Just like Jimmy

The smooth running, well-oiled Carter machine sent out an e-mail message to its supporters and the press Monday announcing that bumper strips and buttons bearing the name of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jack Carter are now available and providing two links to use in purchasing the items.

Neither link worked. Each produced an “internal server error” notice.

The problem was fixed after the RN&R sent a message about it, but another problem is less easily repaired. In an online chat Monday, a Washington Post political reporter declared Carter’s race against Republican incumbent John Ensign noncompetitive. A reader asked, “Do you consider either of the Senate races in Nevada or Arizona winnable for Democrats? Both Sens. Ensign and Kyle seem vulnerable (both have considerably lower approval ratings than the other Senator from their state).”

Post reporter Dan Balz responded, “Democrats are underdogs in both Arizona and Nevada. … We’ll see if the Nevada race develops, but right now, it’s not one of the likely takeovers.”