Obama Thanks Jimmy Carter’s Grandson for ’47 Percent’ Tape
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama has finally thanked Jimmy Carter’s grandson for helping him win the 2012 presidential election.
It was James Carter, grandson of the former president, who brought the now-famous “47 percent” tape to light, connecting Mother Jones columnist David Corn to the source who secretly filmed it at a Mitt Romney fundraiser.
When Obama was in Atlanta last week, he met James, the former president told CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight in a televised interview.
“When James went to meet President Obama, President Obama ran across the room, embraced him and thanked him profusely — first time, by the way,” Carter said.
“I don’t think he said winning the election, but thank you for helping me win the election — I don’t know exactly what the words were,” Carter said when Morgan asked if Obama had thanked James for winning him a return to the White House.
Later featured in TV ads, the tape became a staple of Democratic talking points. Democrats had already dogged Romney with accusations of an elitist class view, and the tape became a liability that Romney was unable to shake.
Video: Sept. 26: Romney Responds to ’47 Percent’ Comment
“I think it was the pivotal moment,” Carter said of the tape, acknowledging that his opinion of his grandson’s role in the election is, of course, biased. “It was something that he could not deny, and it stuck with him for the rest of the election, and I think it was a major factor if not the major factor.”
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