Showing posts with label Georgia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Georgia. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

The Final Word On Georgia's Senate Race

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"This isn't about anything but winning." [Source: Insider Advantage Georgia, "Re-Tooled Campaign Put Chambliss Over The Top", December 3, 2008]

That six-word sentence attributed to Republican National Committee member and former head of the Georgia Republican Party Alec Poitevint says it all about Saxby Chambliss' successful re-election campaign.

Chambliss, the GOP and their allies didn't care how nasty they had to get or what they had to do so long as their team got the most votes at the end of election day (and trust me, here in Georgia, the ads run against Democrat Jim Martin called him everything but a child of God).

The motto and mantra of Saxby's campaign seemed to be "Just Win, Baby," and win is what they did.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Associated Press: Chambliss Beats Martin

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From CBS46.com (WGCL-TV Atlanta):

Incumbent Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss has beaten Democrat Jim Martin to retain his seat on the senate. [Source: CBS46.com, "Saxby Chambliss Declared Winner In Senate Race", December 2, 2008]

Oreo here... I'd like to thank Andre for all of his posts leading up to tonight. It's too bad it ended this way.

Georgia Senate Runoff Results

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Polls close at 7:00pm Eastern Time.
You can see the county results at the Georgia Secretary of State's Website.


Percent
Martin41.1%
Chambliss58.9%

90% of precincts reporting


UPDATE: MSNBC has called the election for Chambliss, 9:00 pm

Ludacris: Chambliss Is Just About Politics, Not The People

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It was a chilly evening in Atlanta Monday night, but that didn't deter supporters of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin from rallying on the steps of the State Capitol a day before the closely-watched run-off election between Martin and Republican Saxby Chambliss.

"We need at least one U.S. Senator who is a Democrat and works for us in Washington," state Democratic Party Chair Jane Kidd told the crowd. "All we have is 24 hours to get the job done."

Accompanying Kidd on the stage was a who's who of political leaders, radio personalities and hip-hop artists --including Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth and Michigan Congressman John Conyers-- all encouraged Democrats to get out the vote for Jim Martin.

Grammy award winning artists Ludacris and T.I. along with BET Hip-Hop award winning artist Young Jeezy took the podium to talk about how proud they were of Barack Obama's victory while urging Georgia to finish the drill by electing Jim Martin to the Senate.

"I definitely feel like we need a senator who's going to work with Mr. President Obama to fix our economy as opposed to someone whose message is just to block Obama's agenda," Atlanta native Ludacris said of Martin and Chambliss. "That lets me know that he [Chambliss] is just about politics and not about helping the American people."

Civil rights icon John Lewis echoed those words telling the crowd that "Saxby Chambliss is not our friend."

"Barack Obama needs Jim Martin in the United States Senate," Congressman Lewis said amid cheers. "The state of Georgia needs Jim Martin in the United States Senate."

Voter turnout is expected to be light in today's run-off election, a fact that was not lost on Jim Martin as he closed out yesterday's get out the vote rally.

"This election is about who wants it the most," Martin said. "I want you to vote first and then help other people."

Good Luck Jim Martin

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Monday, December 01, 2008

GOTV in Georgia

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Tomorrow's the big day in the Georgia and the only way we're going to win is to have a massive Get Out the Vote effort. You can help by logging into my.barackobama.com and making some calls or volunteering to work on the ground.

Get out the vote for Jim Martin for US Senate to help Barack Obama implement his vision in Washington, DC!

Also, to organize a phonebank with paper call lists you can sign up at: www.nationalfield.org/phonebank

Most importantly, we need more help on the ground. If you are interested in coming to Georgia and joining our team, email us at:
volunteer@martinvictory.com

DemConWatch will be covering the results tomorrow night.

Monday, 1 December 2008: Part 1

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Today we will all spend some time today trying to sort out in our minds what happened in Mumbai (Bombay) last week, who did what, and what happens next?

But a few other things will be going on today also:

Last spring, Edward "Uncle Teddy" Kennedy was supposed to receive a honourary degree at Harvard last spring, and deliver the commencement address. Illness prevented that, but today, he will receive the award.

The honor is in recognition of Kennedy’s lifelong commitment to public service and his tireless efforts as a champion for a range of social issues including health care, civil rights, labor, employment, the environment, and education.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden will attend.
______________________

Spunky is in Georgia today, stumping for Saxby Chambliss. Even her home town newspaper is not impressed.
_______________________

The Big Three return to DC today. Of course, the question will be they're supposed to be bringing a plan to save them: will they bring something worthwhile? The fun question is: how will they get there?


Seriously, the Big Three will have divergent paths today. If you read that NY Times link, it mentions that Chrysler may need a new partner. What the Times doesn't mention is that Cerberus, which bought a controlling interest (80%) in Chrysler in 2007, wants its money back. Cerberus claims that it was misled by Daimler-Chrysler. Let me repeat: Cerberus wants ALL its money back: that's over $7.2 billion. (USA Today, 28 November 2008, page 4B.)
______________________

Over in Illinois, Governor Rod Blagojevich is still looking for someone to replace President-elect Obama in the Senate. He spoke with Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who turned him down. According to Gutierrez: Governor Blagojevich shared with me today that he was very interested in me as a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat, but that his preference is to appoint someone who will run for a full term in 2010.

But there's more. Richard M. Daley is up for re-election as Chicago's mayor in 2011. Gutierrez may be looking to run against him. To do so, he needs to solidify support amoungst the city aldermen sooner rather than later, and staying in the House would provide a better opportunity to do so.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Atlanta Rapper Ludacris Campaigning For Jim Martin Monday

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It's a battle of the stars in Atlanta Monday as former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin stumps for Saxby Chambliss and three-time Grammy award winning rap artist Ludacris headlines a rally for Jim Martin.

Both Martin and Chambliss are trying to encourage their supporters to get out and vote in Tuesday's run-off election; an election that will determine who represents Georgia in the U.S. Senate for the next six years.

The Martin for Senate campaign announced that Jim Martin would spend December 1st campaigning throughout the state with Congressmen John Lewis and Hank Johnson, state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, and other Georgia leaders before closing out the day with a "rally for change" with Ludacris on the steps of the State Capitol.

Republican Saxby Chambliss will spend Monday campaigning with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Georgia Senate Update

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The Martin-Chambliss runoff election is this Tuesday, three days away. The Pollster polls indicate that Chambliss is in the lead, 50.9% - 46.2%. R2k/Kos says 52% - 46%. Insider Adantage and internal Democratic polls have it down to 2 or 3 points, with Chambliss still in the lead.

Prior to the General, Chambliss had raised about 4 times the money of Martin, $12 million to $3 million, and that hasn't changed much in the past month. While we won't know the total amount donated until after the election, the FEC requires that large donations (over $1,000) are reported within 48 hours during the waning days of a runoff campaign. That data indicates that Chambliss has raised about $1.6 million to Martin's $462,000.

On the Martin side, Bill Clinton and Al Gore have been down to campaign, and Hillary Clinton threw a fundraiser in New York for Jim Martin. On the Chambliss side, the big name is Spunky Sarah Palin.

The question is, can Martin pull it out? As Andre posted, the early vote numbers are very low compared to turnout for the General, and blacks are voting in lower numbers and percents than whites both in raw numbers, and in comparison to the General.

Under the radar, more than 200 Obama field operatives are in Georgia working to get out the vote on election day.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Jim Martin Unveils New Ad Criticizing Chambliss' Votes On Veterans Affairs

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Jim Martin’s campaign released a new ad focused on the importance of taking care of our nation’s veterans.

While Saxby Chambliss has voted against increasing veterans’ healthcare and voted to stop the new G.I. Bill, Jim Martin knows the importance of serving our nation’s veterans because of his time serving our country. Chambliss, a member of the Armed Services Committees, missed an important hearing on military strategy the week before troops were sent to war in Iraq while he was vacationing on the special interest dime in Boca Raton, Florida and raising money from these same special interests.



"Answered"


"Georgia needs a leader who will fight for our men and women in uniform, not a politician who votes against critical funding for our veterans," Martin for Senate spokesperson Kate Hansen said. "Georgians know that we must show our gratitude to our veterans in actions as well as words, but all Saxby Chambliss has given our men and women in uniform is empty rhetoric. As a veteran, Jim Martin knows firsthand the importance of caring for our men and women in uniform and he will work with Barack Obama in Washington to ensure we fully honor our veterans."

Less Than 10% of Georgians Voted Early for the December Run-off Election

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As of the last day of advanced voting for the December 2nd run-off election, 345,564 Georgians cast their ballots early. That represents a nearly thirty point drop between the number of people who voted early for the November General Election and the people voting early for the next Tuesday's run-off.

According to data provided by the Georgia Secretary of State, 4.5% of the state's registered black voters voted early. In comparison, early voting for the November General Election saw 42.8% of Georgia's black voters casting early ballots representing 35% of the total number of early votes.

Below is the demographic breakdown of Georgia's early voters (To see a similar chart for the November election, click here):

Number of
Registered Voters
Number of
Early Votes Cast
Percentage of
Early Votes Cast
Voter Turnout
(Percentage)
Black Female
1,001,462
47,491
13.7%
4.7%
Black Male
720,257
30,360
8.8%
4.2%
Black Vote (Total)
1,721,719
77,851
22.5%
4.5%


Number of
Registered Voters
Number of
Early Votes Cast
Percentage of
Early Votes Cast
Voter Turnout
(Percentage)
White Female
1,909,093
130,883
37.9%
6.9%
White Male
1,703,473
126,944
36.7%
7.5%
White Vote (Total)
3,612,556
257,827
74.6%
7.1%


Number of
Registered Voters
Number of
Early Votes Cast
Percentage of
Early Votes Cast
Voter Turnout
(Percentage)
Asian/Pacific Islander
Female
35,722
683
0.2%
1.9%
Asian/Pacific Islander
Male
33,010
522
0.2%
1.6%
Asian/Pacific Islander
(Total)
68,732
1,205
0.3%
1.8%


Number of
Registered Voters
Number of
Early Votes Cast
Percentage of
Early Votes Cast
Voter Turnout
(Percentage)
Hispanic/Latino
Female
43,509
589
0.2%
1.4%
Hispanic/Latino
Male
38,253
528
0.2%
1.4%
Hispanic/Latino
(Total)
81,762
1,117
0.3%
1.4%


Number of
Registered Voters
Number of
Early Votes Cast
Percentage of
Early Votes Cast
Voter Turnout
(Percentage)
Native American
Female
636
16
0.005%
2.5%
Native American
Male
502
16
0.005%
3.2%
Native American
(Total)
1,138
32
0.009%
2.8%


Number of
Registered Voters
Number of
Early Votes Cast
Percentage of
Early Votes Cast
Voter Turnout
(Percentage)
Other
272,218
7,532
2.2%
2.8%


Number of
Registered Voters
Number of
Early Votes Cast
Percentage of
Early Votes Cast
Voter Turnout
(Percentage)
Statewide
5,758,135
345,564
100%
6.0%
Female
(Statewide)
2,990,422
179,662
52.0%
6.0%
Male
(Statewide)
2,495,495
158,370
45.8%
6.3%

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

GA-SEN: Martin Releases New Ad. . ."Go To Work"

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In a new ad released today, Jim Martin responds to Saxby Chambliss’ false, vicious attacks on Martin’s record. The truth is that Jim Martin voted to return $100 million of surplus taxes to taxpayers and voted for the largest middle class tax cut in Georgia’s history. While Jim Martin will go to Washington to fight for the middle class, Saxby Chambliss has spent his time there fighting for CEOs and lobbyists.



"Go To Work"

"Saxby Chambliss has resorted to false, vicious attacks because Georgians know there’s only one candidate who will work with Barack Obama to cut middle class taxes, and that’s Jim Martin," Martin spokesperson Kate Hansen said. "Voters are rejecting Saxby Chambliss’ tired, bitter politics because they know that in these perilous times we need a fighter for the middle class, not a politician who stands up for special interests. In Washington, Jim Martin will get to work fixing America’s economy for middle class Georgians again."

John Conyers, Donna Brazille To Hold Rallies For Jim Martin [UPDATED]

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As Georgia's December 2nd run-off election approaches, the Martin for Senate campaign continues to ramp up its efforts to unseat Republican Saxby Chambliss.

Tuesday morning, Jim Martin's campaign announced that Michigan Congressman John Conyers and prominent Democratic strategist Donna Brazille would make campaign stops in Atlanta and Savannah to rally the troops in advance of the December election.

John Conyers, who is a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, will appear in Savannah at the local Martin for Senate campaign office. Democratic strategist Donna Brazille will hold two rallies in Atlanta on the college campuses of Morris Brown & Spelman.

Brazille made history in 2000 as the first African-American female to run a major presidential campaign when she served as former Vice President Al Gore's campaign manager.

[UPDATE]: The Martin for Senate campaign just announced that Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson will join Donna Brazille at an Atlanta campaign rally before heading to Columbus, Georgia for a pep talk to volunteers at the local Martin campaign office.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

National Republican Trust Urges Georgians To Stop Obama/Martin

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While watching the WAGA-TV Sunday morning public affairs program, "The Georgia Gang," the following ad appeared on my t.v. screen:



"Why Do Liberals Want to Tell You How to Vote?"

On the front page of the Republican group's website, the Executive Director of the National Republican Trust writes, "If the Democrats defeat Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, they will be very close to getting the 60 votes they need in the Senate to pass Obama’s radical legislation."

"Obama and the Congressional Democrats must be denied the 60 votes," the letter reads [Source: GOPTrust.com, "Stop Obama in Georgia!", November 23, 2008].

In addition to this new television spot, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported back on November 18th that the National Republican Trust has "been spending heavily on online banner ads, e-mail and direct mail" [Source: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, "Groups spend to sway Ga. Senate runoff", November 18, 2008].

Saturday, November 22, 2008

GA-SEN: Jim Martin Debuts New Ad. . ."Becky"

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In a new ad released today, Jim Martin responds to Saxby Chambliss’ false, personal attacks on Martin’s record protecting children. The truth is that Jim Martin has always fought to protect children and families, because he knows what it’s like to have a child come face-to-face with violent crime.



"Becky"

Martin’s daughter Becky was kidnapped when she was eight years old. Fortunately she was let go, but Martin never forgot the way Becky trembled when she came face-to-face with her kidnapper in court. Over his 18-year tenure in the state legislature and during his service as Commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Human Resources, Martin built a reputation as a leading advocate for children.

GA-SEN: RNC Chair To Campaign For Chambliss

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Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan and Co-Chair Jo Ann Davidson will make several campaign stops in Georgia on Monday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 25 to benefit Senator Saxby Chambliss as he battles Democrat Jim Martin in advance of the December 2nd run-off election.

The announcement that the RNC Chair will hit the trail for Chambliss comes a day after former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney paid a visit to Atlanta to urge voters to keep the two-party system alive in the nation's capital [Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Romney visits Atlanta to stump for Chambliss", November 21, 2008].

Also, next week, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to make a campaign appearance in the Peach State on behalf of Saxby Chambliss [Source: WSB Radio, "Chambliss Win 'Essential'", November 21, 2008].

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, former Vice President Al Gore will hold an Atlanta fundraiser for Jim Martin Sunday evening.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

President-Elect Obama Asks Georgians To Vote For Jim Martin

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On Friday, the Jim Martin for Senate campaign will begin airing a new radio ad statewide featuring President-elect Barack Obama asking Georgians to vote for Jim Martin. Obama says, "I want to urge you to turn out one more time and help elect Jim Martin to the United States Senate." The President-elect says that Martin will "help me change Washington and get America moving again."



"One More Time"

"I am honored to have President-elect Obama’s strong support," Jim Martin said. "I plan to go to Washington to work with Barack Obama to fix our economy and get our country moving for middle class Georgians."

Senator-Elect Mark Udall Lends Jim Martin a Hand

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I just got an e-mail from Colorado's next Senator...

First off, thank you again for all your hard work to make my election to the Senate possible -- I could not have done it without you.

I have turned my full attention to addressing the pressing issues facing our state and nation, and I'm committed to making sure we have the votes we need to pass critical legislation on the economy, health care, and renewable energy. But that could all hinge on the outcome of Georgia's unresolved Senate race, where Jim Martin faces right-wing incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss in a runoff election just twelve days from now.

Jim Martin is trailing by just 3 points in the latest polls, but he's up against the same relentless onslaught of attacks that I just faced in my race for Senate.

What we do in these final days before the special election could be the difference in bringing the change our country needs. Please contribute to Jim today!


Jim Martin has spent his life serving others -- as a soldier, legal aid lawyer, and Georgia state legislator. His opponent, Saxby Chambliss, has spent his career in Washington serving the special interests.

Jim served in Vietnam, and would be a strong advocate for America's veterans in the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, his opponent obtained six deferments to avoid military service, and in 2002 had the gall to run the now infamous television ad using Osama Bin Laden's image to question the patriotism of former Senator Max Cleland -- a triple amputee and decorated Vietnam veteran.

Max is a true American hero, and those ads against him were disgusting. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel called them "beyond offensive," and John McCain said they were "reprehensible." But they worked, helping elect Chambliss to the Senate in 2002.

Now Chambliss is at it again, with all too familiar attacks on Jim Martin that exploit the memory of September 11. Only we're not going to let him get away with it this time.

Help Jim Martin beat back the shameful attacks by making a contribution to his campaign today!


We made huge strides on November 4, but we can go even further by electing Jim Martin -- and possibly even achieve a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate. This is a winnable race, but only with your help.

Thank you for lending a hand to Jim Martin in this critically important contest.

President Clinton: Jim Martin is a Bridge to the Future

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On a chilly evening in Atlanta, an estimated 3,000 people gathered on the campus of Clark Atlanta University to hear from former President Bill Clinton and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin.

"I'm pleased to have with me somebody I consider a friend, not only to me, but to this country, President Bill Clinton," Martin announced as he walked out onto the stage with the nation's 42nd chief executive. "Mr. President, you have left a great legacy. You gave us an economy that worked for the middle class, a government that put families before big business, and a nation that was building a brighter future for our children."

"That's the Georgia that we all believe in and that's the America that we believe in, and I'm glad to say, Mr. President, that America is back," Martin said to cheers.

During his brief remarks, Martin spent time talking about the economic issues that have been a mainstay of his campaign, telling the crowd that Georgia lost 96,000 jobs because of eight years of top-down, trickle-down Saxby economics.

"The middle class is suffering," Martin said. "And we're ready for change."

Martin then introduced Bill Clinton who received some of the biggest cheers of the night including quite a few shouts of "We love you Bill!" from throughout the assembled group.

"I wanted to be here tonight because I like Jim Martin a lot," Clinton said. "This country does not need a firewall to the future. It needs a bridge to the future and Jim Martin is that bridge."

Clinton told the crowd that the person who wins the December 2nd run-off would be the person whose supporters want it the most.

"You can win this thing if you want it bad enough," the former President said. "You just have to decide how bad you want it."

Clinton then spoke about the recent election results that put Barack Obama in the White House and increased the Democrats' majorities in Congress telling the crowd that the American people voted to give the Democrats a chance to change America. Clinton also spent time deriding "special interest politics" as having gone too far.

"When people in the Justice Department can fire U.S. attorneys because they're not being vigilant enough in pursuing bogus cases for political motives, special interest politics have gone too far," Clinton said.

Calling Jim Martin a great candidate, a brilliant legislator and a great administrator in state government, President Clinton urged Georgia not to put up a firewall to the future.

"Martin's a bridge. Chambliss is the firewall. This is not rocket science," Clinton said. You have to decide what you want."

"He's the kind of person we ought to send to the Senate," Clinton said of Martin. "You gave him enough votes to get him to this moment. Now it just depends on how bad you want it. It depends on how bad you want a bridge or a firewall."

"Two weeks ago, people voted for the bridge," Clinton said. "Don't let Georgia put a firewall up in front of the bridge."

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Live Blogging The Clinton/Martin Rally

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[UPDATE 6:20PM]: This will be the last update until my hands warm up, but President Clinton and Jim Martin just finished speaking to the crowd gathered on the campus of Clark Atlanta University.

Here are a couple of selected quotes from Clinton and Martin:

Jim Martin - I'm glad to say Mr. President, America is Back!

Bill Clinton - This country does not need a firewall to the future. It needs a bridge to the future. Jim Martin is the bridge and Saxby Chambliss is the firewall.

[UPDATE 5:45PM]: I was just told that 3,000 people are in attendance at this rally and there's murmuring that President Clinton has arrived.

[UPDATE 5:10PM]: It's a chilly day outside here in Atlanta and we were just informed that President Clinton's plane has landed. As has become customary with the former President, he's late.

[UPDATE 5:04PM]: Commissioner of Labor Michael Thurmond just finished addressing the crowd imploring them to "finish the drill and close the deal" on December 2nd.

"Enough is enough," Thurmond said. "It's time for a change."

Before leaving the stage, Thurmond lead the crowd in a rendition of "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us 'Round."


[UPDATE 4:43PM]: Here's a crowd shot. We're hearing from our first speaker who is a grassroots organizer who was a Republican who voted for Reagan, but has since switched to the Democratic Party.



[UPDATE 4:30PM]: Here's a quote for y'all to chew on. A Secret Service agent was asked by a person attending the rally if he had any inauguration tickets.

The Agent's answer: "I wish I had some."

I'm here on the campus of Clark Atlanta University where former President Bill Clinton will join Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin to rally supporters for the upcoming December 2nd run-off election.

The lines are already forming on The Quad which is basically a large open air section of the Clark Atlanta campus surrounding by various buildings.

More details as they come...

You can watch CNN's live video here.