The Biden for President campaign has just announced a major national endorsement, that of Jack Carter, son of former President Jimmy Carter and the '06 NV-Sen nominee. Full text of the press release and some of my own thoughts on Carter and Biden after the jump.
(No, I am not a paid blogger, this, like my personal blog and my many diaries from Katrina to Idaho, is completely of my own volunteer iniative.)
JACK CARTER ENDORSES JOE BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT
Wilmington, DE (August 27th, 2007) - The Biden for President Campaign is pleased to announce today the endorsement of Jack Carter, the 2006 Democratic nominee for US Senate and son of former President Jimmy Carter. Mr. Carter went public with his support for at a fundraiser last week in Las Vegas in honor of Senator Biden.
"Today my wife Elizabeth and I are announcing our support for Joe Biden in his bid for the Presidency. He was the first Senator to support my Dad in 1975, and he was helpful in my own campaign last year" said Carter. "He is experienced, knowledgeable, affable and humorous. Sen. Biden has entered serious proposals into the debate on many of the issues critical to Americans - and others - today."
"His son, Beau [Biden, newly elected Attorney General of Delaware], put it best to me a couple of months ago: 'Can you imagine what would happen if Dad came in first or second in Iowa?' That statement rang in me like a bell. I know how it can work...We did it in 1976."
"With Joe Biden, we don't have to worry about the problems of lack of experience or high negatives affecting our chances in November 2008. I'm very comfortable that he can win" said Carter.
"Jack Carter is a role model for anyone who has ever thought about public office. In that regard, he takes after his father" said Sen. Biden. "Jack's support for my campaign will be a tremendous asset to us, not only in Nevada, but in Iowa where the Carter name is revered, as well as around the country, where someone of Jack's stature will bring real credibility to my campaign."
No link, as I got this as an email and it's not up on the Biden website yet. (UPDATE 08-27-07 11:01 AM: Here's the link.) Some quick thoughts:
This is the latest in a buildup of momentum for Biden. You can read my summary of this momentum in a frontpage post on MyDD here. To sum it up in a paragraph, Carter's endorsement comes on the heals of Biden's first TV ads in Iowa (see below), five impressive debate performances in a row (again, see the video below), several new important NH endorsements (including the state's newest state representative, elected with Biden's help last month) and a big endorsement in Iowa. These aren't Congressman and Governors, I'll admit, but the fact that state officials are willing to endorse a second tier candidate like this in the face of the Obama-Clinton MSM juggernaut shows there's real substance to this campaign, and that it's going somewhere.
I'm particularly pleased with this Jack Carter announcement. Several folks I know in Nevada have told me that Carter was a lackluster candidate, and I believe them, but I still feel this was the big missed opportunity of '06. Carter had name recognition, Ensign did not reach 50% in the polls until shortly before the election, and Harry Reid's existence and the close Gubernatorial contest show NV can be part of the rising Democratic tide in the west. As far as endorsements go, Carter knows something about the presidency, as he has learned firsthand about his father's successes and mistakes.
Biden and Carter aren't the most popular figures here at DK, I know, but it's hard to deny, the Biden-Gelb plan and Violence Against Women Act show real substance, and this is real momentum. I think if any second tier candidate is going to break into the top tier - and it's likely, with all the time and undecided voters left - it will be Biden.