Fresh Loaf

It’s not a visit from Pres.-elect Barack Obama to help U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin, but it’s something. Below, listen to the ad that’ll brainwash every single Georgian over the age of 18 to visit the polls on Dec. 2 and vote for Martin in his runoff against incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss.

It might now be safe to say the Peach State won’t be getting a visit before the runoff. The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza interviewed several anonymous Democratic operatives who say that a visit to Georgia may just not be worth the political risk.

I know, I know. I too am feeling a little…I don’t know…empty. But we’ll carry on, my fellow Atlantans. Be strong. Take comfort in this photo of a kitten.

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Jim Galloway reports:

Neither Democrat Jim Martin nor Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss would commit — each citing scheduling conflicts. Martin pointed to a visit from former Vice President Al Gore, and the Chambliss campaign said it had a fund-raiser on its calendar.

Press club debates involving two other runoffs, for Public Service Commission and the state Court of Appeals, will be held Sunday

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Braving bitter cold and gushing crowds, former President Bill Clinton stumped for U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin Wednesday night at Clark Atlanta University and urged the former state lawmaker’s supporters to return to the polls in the Dec. 2 runoff.

(Photos by Joeff Davis)

View the rest of CL’s Sideshow.

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Former presidential candidate Fred Thompson has endorsed U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss in his runoff race against Democratic candidate Jim Martin. Big surprise there, eh?

But there was also this in the e-mail announcement, sent to reporters by Chambliss’ campaign, by Will Andrews of Thompson’s PAC:

The Georgia seat is key to all of these battles and many more. Barack Obama is going to Atlanta to drum up support for his Democrat candidate. The unions and ACORN and every other left-wing group is on the ground working night and day.

Night and day! Eating only Socialist food rations that we’ll all riot over on Jan. 21, 2009. Yo, Will! Let us know when Obama’s coming, please. Everyone here is saying it’s unlikely.

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STAR POWER Former president stumps for U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Martin

In the quickening cold on Wednesday evening, Augustine Smith, a wide-grinning middle-aged man from Duluth by way of West Africa, leaned against a railing in the crowded Arnett Quadrangle at Clark Atlanta University, Barack Obama hat perched atop his head, and waited for the man many of these people came out to see.

Not U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Jim Martin, although the event was in his honor and Smith said he’d vote for the former state lawmaker again, but former President Bill Clinton. The president had visited Atlanta to stump for Martin in his runoff race against incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss before zipping off to a local fundraiser.

“This country does not need to build a firewall,” Clinton told the energetic crowd of 1,500 people, referring to how Chambliss has described his role in a Democrat-controlled Senate under Pres.-elect Barack Obama. “It needs to build a bridge to the future. Martin’s the bridge, Chambliss is the firewall.”

Clinton repeated this mantra over and over as he attempted to enthuse supporters to do what Republicans know best and Democrats have historically proven unable — the tricky task of getting the voters back to the polls in a runoff.

(more…)

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— The right-wing whackos will never give up. Like the email I got this morning from Janet (Folger) Porter of Faith2Action. See, the Electoral College doesn’t meet until December 15, so there’s stlll time to stop this Obama thing. He’s not even a U.S. citizen. Can’t we just wait and beat him four years from now? No way. In four years, we won’t be able to recognize what’s left of our country. The time for action is now. Oh, boy … The good news is that Obama is still our president-elect and, reports Amy at Georgia Women Vote, he’s keeping his campaign offices open in Georgia in order to help out Jim Martin.

— DCup isn’t bothered by the citizenship issue. As she writes on Politits, her concern is about trust and power. We entrust power to a president and after eight years of Alfred E. Neuman, her trust feels kicked around and abused. She has her fingers crossed that we won’t be fooled again.

— For Sid at Cracker Squire, there’s reason for hope. He likes Obama’s first two major decisions: his selection of Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff and his stance that Joe Lieberman shouldn’t be cast out for his case of man-love for Johnny Mac.

— How scared are the Republicans that Martin can upset the Big Sax Machine? Andre at Georgia Politics Unfiltered says the Republican National Committee is sending $2 million to help make sure Martin isn’t the 60th Democrat in a filibuster-proof Senate.

— Blog For Democracy predicts that the youth vote is going to be Martin’s secret weapon. The Young Democrats of Georgia have launched a campaign through places such as Facebook to get out the vote in the Dec. 2 run-off.

— And, finally, on a day when a former CIA bigwig visits the Wren’s Nest, they also get a call from a desperate grandmother. And then there was the pimp’s answering machine. Certainly a strange day for the house that Joel Chandler Harris built. But at least he was a certifiable U.S. citizen.

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Now that Ted Stevens has been sent packing back to Alaska, the two most closely watched U.S. Senate races in the country are Minnesota and Georgia. The race in the North Star State won’t be decided for a while thanks to a recount.

Down here, Rasmussen Reports’ latest polling shows that incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss holds a four-point lead over Democratic nominee Jim Martin.

Chambliss leads 50% to 46%, with the vote scheduled for December 2. Four percent (4%) are undecided. However, runoff elections typically have lower voter turnout than general elections and can be impacted in either direction by organized get-out-the-vote efforts.

…

Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Georgia voters say they are certain to cast their ballots in the runoff. Of this group, 51% favor Chambliss, 46% are for Martin, and three percent (3%) remain undecided.

…

In Georgia, 52% of voters say they are less likely to vote for Martin if it means the Democrats will gain a 60-seat majority in the Senate. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say they are more likely to vote for Martin if that’s the outcome.

Interestingly, nine percent (9%) of those who plan to vote for Martin say the prospect of a 60-Democrat Senate makes them less likely to vote for him. Only 2% of Chambliss voters who say it makes them more likely to vote for Martin.

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Jim Galloway with the details:

The fourth former GOP presidential candidate will make his way to Atlanta on Monday — that’s three days before Thanksgiving — to help Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss gather cash for the final week of his U.S. Senate runoff.

The price of the evening fund-raiser at the Linstrum + Matre Artworks is $500 per couple. They will take more if you insist.

The former mayor of New York, you’ll recall, took .7 percent of the vote in Georgia’s Republican presidential primary.

Giuliani’s last stop in Georgia — that I can remember at least — was a toe-touch in Marietta during his presidential run. That was a lot of fun.

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Huffington Post reported this afternoon that former Veep Al Gore will campaign here Sunday for Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin. I’m sure Young Thomas will be getting us more details later.

Meanwhile, here are details on former President Bill Clinton’s visit tomorrow (or today by the time you read this) at Clark Atlanta University on behalf of Martin. For those keeping score, John McCain and Mike Huckabee have campaigned for Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, while this gun-totin’ man joins him Wednesday and investment banker Mitt Romney stumps for him Friday.

The AJC’s reporting that both candidates aren’t planning to participate in a debate the Atlanta Press Club was to tape on Sunday — Martin because he’ll be campaigning with Gore, Chambliss apparently just because he’s a big ol’ scared-y-pants.

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No worries, it’s still at Clark Atlanta University. But event organizers have moved it to:

Clark Atlanta University
The Quad
James P. Brawley Drive and Fair Street
Atlanta, GA

“The Quad” sounds like it’s outdoors to me. Be sure to wear your mittens.

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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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The Nov. 4 totals in the race for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat left Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss literally a fraction below the necessary 50 percent-plus one in his race against Democratic nominee Jim Martin. As ballots were still being counted — and talk of recounts abounded — both candidates said they weren’t waiting for the last vote to be tallied. The runoff, they said, had begun.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Word on the street is that Sen. John McCain will join Sen. Saxby Chambliss Thursday at 6:00 p.m. for a fundraiser at downtown’s 191 Club. The event is hosted by former Georgia-Pacific CEO Pete Correll and Cousins Properties CEO Tom Bell. Cousins HQ is in the same building as the 191 Club, 191 Peachtree.

Chambliss faces a run-off election next month against Democratic challenger Jim Martin. CL’s Scott Henry reported yesterday that McCain and Chambliss will also appear together Thursday at Cobb Energy Center.

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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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Jeanne Cummings of The Politico writes about the Saxby Chambliss-Jim Martin runoff:

President-elect Barack Obama may risk some of his newly earned political capital in Georgia, where a Dec. 2 Senate runoff could move Democrats a step closer toward a filibuster-proof, 60-vote majority in the upper chamber.

Cummings, who was a reporter for the AJC in the early ’90s, writes of “eerie similarities” between Obama’s dilemma and President-elect Clinton campaigning in the 1992 runoff that Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler lost against Paul Coverdell.

… Republicans crowed that it was a signal of Clinton’s already weakened political standing.

Clinton’s allies scoffed at the criticism, but it stung, all the same.

Clinton’s experience and the history of runoffs suggest that Obama’s safest course may be to keep some distance.

That could be one reason McCain’s committed to campaign for Chambliss while Martin hasn’t yet secured a visit from Obama. Then again, the president-elect’s probably a bit more busy.

Obama may end up helping with support from his campaign’s Internet lists and radio ads geared toward increasing black turnout in the runoff, rather than by stumping the state, according to one of Cummings’ sources.

See the full story: “Senate runoff a test for Obama.”

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Has Fulton County become the GOP’s election scapegoat or is some ulterior motive at work in Secretary of State Karen Handel’s call for a state investigations and threats of possible criminal prosecution?

As the AJC has doggedly been reporting, Handel has expressed outrage that Fulton took three days to count its absentee ballots, long after all other counties had turned in their results. Under state Elections Board rules, counties are supposed to keep ballot-counters on the job until they’re finished – or unless the Secretary of State’s office give them permission to break for the night.

Fulton officials called Handel’s office early Wednesday morning to see if the counters go home to get some sleep. She said no. They went home anyway.

(more…)

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— Tuesday is history and history was made. Obama wants to unite us, but can he? On the one hand, one Republican-leaning friend confided yesterday that he’s now glad Obama is the president-elect. He was won over by Obama’s speech Tuesday night. On the other hand, someone else I know was gleefully showing off an email on his cellphone that had a picture of the Obama family set to the soundtrack of The Jeffersons theme song. Tacky, tacky, tacky. At Politits, DCup notes that she feels a bit bad for Caribou Barbie, but her tongue is firmly in her cheek.

— ATLMalcontent has a few random observations of the vote Tuesday and its aftermath. He notes the right-wing attacks have already begun. Rush has already referred to the president-elect as a “Chicago thug.” And I’ll bet he has that Jeffersons theme song on his cellphone as well. Yes, unification is a noble ambition, but …

— Still, Obama made “hope” one of his themes. When he mentioned the 106-year-old Atlanta woman who cast a vote for him, it reminded Amani at My Urban Report of his own 101-year-old grandmother.

— DriftGrift is back with a new edition of his “Morning Wooten.” He says Tuesday’s election seems to have brought back the conflict between “reasonable Jim and wacko Jim.” Uh-oh.

— Of course, on the local front is the stunning rise of J-Mart in the U.S. Senate race to push the Big SaxMachine into a run-off. Predictions are the Democrats are going to come in full throttle after Big Saxy. And he’s going to bring his own heavy ammo. Reports are Johnny Mac and Caribou Barbi may come to the Peach State to campaign for him … if she can figure out which continent Georgia is on. And Andre at Georgia Politics Unfiltered notes that the Savannah Morning News has already endorsed the Sax Man in the Dec. 2 run-off.

— And finally, one reason the Republicans got clobbered is they are selling fear rather than hope. And at the Wren’s Nest, they remind us that people once feared electricity. Even Joel Chandler Harris was worried that if he wore a wristwatch on the streetcar, the combination of the two might make him explode. So he came up with a very unique solution that involves a secret desk compartment. Don’t worry, Joel, your secret is safe with me.

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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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