Jimmy Carter is coming to town.
The peanut-farming former president is the main attraction at a March 23 fund-raiser in the Flatiron District for his grandson, Jason Carter, a candidate for governor of Georgia.
In recent years, Carter has become an embarrassment to the Democratic party for his anti-Americanism and his kowtowing to foreign despots. But party stalwarts, including Patricia Duff, Maurice Sonnenberg and Tonio Burgos, are lined up for the $1,000-and-up fund-raiser.
Gerald Rafshoon, who was Carter’s communications director, is also listed on the invite, along with Michael Stipe, the R.E.M. singer who hails from Decatur, Ga.
“Most Democrats don’t want to be associated with Jimmy Carter,” said one insider. “Only his grandson would want Jimmy to campaign for him.”