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The DNC Doesn’t Care About Jimmy Carter

Video of speech endorsing Obama is broken–and no one noticed

by
Yair Rosenberg
September 05, 2012
Supporters take pictures of the giant screen projecting a video address by former President Jimmy Carter on September 4, 2012 at the Democratic National Convention.(MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)
Supporters take pictures of the giant screen projecting a video address by former President Jimmy Carter on September 4, 2012 at the Democratic National Convention.(MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)

Former President Jimmy Carter addressed an enthusiastic crowd at the Democratic National Convention by video last night. He unreservedly endorsed President Barack Obama and gave special mention to his foreign policy, saying, “Barack Obama has restored the reputation of the United States within the world community. Dialogue and collaboration are once again possible with the return of the spirit of trust and good will to our foreign policy.”

Given Carter’s controversial views about Israel—to put it mildly—his appearance has been the source of some consternation in the Jewish community. But take heart! As it turns out, the DNC, while obligated to permit a former president from their own party to address their delegates, doesn’t seem particularly interested in disseminating his message. Almost immediately after Carter spoke on Tuesday evening, the video of his four-minute presentation was dutifully uploaded to the convention’s official YouTube Channel. But as of this morning, the video still cuts out at 29 seconds. Apparently, no one at the DNC actually bothered to watch it before or after posting.

Have a look for yourself, before it’s fixed:

Yair Rosenberg is a senior writer at Tablet. Subscribe to his newsletter, listen to his music, and follow him on Twitter and Facebook.