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.
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.
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
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 30030Clayton County
2745 Mount Zion Road
Jonesboro, GA 30206Fulton County
Morris Brown Office
643 Martin Luther King Drive
Atlanta, GA 30309Fulton County
1020 Woodstock Road
Suite 2108
Roswell, GA 30075Cobb County
1200 Cobb Parkway N.
Suite 700
Marietta, GA 30062Gwinnett County
3245 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road
Suwanee, GA 30024Those interested in attending may also RSVP here.
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 CountryUPDATED EVENT DETAILS:
LOCATION:
Clark Atlanta University
Vivian W. Henderson Gymnasium
650 Fair Street SW
Atlanta, GADOORS OPEN TO PUBLIC:
4:00 PM
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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!
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.
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.
Behold, Buckhead! On Election Night, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss hosted his campaign party at the Intercontinental Hotel in the posh enclave in North Atlanta. When not shaking hands or buying more drink tickets for the cash bar, party guests monitored election results on screens placed around the ballroom. Notables included U.S. Reps. Lynn “Uppity” Westmoreland and Phil Gingrey, state lawmakers, and even DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones.
To view more photos of the night — and see how the state’s most well-connected Republicans looked when John McCain conceded to Barack Obama — check out the Sideshow.
(Photo by Thomas Wheatley)
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.
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.
Late counts of early voters still may squeak Jim Martin into a runoff against incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss.
The Georgia Secretary of State’s website has Chambliss at 50.3 with 96 percent of ballots counted. Buoyed early in the evening by early counts in heavily white North Georgia, Chambliss’ lead has slipped throughout the nigh — first as votes came in from the closer suburbs, then from Fulton and DeKalb, and finally additional early voters — who tilted young and black.
— It’s the eve of the elections and I sense a vague restlessness. Elections come and go, but this one feels different. There’s anticipation and there’s unease, a collective holding of our breath tomorrow night until the results are in and we know for sure the direction our country will go. Life On The Q offers up their “Georgia Voting Guide For Queers,” complete with links to endorsements within the LGBT community. And they’re definitely looking for “that one” to take the election.
— That rings true for Catherine at Blog For Democracy, who notes the similarities between “T-O” and Matthew Santos, the president on West Wing played by Jimmy Smits. She says she used to watch the show and wish he was her real-life president. I never watched West Wing, but after Smits left office he became an assistant DA in Miami and decided to be Dexter’s running buddy. That show, I do watch. So I’m with Catherine, television character to television character.
— But what if some of us don’t get to vote? With the long lines and long waits for pre-voting, it seems possible that the volume of voters might overwhelm the polls. Which is why the lovely Sara at Going Through The Motions can’t understand why Secretary of State Katherine Harris (oops, wrong state) Karen Handel isn’t extending voting hours. And Handel’s excuse is lame — they’re doing exactly what she says can’t be done just a few miles up I-85 in North Carolina.
— Loved the moment is last night’s debate when the Big Sax Machine wagged his finger in J-Mart’s face. It was a great moment for Big Saxxy; he wouldn’t have had the cojones six years ago to do that to Max Cleland. At Down Right, the argument is made that it’s not the Sax Machine’s fault he’s lost a 20-something point lead. It’s just a sign of the times. Personally, I hope J-Mart has a metaphorical bucket of water and goes all Dorothy on him so we can collectively sing the “Ding-dong” song. Great tune for the times.
— According to Amy at Georgia Women Vote, the Bibb County Republican Party has asked Macon police for extra security at their headquarters tomorrow night. She notes that if things go as predicted, the DUI Task Force might make for a more appropriate option.
— And, finally, it was a gruesome Sunday for Left On Lanier. All he wanted to do was enjoy the Falcons pull out their can of whup-ass on the Oakland Raiders. Instead, he got bombarded by commercials. The Big Sax Machine dumps on J-Mart, followed by J-Mart dumping on Big Saxxy. Over and over and over. Where, oh, where does it all end? Hopefully, it all ends tomorrow. And if not, dude, get yourself a DVR.
FiveThirtyEight, one of the most entertaining and informative online resources for this Presidential election, posts an excellent Georgia-centric rundown on the state’s demographics and political dynamics — and how the combination of the two may determine who runs the country come Jan. 20.
From the site:
Since native son Jimmy Carter was on the ballot, Democrats have found Georgia tough sledding. But with African-American turnout soaring to unprecedented levels, Georgia may be a state where the public polling models are off, and indeed Barack Obama has put last minute advertising resources into the state in an effort to both go over 400 electoral votes as well as help a rising tide lift Jim Martin’s boat against Max Cleland-smearing incumbent Saxby Chambliss.
It’s a long read, but it says Georgia’s may be one of the closest races we’ll see on Nov. 4. Definitely worth checking out.
U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss has created an online uproar because of comments he made to a North Georgia crowd.
As quoted by Politico.com:
The Republican is outwardly confident, but there’s urgency in his voice as he tours North Georgia, trying to boost turnout in his predominately white base: “The other folks are voting,” he bluntly tells supporters.
Now, read in this context — “predominately white base” followed by “other folks” — I can see how people might see the connection. But I seriously doubt this is what Chambliss implied. Then again, the Republican incumbent — who is in danger of facing a runoff or even losing his seat to Democratic nominee Jim Martin — is considered to be running one of the most fouled-up races of 2008.
The polling organization says incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss leads Democratic nominee Jim Martin 48-43. It also says if Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley’s support remains consistent, a runoff is likely.
Senator Saxby Chambliss leads Democratic challenger Jim Martin by five percentage points in his bid for re-election in Georgia. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the race finds the Republican incumbent with 48% of the vote and Martin with 43%. Libertarian Party candidate Allen Buckley picks ups seven percent (7%) of the vote while two percent (2%) remain undecided.
But, under Georgia law, a candidate must win at least 50% of the vote or face a run-off election in December.
If Buckley’s support stays at current levels, it would be difficult for either Chambliss or Martin to win the majority needed to avoid a run-off. It is also possible, however, that some Buckley supporters may choose instead to vote for one of the major party candidates.
A week ago Chambliss was ahead by just two points, the closest the race has been all year and the highest level of support for Martin, whose campaign has spent roughly half-a-million dollars on attack ads against Chambliss over the past month. Just three weeks ago, Chambliss held a six-point lead.
Jesus, a guy goes to City Hall for two hours and a shitstorm erupts. Well, here’s our take on what happened.
So there’s this internal memo of very questionable origin floating around that’s purported to be from a top political consulting firm. And it’s addressed to a PAC that’s allegedly pushing for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss. On Monday morning, the scandalous document puttered out of our fax machine with no name attached. (You can read all about the memo — hell, even read the memo itself — here.)
In it, tales of doom are told. The most frightening of which is that post-debate poll numbers showed Libertarian Party nominee Allen Buckley eating into Chambliss’ support. Lest something is done to ruin Buckley’s standing with undecided voters, the document says, the incumbent Republican could surely face a runoff or even lose his seat to Democratic nominee Jim Martin.
Dear God, please — say it ain’t so.
Saxby Chambliss’ campaign telemarketed my house a couple of minutes ago — in the middle of the Obama informercial.
Nice.
Which soft-spoken U.S. Senate candidate — who also served in the Georgia General Assembly — was spotted waiting in queue in Fulton County at 11:20 a.m. to cast his early ballot? We’re not naming any names, but trusted sources say this modern-day Atticus Finch doesn’t just want to kick the incumbent out of office — he also plans to honor his citizen’s duty so he can continue his hard-fought campaign.
Which leads us to wonder: What better time for the incumbent Republican — who we’ll just call Sugar Daddy — to launch a sneak attack against this challenger than when he’s standing two hours in the cold, like a noble soldier, slogging on the slow march toward freedom and a brighter life for all Americans? See him stand there, like a beacon of justice, like a — wait, what the hell am I writing? Jim Martin was seen standing in line to vote early with Joan, his wife, just now in Fulton County.
My inimitable colleague Scott Henry just returned from Fulton County’s early voting location and spotted Martin there. He says the line was two hours long.
It’s not just the Democratic and Republican Senate campaign committees shoveling money and resources into Georgia’s U.S. Senate race.
The Virginia-based Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life women’s organization with a well-connected advisory committee, has jumped into the tight race and sent a heartwarming mailer that accuses Democratic challenger Jim Martin of campaigning against a ban on partial-birth abortions while he served in the General Assembly. Joy Yearout, the group’s policy director, says the mailer was sent to “identified social conservative voters statewide.” Yearout says the group has also contributed to and endorsed Deborah Honeycutt’s campaign in her race against incumbent Congressman David Scott for District 12.
There aren’t any graphic images on the mailer, but because of the issue’s sensitivity, I’ve posted photos of it after the jump.
— Over in Iraq, the Daly Briefing is getting ready to come home. Which means it’s no time for complacency because that can get you killed. He makes a final trip down into a bunker when they hear explosions near their compound. When they emerge, they learn that a convoy with an Iraqi official was bombed. From the way the walls of the bunker shook when the bomb went off, he instantly knew people had died.
— On the local front, Georgia has become a battleground state as the polls show “that one” and Jim Martin have closed the gap on J-Mac and the Sax Machine. How’d that happen? While we all sat in gas lines — when there was gas — Sonny went on vacation (oops, I meant to say he went on an economic development trip) to Spain. And as Raleigh at Inside The Sprawl notes, Republican numbers had to go down every time Glenn Richardson opened his mouth.
— And, as Jason Pye points out, the Republicans do idiotic things. A prime example is how the AJC busted Sonny over the weekend because while state agencies are under a mandate to cut costs by six percent, he’s going full steam ahead on his own pet project: the $23 million “Go Fish Center” in Perry.
— With the races closing in Georgia, Bill Clinton came to Atlanta Saturday night on behalf of Martin, and Amy at Georgia Women Vote was there. She got up close and personal with Clinton, and was awed by his charisma.
— At Georgia Politics Unfiltered, Andre takes note that the daily papers in Macon and Columbus each endorsed “that one.” I ventured out into 770 territory over the weekend, and was surprised by the sparsity of political signs for Johnny Mac and Caribou Barbie. Is Georgia going to go Democratic in this election?
— And, fiinally, Amber Rhea checks out the new Waffle House museum so the rest of us don’t have to. And she wants to go back. Check out her report here.
