Fresh Loaf

You’d think that by this point in the U.S. Senate Runoff race between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic nominee Jim Martin all the issues would be hashed out. But that’s not the case.

On Sunday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released an ad that questions why Chambliss has refused to testify about whether executives from Imperial Sugar — they owned the Savannah refinery that exploded in February and killed 14 people — asked him to help the company avoid blame for the incident. Chambliss has received campaign contributions from Imperial Sugar and browbeat a company whistleblower during legislative testimony.

A Chambliss spokeswoman told the Associated Press that U.S. Senate legal counsel told the incumbent Republican the U.S. Constitution prevents him from testifying.

But government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says the senator has it wrong. And in a post on the group’s website, executive director Melanie Sloan delivers the senator a zinger.

(more…)

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Signs! They make us think! They make us laugh! They’re great tools for pranks!

No outside signs are allowed at tomorrow’s Bill Clinton rally for U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin. And this afternoon you’ve got a chance to make some authorized ones at one of the campaign’s satellite offices in Fulton County.

Here are the details from the Martin HQ:

ATLANTA – This afternoon Jim Martin for Senate supporters will gather at one of the Democratic Party’s Campaign For Change Offices located in Fulton County for a sign-making party in preparation for the Bill Clinton rally. Afterwards, supporters will phone bank to get out the vote for Jim Martin. Martin will work with President-elect Barack Obama to fix the economy and cut taxes for middle class families in Georgia.

WHO: Jim Martin for Senate supporters
WHAT: Host sign-making party and phone bank
WHERE: Fulton County
Morris Brown Office
643 Martin Luther King Drive Atlanta, GA 30309
WHEN: 4:30 PM, Tuesday, November 18, 2008

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Infowizard Jim Galloway at the AJC’s Political Insider brings word that Judy Woodruff of PBS’ “The News Hour With Jim Lehrer” will moderate Sunday’s U.S. Senate debate between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic nominee Jim Martin.

One problem: Neither candidate has confirmed they’ll participate.

The details:

Right now, plans call for the debate to be taped at GPTV studios on Sunday afternoon, then aired at 7 p.m. A C-SPAN broadcast would come sometime afterwards, Strauss said.

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Even though Wednesday’s Bill Clinton rally for U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin at Clark Atlanta University is free, organizers urge those who are interested in attending to pick up a ticket at Metro Atlanta campaign offices. Here are details:

Tickets to Clinton rally available at Campaign for Change offices

ATLANTA – Tickets to Wednesday’s “America is Back” rally with Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin and President Bill Clinton are now available at six Campaign for Change offices in metro Atlanta. The rally is to be held at Clark Atlanta University’s Vivian W. Henderson Gymnasium. Doors open at 4:00 pm and the program begins at 4:30 pm.

The event is free and open to the public, but obtaining tickets beforehand is strongly recommended. Tickets are available at the following locations:

DeKalb County
2752 E. Ponce De Leon
Suite G
Decatur, GA 30030

Clayton County
2745 Mount Zion Road
Jonesboro, GA 30206

Fulton County
Morris Brown Office
643 Martin Luther King Drive
Atlanta, GA 30309

Fulton County
1020 Woodstock Road
Suite 2108
Roswell, GA 30075

Cobb County
1200 Cobb Parkway N.
Suite 700
Marietta, GA 30062

Gwinnett County
3245 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road
Suwanee, GA 30024

Those interested in attending may also RSVP here.

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From the Martin campaign:

EVENT DETAILS FOR BILL CLINTON RALLY FOR MARTIN AT CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
Former President will tout Martin’s ability to work with President-Elect Obama to Fix the Economy, Change the Direction of the Country

UPDATED EVENT DETAILS:

LOCATION:
Clark Atlanta University
Vivian W. Henderson Gymnasium
650 Fair Street SW
Atlanta, GA

DOORS OPEN TO PUBLIC:
4:00 PM

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Former President Bill Clinton will visit Atlanta on Wednesday to rally for U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin.

From the Martin campaign:

Clinton and Martin will appear together to tout Martin’s ability to work with President-elect Barack Obama to fix the economy and change the direction of the economy for middle class Georgians. Clinton has been a strong supporter of Martin’s from the start, joining him in Georgia during the general election and now stumping for him in the runoff.

…

Additional details about the president’s visit to follow.

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— It’s Veteran’s Day tomorrow, which is set aside to honor the men and women who have put their lives on the line on our country’s behalf. Call a vet  and thank them for their sacrifices. At the Daly Briefing, our intrepid correspondent is back in the U.S. from Iraq. But he’s stuck in Kansas because of military bureaucracy. And will be stuck there a day longer because … well, federal offices are closed because it’s Veteran’s Day. Patience, patience.

— Strong words from Erick at Peach Pundit, who is tired of hearing Johnny Mac’s folks whine about the shortcomings of Caribou Barbie. After all, they’re the ones who plucked her out of a moose hunt to be the next vice-president, right? Erick is so pissed off that he has a petition to make Republicans who bash Palin official political lepers.

— The Republican Party is obviously in trouble and Newt Gingrich has volunteered to be the savior. DownRight is down with that notion, but not the idea that the party has to become more moderate. They argue that Johnny Mac ran as a moderate and lost, which is evidence the party has to turn even harder right. But, listen, don’t forget Newt has this little issue with, you know, family values.

— Left On Lanier also delves into the Republican Party’s post-election tug-of-war and points out that for the far-right wing, even Fox News has become too liberal.

— Georgia’s U.S. Senate run-off will be under the national spotlight. At Georgia Women Vote, Amy takes note that unmarried women came out strong for J-Mart and Obama. Will they come back for the run-off?

— And, finally, there can’t be a worse feeling in journalism than to pursue a story, miss it, and then see a competitor nail it. Live Apartment Fire follows the tale of the two Atlanta garbage men who chill out in East Point while collecting OT, and how WSB trumped WGCL in the local television news wars. But that doesn’t erase the fact that WGCL still has its ace in the hole: Dagmar Midcap.

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Oh, Jesus. This just in from the Martin campaign:

We’re 25 days away from the December 2 runoff, and we at Jim Martin for Senate will be serving up a helpful heaping of failed Saxby Economics every day until then. Enjoy! Georgia sure hasn’t.

After the jump, view today’s delicious dish!

(more…)

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No one really expected Georgia’s U.S. Senate race to be this tough, cost this much or last this long. Incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss started off with more money than God, favorable approval ratings, and a late-in-the-game Democratic challenger whose heart, critics said, seemed to be elsewhere. And the Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley? Puh-lease.

But then Wall Street had its meltdown and Congress threw it a gold-plated life preserver. Chambliss was among the 74 senators who voted for the bailout package in a move that angered a great number of conservatives — and royally pissed off Libertarians.

And according to results of Tuesday’s General Election, Buckley gobbled up more than 100,000 votes that arguably would’ve gone to Chambliss. Why do I think that? Buckley’s take for the night was 127,050 votes, or 3.4 percent of people who voted in the race. Libertarian Presidential nominee Bob Barr only snatched 28,583, or 0.7 percent. And everyone — including me — was wondering what impact the presidential race would have on contests farther down the ticket.

After the jump is a transcript of a chat I had nearly two months ago when I interviewed Tom Perdue, the political veteran who managed Chambliss’ campaign, for a story I wrote about the U.S. Senate race.

(more…)

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U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin isn’t waiting for election workers to finish counting the ballots in Fulton County before he starts blanketing the airwaves.

And maybe this is just me, but I think he mentions Pres.-elect Barack Obama once or twice in there.

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U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss says he’s not waiting for “several thousand” votes to be counted before he begins another political campaign — a potentially vigorous Dec. 2 runoff against Democratic nominee Jim Martin.

What may decide whether the incumbent Republican and Martin — a former state lawmaker who fought an uphill battle to get this far — do continue their campaigns are an undetermined number of votes that include provisional, absentee and military ballots. The results of those ballots, Chambliss said in a conference call today, may not be known until this weekend. The most recent General Election results show his support literally a fraction under the 50 percent he needed to win another six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

Chambliss said 4,000 votes would put him over the top and avoid a runoff. He adds that absentee ballots — of which he estimates 12,000 in the U.S. Senate race have yet to be counted — have traditionally played into the Republicans’ favor. Even with the surge in Democratic voters this election cycle, however, he remains optimistic.

Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat is among several that Democrats are eying to add to the party’s power in Congress. Chambliss said he expects well-publicized and support-generating visits to the state by Pres.-elect Barack Obama and other Democratic luminaries, as well as an influx of money from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

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Even with all votes for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat yet to be counted, Democratic nominee Jim Martin  told reporters Wednesday afternoon he and incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss are in a runoff.

“The runoff race begins right now,” Martin said, adding that he would not request a recount and instead let the numbers speak for themselves.

Earlier in the day, Chambliss told the AJC he’s not ready to concede to a runoff but that he’s in “full campaign mode.” As of this writing, Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel’s website shows 96 percent of precincts report the race 49.9-46.7 in Chambliss’ favor. Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley garnered 3.4 percent of the vote.

Martin said he’s been in touch with Barack Obama’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. If Chambliss’ lead remains below 50 percent, look for heavy campaigning from the President-elect and other familiar Democratic faces.

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This is going to be an interesting week. And a busy one.

Pollster, a website that somehow eats every single political poll IN THE WORLD and then burps them out in color-coded maps, says Georgia is now a “toss up” between John McCain and Barack Obama. Yep, Georgia.

Wonkette says no way, but we’ll see.

Pollster’s also calling “toss up” about Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat. Nearly everyone thought incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss would easily win a second term in his race against Democratic nominee Jim Martin and Libertarian challenger Allen Buckley. Turns out all of ‘em — me included — were wrong. Signs point to a run off in that race.

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Jim Galloway at the AJC’s Political Insider points us toward U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin’s second campaign ad. In it, the former state lawmaker focuses on his middle-class roots and says U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ tenure in Washington, D.C. has been making all the wrong decisions on war, energy and the economy.

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We haven’t seen turnout figures yet for yesterday’s runoffs, but the results in most cases seemed to confirm predictions.

The Democratic Senate nominee, of course, is former Atlanta lawmaker Jim Martin, having trounced DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones 60% to 40%.

Some folks might look at this result as the triumph of funding, since Martin entered the race late, spent little time stumping across the state and instead focused his efforts on collecting enough money from PACs and other sources to wage a TV campaign. That’s all true, but Martin did have high name recognition and none of the negatives that Jones brought to the table.

Martin’s victory opens the door for an aggressive, high-dollar assault on GOP incumbent Saxby Chambliss this fall. It all but ensures that top Senate Democrats will attempt to turn Georgia into one of their key battleground states.

(more…)

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Who here likes to party? I can’t hear you, Myrtle Beach! I said, Who here likes to PARTY?!?

Eh. Scott’s right. It may be difficult to get amped about these runoffs, but it’s really important you vote. And after you do that, it’s important you celebrate.

And tonight’s campaign parties for the U.S. Senate Democratic runoff are sure to have all the hallmarks of a classic political fete — awkward toasts, inappropriate drunks, and a guaranteed mediocre cover version of “Don’t Stop.” Or at least some finger food upon which ye can munch. Both campaign’s parties are open to the public and sure to be interesting.

Details are as follows:

• Vernon Jones: 7 p.m. The Vernon Jones for U.S. Senate Campaign Headquarters, 3230 Peachtree Road, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30305.

• Jim Martin: 7 p.m. Park Tavern, Piedmont Room, 10th Street and Monroe Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30309

Don’t tell ‘em we sent ya, because then they’ll probably charge us for the damages. If you’re not itching to attend one of the above shindigs, good times are sure to be had by all at Manuel’s Tavern beginning around 7 p.m. If you know of any other gatherings, add ‘em in the comments.

Enjoy!

(Photo courtesy of repmanblog.com)

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Tomorrow we’ll find out the answer to the most pressing issue of the Jim Martin and Vernon Jones runoff: Who is the least like George W. Bush and who loves Barack Obama more?

Sounds pretty irrelevant, right? Tell that to the reserved former state lawmaker and his opponent, the flamboyant two-term CEO of DeKalb County. Since the two found out on July 15 they’d be facing each other in tomorrow’s runoff, there’s been little more than talk about each other’s past voting records. (Just to refresh your memory: Jones has slammed Martin for casting a vote on Super Tuesday for John Edwards, who had already ended his campaign, and not Barack Obama. Martin has slammed Jones for his back-to-back votes for George W. Bush. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that voting for Bush is not something that will endear you to Democrats, CEO Jones. Plus, what’s up with all the contributions to the state Republican party?)

Perhaps the reason they’re focusing so much on the past is because they share a similar vision for the future. Both want clean energy, both want out of Iraq, and both think No Child Left Behind is an unfair and unsuccessful program. Those are all laudable goals, but the last three weeks have been a rather boring ping pong match of accusations and ambitions rather than ideas.

(more…)

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CL’s news staff provides up-to-the-minute coverage of the U.S. Senate debate and unlike what you see on TV, you get to participate!

[liveblog]http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php?option=com_altcaster&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=4266410119&height=550&width=470[/liveblog]

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U.S. Senate hopeful Vernon Jones will announce several endorsements at 2 p.m. outside the Old DeKalb County courthouse in downtown Decatur.

PRESS RELEASE

For more information contact:
Camille Kesler
Phone: [redacted
Email: [redacted]

Vernon Jones to Announce Endorsements Today at 2pm

Vernon Jones, Democratic candidate for the United States Senate, will hold a press conference today, July 29, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. E.D.T. on the steps of the Old DeKalb County Courthouse in downtown Decatur. Jones will announce the endorsement of elected officials. “No one becomes successful alone; that is why I am so grateful to the community leaders who have endorsed me and my message of hope and positive change for Georgia,” said Vernon Jones.

The Old DeKalb County Courthouse is located at 100 East Court Square, Decatur, GA 30030 near the intersection of East Court Square and East Ponce de Leon Ave.

Just a heads up, Jones campaign: It helps to get the word out about such events a little earlier than an hour or two beforehand.

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