130PM, and took the subway up to Lexington Avenue. From there, we headed over to the Kimberly Hotel, and met up with Jack and Elizabeth Carter. I had two thoughts when I first met him:
"Wow, he really does look like his dad!"
"Thanks Principal Farinella!" (For closing school)
We walked over to the nearby coffeehouse, where the Carters have eaten for decades when visiting New York. As we drank (orange juice for me, coffee for him), I asked him a couple of questions. I didn't have a tape recorder, so his responses are paraphrased:
Me: Why now? Why 2006, and why the US Senate?
Jack Carter: 2006 is when the political pendulum is swinging back from the Bush Administration. The rightward swing is beginning to break from swaying too far, and I'm confident that a leftward swing is accelerating. After many years out of politics, I decided that my comfort level was right to take a stand. In particular, Bush's policies have pushed me to the level of being willing to run for office and to do what I can for the country.
Me: What is your key message?
Jack Carter: It's to provide government for the people again. In both my state of Nevada and in the nation, our government is too controlled by corporations, and as such we, the people need to restore our government to the way it ought to be run. You see, we need to communicate to Americans that all of us share the same core values, values that define us as a people, values that are 90% unique. These are values such as compassion, justice, liberty, love and honor - values I feel are being misplaced by the current government.
Me: How do you view your father during your campaign?
Jack Carter: I definitely view him as an asset. In fact, when he came to Las Vegas last year to do a book signing for "Our Endangered Values" (his new book), the Barnes and Noble store quickly sold out all their copies of the new book. They had to start selling his other books in the store as well, and they all soon went as well. People were lining up outside the store to get their books signed. So yeah, I definitely want his help, and he's happy to support me.
Me: Tell me something interesting about Nevada.
Elizabeth Carter: Well, you have to know that only 22% of the state's residents are natives; most of the rest have moved their in the last few decades. As we're relatively new ourselves, we can relate to our fellow Nevadans' concerns and feelings.
Me: When you campaigned for your dad in 1976 and 1980, you stumped in forty-nine of the fifty states. You obviously met a great deal of average Americans. What did you learn from them?
Jack Carter: The average American says what they think, forthrightly and openly. They'll tell you their concerns, and you'd better pay attention, because these people are your constituents - they're who you're accountable to. You know, when candidates lose, they often ask themselves, "Why didn't the people listen to us?" They should be asking, "Why did we listen to the people?" I intend to listen to the people, and I intend to win.
After these questions, the three of us (Jack, Elizabeth and me) took a taxicab to the Council on Foreign Relations, where President Carter was scheduled to give a speech on the Israeli-Palestinian situation. Among the people I met there were Mort Zuckerman, David Rockefeller and William Vander Heuven, Carter's Ambassador to the UN. At about 3PM, we sat down in the council room itself. I had a front row seat next to the Carters, from which I took some photographs of the event:
Maurice Sonneberg and Mort Zuckerman, Democratic fundraisers and philantrophists
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The Council's Emblem at the speech site
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President Carter with David Rockefeller, nephew of Governor Nelson Rockefeller
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The President entered, looking exactly as he does on television (which is always a surprise to me, as I've come to assume politicians look better on TV than in person), and the whole audience stood up and applauded (as is customary). He then went to the podium, where he proceeded to speak for an hour on the Israeli-Palestinian situation.
It was the quickest hour in my life. He spoke eloquently, honestly and without equivocation on the situation facing us and the Middle East in 2006. These are my notes from the speech:
*There are three basic premises that we must understand:
oIsrael has an undeniable right to exist
oSuicide bombers and other acts of violence cannot be condoned
oPalestine and the Palestinian people must live in peace, without Israeli occupation.
*Since 1967, Israel has used UN Resolution 242 to justify its occupation of Arab lands for its survival. They have expanded into the West Bank with thousands of new settlers.
*When I was President, there were only hundreds of settlers in the West Bank. Today, that number is 225,000.
*The Camp David Accords have been violated by the increased settlement of the West Bank. Indeed, the US has threatened withdrawal of Israeli aid for this, under President George H.W. Bush.
*Despite the common belief that only 5% of the West Bank is settled, this is inaccurate. In fact, due to extensive connecting roads between Israeli settlements, checkpoints at border areas and security protections, the West Bank is mostly precluded to the Palestinian people.
*Our current policy is this: "Palestine must be peaceful before Israel can end its occupation of Palestinian lands, via UN Resolutions 242 and 338."
*Israel currently has six points of negotiation, all of which are against UN 242, and which all but guarantee the continued hostility of the Palestinians towards Israel.
*"I have always fought for peace and security for Israel, but I have also fought for peace for the Middle East as a whole."
*Sadat and I (Carter) agreed with Begin to grant Israel's right to exist in exchange for the withdrawal from Sinai under the Camp David Accords.
*These accords have endured due to fair negotiations. Similar agreements must be in place for peace to be created again.
*Key players, and their responsibilities:
oMahmoud Abbas, leader of PLO. He is solely recognized by Israel as the leader of Palestine, not Hamas. Recent polling shows that 70-80% of the Palestinian people want Abbas, if not his government, and want peace between themselves and Israel.
oIsrael, and its leaders after the March 28th elections. They have failed to fund the Palestinians for basic social and economic needs.
oHamas: They want a "fair" agreement that needs to be monitored closely. "They want to reorganized first, and to prevent tragedy they must avoid violence. That being said, Israel has forbidden the Palestinian leaders from helping their people in any way. It is therefore no surprise that Hamas has been elected by their people to govern.
oA quartet of world leaders: Lead by Jay Wilkinson, they have argued that Israel must return tax and custom revenues that belong to Palestine to the Palestinian people. In addition, the US wants to get the money they gave for Abbas' government back, as Hamas is not recognized by the US. Wilkinson warns that "Because Hamas has power, we must give them a chance to show themselves worthy of it."
*Impediments to peace:
oViolence between Israel and Palestine.
oIsraeli refusal to provide rapprochement
oIsraeli construction of concrete walls (40ft at some points) to block Palestinian settlers from entering the West Bank. This will allow Israeli settlers to reside behind the wall and live securely.
o3,982 Palestinians and 1,184 Israelis have died as of late 2005. Of these, 849 are children, most of which are Palestinians.
*Hope for the future:
oThe Israeli people don't like what is going on via their government, and 60% want out of the West Bank.
oEgypt and Israel hated each other in 1976, and each accepted the other three years later.
oThe PLO hated Israel in 1992, as did Jordon. Today, both countries support Israel's right to exist.
oIn the Middle East as a whole, people of all faiths are co-existing together.
*The US must act as the mediator, without favoritism on either side.
*American Jews support a two-state solution, and would work to make that a reality if necessary.
*The Geneva Initiative/Accords must become a reality. This provides a true and fair compromise between Israel and Palestine that is supported by people in both countries.
*With Israeli elections, we have an opportunity to start anew and provide fresh hope for a peaceful world.
The President then took several questions from the audience.
1)As President, how would have dealt with Hamas?
Carter: I don't approve of Hamas' actions in the past, but they haven't attacked since July of 2004 (officially). They control their people well, want stability and the opportunity to help their people. In fact, no Hamas council has been found to be corrupt by UN officials. If the Geneva Accords are used, as supported by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Hamas can be made peaceful and willing to negotiate.
2)What's wrong with Israel's unilateralism?
Carter: With longer-term population growth, Israeli control has been strengthened to deal with a declining native population. Sharon wanted to pull out, and achieved part of his goals before his incapacitation. The problem is that by pulling away, Israel is leaving a country behind with no airport, industry or even a viable seaport. Barricading themselves for their protection is no fair unilateralism, and ends peace negotiations forever. The US must help to alleviate the economic disparity, but so must the Arab world and Israel.
3)What role does the Religious Right play in all this? Carter: Some extremists Christians want total Israeli control, so that they can convert the Israelis to Christianity! (laughter) This is ridiculous, but leaders such as Pat Robertson actually believe it. For example, Robertson's attack on Sharon following Sharon's illness.
4)How do we connect humanism and Christianity (as you have)? Carter: As a Baptist and as a humanitarian, I want peace, not preemptive war (applause). I want justice, public service, forgiveness, love and compassion to prevail in our world. If we can push for that in this world, we can succeed in connecting these two beliefs together. This view of mind has expanded since my Presidency. I have realized that human dignity is just as important as human liberty.
5)Carter: My faith in Democracy has not changed with Hamas' victory. (Can't remember the question)
With that, the meeting concluded, and the President chatted with some of the leaders privately. Then, as the President started to leave, Jack Carter beckoned me to follow. I was now in a corridor with the Secret Service, the former President of the United States, Ambassador Vander Heuven (C:Documents and SettingsStephenMy DocumentsMy PicturesCarter picsMe and Ambassador Vander Heuven.jpg) and the Carter couple. After our coats were retrieved (it was cool having a Secret Service agent retrieve my coat for me), Jack motioned me to get into the Presidential car, with a Secret Service car behind it.
In a few moments, I was riding in a car with Jimmy Carter and the other three mentioned above, being propelled through the streets of New York to the home of Sally Minard, the host for the fundraiser for Jack Carter. As we drove along, Jack mentioned me to the President, who turned with a smile to shake my hand. The son mentioned that I had contacted him out of the blue to offer my support the week after he made his intentions known, and the President laughed. "Certainly knows a good candidate when he sees one," he said, to a general chuckle. The rain may have been heavy outside, but for me the sky was pretty damn cloudless.
I sat silently in the car as the President, his son and Vander Heuven discussed John Bolton and the UN, as well as his speech. Needless to say, they were not very complimentary towards Bolton. I felt that I was a fly on the car seat, listening to two of our nation's leaders discussing the key issues of the day. In a way, I didn't feel deserving to be there.
We pulled up to the Minard house, and the President got out. A lucky little boy was just a few feet away, and got to meet him. I overheard his mother say to him as they left, "You just got to meet President Carter! This is great!" The boy replied, "Who's that?" Toujours la change, toujours la meme chose...
When we came inside the house, I was amazed at the beautiful paintings and sculptures that decorated the house. Mrs. Minard was a wonderful host, and was very kind to me throughout the fundraiser. We spent some time downstairs, as the President went up to visit his wife, First Lady Rosalyn Carter. She, too, was co-hosting the fundraiser. Then, Jack Carter told me to follow him and Elizabeth Carter upstairs. We took the elevator to the top floor, and went in to meet the President and First Lady formally.
Father and son
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Me with President and Rosalynn Carter
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I spent at least a half-hour upstairs, the only non-Carter in the room. I asked the President if American can still come back to the "goodness and decency" that he said we had in 1976 and beyond. He firmly replied that we could and would, and that Americans voted for a Democratic President in 2000 (yay!). He also noted that without Iraq as an issue, Kerry would have won, as some voters backed Bush as "Commander in Chief", not for any other good reason. He went on to say that Bush has capitalized on 9/11 and Iraq to bully any opposition as "unpatriotic". "The people use self-correction," he said. "When Joe McCarthy dominated this country, it was the public that eventually brought him, turned against him. This, too, will past, and hopes - there's always going to be hope - will prevail over fears." The Carters may be a "First Family", but they treated me for half an hour as one of them, privy to their discussion of the fundraiser to come, their travel schedules and some of the issues discussed at the President's speech. It was truly an honor and a privilege.
By 6PM the guests had come for the fundraiser, and so all of us (escorted by the secret service, and having been joined by Jack's daughter, Sarah E (not Sarah R who blogs here)) made our way down a spiral staircase to the living room. Sarah E, who is a painter by profession, brought with her some of her new artwork, which her grandfather proudly showed the guests. Some of New York's most influential social leaders were there, and most of them showered their attention on the Carters. That left me free to chat with some of the other guests, including one man who was a childhood friend of Jack's. This man (a Texan) grew up poor in Plains, Georgia, and the Carters took him under their wing as a kind of relative. He's planning on coming to Nevada to help Jack out - for, as he says, "What I did for one Carter, I reckon on doing for another."
Me and Ambassador Vander Heuven
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Eventually Ambassador Vander Heuven introduced the President formally, to strong applause. After making a few remarks, Carter then introduced his son as "the next Senator for Nevada". "Jack has the inner strength of character; he will never have to mislead others for his own gain, and he will never give up in his fight to change Nevada and this country," the President said. Then it was the candidate's turn. This is, again a paraphrasing of what was said:
*About me:
oI'm a businessman, not a politician; in fact, I turned down a 1980 Congressional race in Georgia because I wasn't ready to enter politics.
oI've served on the Chicago Board of Trade, and I work with my wife in the hedge fund industry. We discovered Nevada after an entire life across the nation and the world, and it's our home for good.
*Ever since Bush took office, I've seen him misuse America's position as a strong, yet gentle superpower. The average American wants a "John Wayne" type of government; that is, a government that is strong and capable, but is unwilling to strike first and who prefers to "take the high road" at every point. George Bush is not a John Wayne American.
*Our nation's unity is being killed by partisanship, and we're ignoring the most disastrous fiscal situation in our nation's history.
*Our core American values (note: see my above interview with him) are contrary to Bush's values.
*Reasons I can win:
oFamily Name (never hurts)
oThe Kerry-Bush election saw Kerry win Las Vegas big, but lose in the rural areas because he couldn't connect with their values. "I can appeal to rural voters because I am one of them"
oEnsign has voted with Bush 96% of the time, and will be held accountable for the six years he has shared in government with Bush. "I like that kind of voting record - it helps the voter understand why he doesn't deserve another term"
*"I will run on what brings us together - our core values - not what drives us apart."
*"In 2006, we can stop the bleeding of our nation by retaking Congress. For 2008, when we elect a Democratic President (applause), we will then begin to rebuild this country. But you can't bring a person back to health when they've bled to death."
He closed with a quote from Vaclav Havel: "The key to acting morally is to act responsibly." In other words, if we want to be a better nation, and to make a better future for all, we have to do our part.
Jack, Jimmy and Vander Heuven at the fundraiser
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The guests spent another hour milling about before leaving, and then Jack Carter and I took a taxi to the railroad station (he paid, thankfully enough). Before I left, however, he said this to me:
"Remember this, Stephen. In this world, people will sometimes seem bigger and greater than others - but at heart, they're just people. Treat them well, no matter who they are, and you will earn what is justifiably yours."
And thus my day with the Carters concluded. I can honestly say that yesterday will be a day I will never forget. I spent it in the company of a noble, honorable family that hopefully will provide future leadership for our country, starting in 2007. If you want to help make that leadership possible, you can go to http://www.carterfornevada.com and see what you can do to help. The website will be expanded soon enough with a blog and such, but for now you can read about the man and what he will do for this nation.