We've had an exciting week here at the Carter for Nevada campaign, though it hasn't all been the kind of excitement we relish. Jack came back from his trip to Atlanta for the birth of his first grandchild with some stomach problems that eventually became a serious case of colitis. After some days as an outpatient, he was admitted to the hospital, and then yesterday evening had to enter the Intensive Care Unit. To our surprise, the situation became serious enough that President and Rosalyn Carter flew in from Georgia this morning to be with him. Luckily, overnight, Jack turned the corner -- luckily, it looks like he'll be fine. And having the President in town has led to some unexpected events. Some news releases and some discussion after the jump:
Jack has had to cancel appearing a number of campaign appearances since coming back with the "stomach bug" last Sunday; some of these were attended by one of the many wonderful surrogates we have on hand, while others have been postponed. For those of you who have wondered what it's like working on a campaign, this may give you a taste.
Here's a news release that we put out this morning:
The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter are in Las Vegas to help cheer up their ailing son, Jack Carter, who is hospitalized in intensive care, but responding well to treatment.
Jack Carter, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, was admitted to Summerlin Hospital on Thursday, September 7th, suffering from severe colitis. "The colitis had a cascade effect on several of his body's systems," explains Dr. Edward Nathan, a family friend and one of the physicians overseeing Jack Carter's care. "He's responding rapidly to treatment and his vital signs are stable. He's on the mend, he's recovering nicely."
President and Mrs. Carter traveled from their Plains, Georgia, home to be at their son's bedside. When they arrived this morning (Sunday, September 10th), Jack greeted them warmly. According to Dr. Nathan, Jack Carter asked his parents, "How are you doing? How was your trip?"
Commenting on his son, President Carter says, "We are very pleased with the tremendous care he's getting. We are delighted to see him doing so well."
Jack Carter echoes his father's comments. "I am extremely happy with the care that I'm receiving," he says. "I'm looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail as soon as I am physically able."
Jack's son, Jason Carter, is also in Las Vegas visiting his Dad. Just eight days ago (September 2nd), Jack, his wife Elizabeth, and President and Mrs. Carter were together in Atlanta to witness the birth of Jack and his wife Kate's son. Henry Lewis Carter is Jack and Elizabeth's first grandchild, and President and Mrs. Carter's first great grandchild.
Jack's wife Elizabeth has been by his side throughout this ordeal; she and his mother are still there. But as Jack's condition improved today, his father decided that he might as well dust off his considerable political skills. And so we have this news release from a couple of hours ago:
The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, delighted the crowd as a surprise guest speaker this afternoon at the Fiestas Patrias (Mexican Independence Day Festival) at Freedom Park in Las Vegas.
President Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter arrived in Las Vegas this morning to visit their son at Summerlin Hospital, where he is recovering from complications from severe colitis. However, by midday, Jack Carter - the Democratic nominee for United States Senator - was responding well enough to treatment that his father felt comfortable leaving his bedside to speak on Jack's behalf.
The President - accompanied by his grandson, Jason Carter -- addressed the crowd in Spanish, urging those who haven't already done so to register and then to vote in this fall's election. He directed members of the largely-Hispanic audience to a tent at the festival at which they could conveniently register.
Later, President Carter told reporters that his son's campaign is not deterred by his illness, and that Jack is eager to resume campaigning. The President said, "The campaign is well organized." He added that he is upbeat about his son's chances in the November 7th election.
"Jack's opponent has been among the most subservient members of the United States Senate," President Carter said, pointing to John Ensign's voting record, which is in nearly-total support of Bush administration policies.
While President Carter `stood in' for his son at this afternoon's festival, Jack visited with his mother and other family members and also watched a football game from his hospital bed, according to Dr. Edward Nathan, a family friend and one of the doctors overseeing Jack's care. "Jack continues to respond well to treatment," Dr. Nathan said.
Making connections with Nevada's burgeoning Hispanic community has been among our campaign's top priorities. While Jack wanted to be there with them today, it's a wonderful luxury to be able to send out a beloved and respected President of the United States to give the crowd something to remember -- and, just as importantly, to convince them and others to register to vote before our October 7 deadline. It's one taste of why we'll win in November 7.
I have one last note. The Associated Press quoted our Press Secretary, Jay Jones, today as follows:
"My understanding is he's one of those healthier-than-an-ox people who has never seen the inside of a hospital," Jones said, describing the candidate as a regular runner until the start of the campaign.
And it's true: Jack has been healthy his whole life, and my understanding is that this is his first serious deep interaction with our health care system. An experience like this deepens a person's appreciation of the best of our health care system. But while Jack and Elizabeth and their family can be relieved that Jack had good insurance and excellent health care here in Nevada, it's not lost on anyone that many people -- in Nevada and nationally -- do not have one or both of these. This simple but mysterious affliction, which suddenly sent a strong and healthy man into intensive care, might well have ruined someone else financially or physically simply for lack of insurance and decent care. As Jack is recovering today, surrounded by his loving family, we won't forget how many other people have loving families who would be devastated if a malady like this took away their loved one. To quote Jack's own web page:
Individuals and business are paying more and more for health insurance and getting less and less health care coverage. We need to focus on providing solutions to two critical components of the health care system: affordability and access.
The cost of health care in this country is skyrocketing, and the money we spend isn't always going to better care. Right now, 31 cents out of every dollar spent on health care goes to administrative costs. At the same time, there are over 430,000 Nevadans without health insurance and over 100,000 of those are children. In Nevada, working men and women (and the spouses and children of those workers) account for 84 percent of people with no health insurance. During the Bush-Ensign years, the number of uninsured Nevadans increased by 86,000 people and nothing has been done about the rising costs.
This is a business issue as well as a health issue. If we want to remain competitive in the global economy, we have to get health insurance costs under control. We need to let smaller companies pool together to provide affordable health care for their employees without overriding state control over insurance regulation. We also need to fix the confusing and costly Medicare prescription drug fiasco, which specifically prohibits Medicare from using its purchasing power to negotiate lower prices. The Veterans Administration negotiates discounts on prescription drugs that lower the price by 50 percent or more. The Bush-Ensign approach doesn't make sense for our seniors or taxpayers.
We want to garner one more vote out of 100 in the Senate to make all of this happen. I'm not asking for money or volunteers today, only for your good wishes and for us all to remember what this struggle is about in this year's election: we need more happy endings to stories like Jack's.