Interview With Sarah R. Carter: The Carter Campaign’s Political Blogger
I thought my readers, especially any Nevada bloggers out there, might be interested in an interview with . Sarah also happens to be Jack Carter’s daughter and a PhD student in Neurosicence in San Francisco. Talk about smart and multi-dimensional. The minx had to drop out of her PhD program because it was getting in the way of her manicures. Sarah discusses the Carter legacy, the difficulty of balancing blogging and her studies, and her work for the campaign. Sarah R. Carter folks:
MTM: How did you become the blogger for the Jack Carter campaign?
I’ve been following the political blogs for a couple of years now. So, when my Dad decided that he was going to run for office, I volunteered to be the “blogger.” At first, I didn’t really know what all that entailed, and I’ve sort of been able to develop it into what I want it to be. In my case, it means that I post content at the , I keep other blogs (both local and national) updated on what’s going on, and I maintain and try to build up the official .
MTM: I guess all campaigns are a family affair, but it seems like the Carter campaign is even more so. Not only do you blog for the campaign, but I heard that your brother produced the recent TV ads–is that right?
Yes. His name is John Chuldenko and he’s a director in LA (he’s actually my step-brother — my Dad and Elizabeth each had two kids when they married in 1992). You can see his site at . I think my parents really like the idea that each of us kids does something different; they like to show off how diverse we are. My brother Jason is a lawyer in Atlanta (his wife is a journalist), my step-sister Sarah E. is a painter in New York (as is her husband). John’s fiancee is studying to become a nurse. My husband and I are both scientists.
You’re right in saying that the campaign is pretty family-oriented; my Dad trusts our opinions on a lot of policy ideas as well as campaign tactics. That doesn’t mean that other folks are excluded — you wouldn’t believe how many new people I’ve met throughout this process!
MTM: As a blogger who also works, I’m curious to hear about how you are able to balance your PhD work in Neuroscience and blogging? Do you ever have trouble trying to keep up with your blog daily round-up and your academic work?
I definitely have trouble sometimes. I’ve finished all of my classes and exams, so all I have to do now is lab work. In some ways, the lab fits well with blogging; I often have 30 minute incubations where I can check in and see what’s going on. I’ve been doing this one kind of microscopy experiment lately where I have to take pictures of the same neuron every 10 minutes for up to 2 hours. So, that’s about 2 minutes of work, then 8 minutes off — it’s times like that that I can squeeze in some blogging.
MTM: Why did you choose Neuroscience as a discipline? Where do you see it taking you? Did blogging provide an opportunity to change any of your own neuron connections? 
I have always been interested in science. In high school, science and math were definitely my strengths. When I got to college, biology won out over physics. I think I chose Neuroscience at least in part because I was inspired early on by two great women scientists who taught a couple of my classes. Both of them studied Neuropharmacology and I later worked in each of their labs. As for where it’s taking me — I’m still figuring that out. I’ve recently realized that bench work science/academia don’t seem like a good fit for me. So, I’m going to apply for some science policy fellowships in Washington when I’m finished with my PhD.
MTM: Your mother briefly dicussed the idea of a Carter legacy of good works and social justice a few weeks ago when I met her at an even in Reno. What is it like to be a part of the Carter family? Do you feel pressure to conform to or carry on the Carter family legacy your mother discussed?
As a Carter, I do feel a little bit of pressure to do something that will help the world. It’s not that anyone has ever told me that I should or that I’d be less of a Carter if I didn’t. It’s more that I know that being part of this family gives me extra opportunities to effect change. I think, to some extent, my Dad feels the same way I do. When he saw the country headed in the direction it’s headed, he wanted to do something about it. He knew that being Jimmy Carter’s son would give him some advantage in the Senate race over a “normal” person, so he felt a responsibility to throw his hat in the ring.
MTM: In interviews and in books your grandfather Jimmy Carter has always reminded me of my grandfather who believed in what I would call an spare lifestyle–working hard, resisting self indulgence, and committing yourself to the service of others. He used to give us those small juice glasses HALF full of orange juice and make us eat –PLAIN.
My grandparents definitely live simply. They still live in the house in Plains that they built in 1960 or so. They’re always most comfortable in jeans. Every Saturday that they’re at home, they eat hot dogs for lunch, and every Sunday, my grandpa teaches at Maranatha Baptist Church. Besides that, they give just about everything they can to the Carter Center — they’re about 80 years old and they still travel more than anyone I know, raising money, raising awareness, and participating in Carter Center projects. They’ve been that way for as long as I can remember.
MTM: What do you like about blogging? What do you think its role really is in campaigns like your fathers? In the political arena in general?
I think that blogs could be really important for a campaign like my Dad’s. They allow people to get information that doesn’t come from traditional media sources. So, if someone hasn’t heard about my Dad on TV or in the newspaper, they’ll have another opportunity to come across him online. Realistically, the people who read political blogs are likely to eventually be informed about the candidates. But, blogs can help get the word out there early. In the best case, attention from the blogs can drive the traditional media to pay more attention to underdog candidates.
The other thing that blogs do is give an outlet for people to express their opinions about candidates. Our goal, as a campaign, is not just to let people hear about my Dad and where he stands. Ideally, we’d like people to be thinking about his campaign, discussing it, arguing
about it, coming up with ideas, analyzing each news story that comes about him, and even criticizing the campaign. So long as people are becoming invested in the race, that’s good news for us. Blogs are a great place for that to happen.
MTM: There have been a couple of studys out recently that comment either directly or indirectly about blogging. The Pew Research Center’s almost demographic report on Blogging and the General Social Survey pointing to the increasingly isolation of Americans. Do you think blogs contribute to this sense of isolation or mitigate it?
I think that blogs mitigate isolation. Many blogs are by nature community-oriented, with comments and inside jokes (like the Gleaner constantly calling John Ensign “Hair-do”). And since folks can choose their blog community in a way that they can’t choose their other communities, I think it can help people feel like they have a social outlet.
MTM: You are very good about including local bloggers in your daily blog round-ups even though you’ve been embraced by the big blogs like DKos and MyDD. Besides the obvious, (local bloggers covering local politics), what do you find interesting about some of the local blogs?
I think there’s a great local blog scene in Nevada, with a lot of interesting personalities. One thing that I’ve noticed is that everyone is so nice. People are very good about pointing out good posts and ideas from other bloggers. Also, I’ve been reading several Nevada blogs daily for months (and sporadically before then), and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a blogger say anything mean about another member of the local community. And I know that everyone here is capable of some pretty scathing commentary. It makes me think that a Nevada blogger cocktail party would be really fun.
MTM: I’ve heard people express doubts about 1, the idea that your father actually worked on the family peanut fun, and 2, that anyone can represent Nevada well who has only lived in Nevada for a few years. Would you care to address those concerns for our readers?
I don’t know why people would doubt that my Dad worked on the peanut farm. His father was a peanut farmer. He was also a hard-working man who was not going to let his own son be lazy. My grandpa didn’t become a Georgia state senator in until 1962 — my Dad was already 15 years old at that time. When my grandpa moved from Plains to Atlanta as Governor in 1970, my Dad was 23 years old and had left home years before.
As for the “carpetbagger” issue: I have a couple of snarky responses that I could make, including pointing out that the vast majority of people in Nevada were not born here (about 80%); and also that if my Dad had moved somewhere just to run for Senate, he could have picked an easier state. But the truth is that my Dad moved to Nevada along with hundreds of thousands of other people and discovered the he really loves this state. He moved from place to place for a long time, and has finally found somewhere to call home. He’s not joking when he says, “We’ve been Nevadans our whole lives, we just figured it out a few years ago.” The answer to the question of how he can represent Nevada is that he listens to people. He works on it. He asks what people care about and what ideas they have for the best way to solve their problems. He sincerely believes that regular people often have great ideas; common sense is the best sense.
MTM: When will you be in Reno next?
I’m not sure. I’m going to be in Nevada full time in October (and hopefully a little before then), and I’ll definitely spend some of that time in Reno.
MTM: What was the worst punishment you ever received as a kid from your parents. What did you get caught?
When I was in high school, I lived primarily with my mother (as I mentioned before, Elizabeth is my step-Mom). I was a good kid, so I never got into too much trouble. I was the geeky type who never had enough friends to really do anything that bad.
MTM: And now for the all important question I’m going to ask today. We know what’s on Harry Reid’s iPod and has a poll going on what’s on Gibbon’s iPod. What’s on your dad’s iPod? If he doesn’t have one, what would be on it?
I don’t think he has an iPod, but if he did, it would be full of classic rock. Tons of Clapton, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix. (Yes, embarassingly enough, he’s been known to play air guitar on occasion.) He told me recently that if he were stranded on a desert island and could only have one album, it would be 4 Way Street from Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.
MTM: Any thing you think our readers must know?
Just that it’s up to people like them — folks who are interested enough in politics to read an interview like this — to do what they can to get my Dad elected. Politics is full of self-fulfilling prophesies. If we can get enough people to say that Jack Carter is a real contender, then he’s a real contender. If we can get enough people to say that Jack Carter will win, then he’ll win. We’re just starting our bandwagon, and we want everyone on board.
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Trackbacks & Pingbacks
[...] How am I, as a Nevadan represented by Ensign, who comes down on the opposite side of every issue mentioned in Reid’s missive, supposed to take his call to action seriously? He isn’t even serious about taking on the Republicans in his own state. Sure, he’s given money to the Jack Carter campaign, but has he actively stumped for him? No. And you won’t catch Carter complaining about the lack of Reid’s active support because his campaign needs all the help it can get–they can’t afford to say the wrong think about Harry Reid. What can we do to communicate to Reid that his partnership with Ensign is not acceptable? Help Jack Carter win Nevada’s second Senate seat. As Sarah Carter noted during a recent interview: Politics is full of self-fulfilling prophesies. If we can get enough people to say that Jack Carter is a real contender, then he’s a real contender. If we can get enough people to say that Jack Carter will win, then he’ll win. We’re just starting our bandwagon, and we want everyone on board. [...]
[...] Super blogger and neuroscienctist Sarah Carter is helping out her father, Jack Carter by making an appearance at another “Coffee with the Carters” at Java Jungle from 8-10 am this Saturday. That’s right recliner voters, you can actually drink good coffee (unless you like decaf), eat a pastry and meet a Carter–all in one location. If that doesn’t get you out and about, I don’t know what will. Look for me–I’ll be the naked woman in red heels drinking a Fuze White Tea out by the cool new landscaping Java Jungle added to the east side of their little establishment. Java Jungle is one of the only joints in town that carries my favorite drink. [...]
[...] Sarah R. Carter, daughter of Senate candidate Jack Carter wants you to join Democrats Work for a flower planting extravaganza at Bicentennial Park this weekend. They also want you to become a Democrat that actually works. I don’t know man, I may send Bjorn the Houseboy in my place. Anyway, its a good idea–similar to Edwards’ One Corps except its candidate free. Its like someone took Habitat for Humanity and attached it to a political party so that it can reinforce its values throughout the community by working on projects that enrich it, and maintain an active volunteer corps. I wonder where Sarah got that idea? [...]
Comments
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I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Sarah at the Nevada Democratic Convention in Las Vegas this year.
She is an attractive, friendly pleasant and charming young lady.
Being a blogger too increased my interest in her. She is quite a distinctive person.
I certainly enjoyed your interview of Sarah. Thanks for doing it.
Another good interview! Keep it up.
Where’s Amy?