Tuesday, December 02, 2008
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Chambliss Kills Dems 60-Senate Seat Dream
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Posted by:
Amanda Carpenter at
9:02 PM
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 Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R.) celebrates his recount win over Jim Martin (D.).
Republican Saxby Chambliss (Ga.) dashed Democratic hopes of attaining a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority in the Senate by defeating Jim Martin in Tuesday's run-off election.
The Associated Press projected a win for Chambliss less than two hours after polls closed due to the massive 20-point lead Chambliss was posting.
The GOP Georgia win could stave off Democratic challenges in Minnesota where incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman (R.) is locked in a contentious recount with comedian-turned-candidate Al Franken (D).
To reach coveted number of 60 Senate seats Democrats needed to win in Georgia on Tuesday and to take the unresolved race in Minnesota.
Coleman has maintained a narrow lead over Franken through the month-long process and Franken's legal team is poised to take contested ballots to court in the face of a loss. A win in Georgia would have provided momentum to mount a long-shot court battle. Without that win, however, Democrats may be less inspired to do so since it would not help them secure the filibuster-proof majority.
Hours before the polls closed National Republican Senatorial Commitee Chairman John Ensign predicted Chambliss would beat Martin by 5-6 points. Ensign attributed the anticipated GOP win to a "far superior" ground game and former GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's appearances around the state on Monday.
"In a run-off election it's about turning your voters out," Ensign told reporters in a late afternoon conference call. "She was able to get a lot of people excited to make sure they would focus on that race...because of her celebrity she was able to bring press attention and remind people to get out and support Saxby."
Palin stumped with Chambliss at four events on Monday. More than 3,000 attended each of the events, according to press reports.
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There are plenty of supposed GOP Senators that will provide the Democrats with the votes for cloture when they need them. Snowe, Collins, Specter, Lugar, Voinivich, Grahamnesty, and McCain will be more than happy to prevent a GOP filibuster, especially if the bill is for amnesty. |
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Steven Den Beste is right
I think the reason Obama was a no-show is because he didn't want a filibuster-proof majority.
Why? He needs Republican filibusters as scapegoat for failed attempts to push through card check, the fairness doctrine, etc. The liberal base wants this legislation passed, but Obama knows it would kill his chances at re-election. Now he has a convenient scapegoat: "I tried, but the Republicans blocked the damned thing...!"
I'd almost rather let him have the 60 seats so he is forced to hang himself. |
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"some of the Democrat's supporters are off the rails, and will expect bills that would cripple the economy"
That's a right-wing fantasy. WE didn't think that Obama is hard left; that was something the right-wingnuts made up to scare the rubes. (Fortunately, all the rubes are Republicans.)
If Obama governs competently from a bit to the left of center and accomplishes things, even those of us much further to the left will be happy as clams. And he will. He's our guy, doing what we want done, and he's not George W. Bush. Our long national nightmare is over. |
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Bob, some of the Democrat's supporters are off the rails, and will expect bills that would cripple the economy (e.g. by killing off the coal industry). Those are the ones I'm talking about.
Democrat supporters like the "Netroots", for example. |
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"they can propose bills their supporters want"
Given that "their supporters" are essentially the majority of American voters, that's pretty much what they're supposed to do; represent the people. If that many people are in favor of something, it shouldn't be any problem getting several of the center-right Republicans -- Snowe, Collins, Specter, Lugar, Voinovich, others with tight races coming up in 2010 -- to go along with the majority. |
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Al Franken, whose electoral demise will encountered in his home by continued chewing of his own lips. |
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I think that the Democrats in the Senate and House won't actually mind that they missed out on having 60 Senate seats.
If they had a filibuster-proof majority, they wouldn't have any excuses. As it is, they can propose bills their supporters want, which they know would really be disasters, secure in the knowledge that the Republicans will block it.
And then blame the Republicans for obstruction, while heaving a sigh of relief in private. |
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Until 2010.
When the Republicans will be defending 19 seats, half of them tight races and two of them retiring, and the Democrats only 16, mostly very safe. |
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YEA!!!!!!! Way to go Georgia! |
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and you're welcome.........
Chambliss would have won outright on Nov 4th, except for a narcissistic Libertarian who had NO CHANCE of winning the election, garnered a grand total of 8,000 votes..........
Chambliss ended up with 49.8% of the vote.....
In Georgia for a candidate to win he must get 50% plus 1 vote........
Some Independents and Libertarians, like Joe Lieberman, do have a realistic chance of winning and that's fine.......
But most of these "spoilers" have no chance and are only in to boost their egos.......
To those I say........PLEASE STAY OUT!!!!!
In Georgia, Libertarian Allen Buckley almost siphoned off enough votes to get Obama puppet Jim Martin in, which would have gotten "The One" really close to that fillibuster-proof Senate....
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Thanks to the Georgia conservatives for removing the dagger from our backs.
You showed up in great form and halted a liberal run.
Georgia on our mind! |
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