Chambliss (R) Projected to Win Georgia Senate Runoff

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
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or so says the NYTimes (no link yet, just the headline).

not really surprising, there's no way the democrats could have sustained their election day Obamania turn-out numbers while the republicans actually had some incentive to trudge out to the polls to prevent the democrats from securing a supermajority.
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
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Originally posted by: Jack Flash
He was ahead the first time... is this unexpected?

not really, but it would haven been major for the dems. they brought out some of the big guns to campaign in Georgia (Clinton, Gore, and I think maybe Biden?)
 

Blackjack200

Lifer
May 28, 2007
15,995
1,688
126
Yeah, too bad. It was a long shot, but fun to dream for a little while. Even without the unstoppable block of 60, you still have a pretty damn powerful majority in the senate with 57 democrats. It will not be easy to muster all 40 Republican votes for filibuster every time, they will need to make some serious concessions.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: Blackjack200
Yeah, too bad. It was a long shot, but fun to dream for a little while. Even without the unstoppable block of 60, you still have a pretty damn powerful majority in the senate with 57 democrats. It will not be easy to muster all 40 Republican votes for filibuster every time, they will need to make some serious concessions.

Resident Republicans will still lie and say that Democrats have full control.
 

Rainsford

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
17,515
0
0
Originally posted by: Blackjack200
Yeah, too bad. It was a long shot, but fun to dream for a little while. Even without the unstoppable block of 60, you still have a pretty damn powerful majority in the senate with 57 democrats. It will not be easy to muster all 40 Republican votes for filibuster every time, they will need to make some serious concessions.

It was a long shot. The Democrats not taking Chambliss' seat is not a loss really, TAKING it would have been a huge (and unexpected) victory.

And you're right, in the end it doesn't really matter too much. Having as many Democrats in the Senate as there are will mean the Republicans might have to make some tough choices about party loyalty vs working with the party running the place (same reason many Democrats voted with the Republicans before). And on the other side of the coin, not having a super-majority will mean the Democrats might actually have to work with Republicans to make sure things get done, which avoids the government radically skewing to one side or the other.
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
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After a quick visit to yahoo news, I can confirm that indeed seems to be the result, Chambliss cruises to an easy victory, with the victory margin perhaps exceeding a 60-40 split.

Even as a partisan dem, it was hard to be optimistic about the results, but the margin of the Chambliss victory is hard to swallow.

But in the grand scheme of things, the people of Georgia have spoken, and no doubt about it, Chambliss has prevailed. And now, no matter what happens in Minnesota, the GOP has foiled any democratic dream of a filibuster proof Senate. And to somewhat acknowledge the loki8481 point, the GOP pulled out all the stops and used Palin like a club to make the 60 vote thing a major campaign issue in the Georgia runoff.

Oh well, if it makes any of you GOP fans happy, I will give you my best Snidley Whiplash, curses foiled again.

I very much doubt Martin will ask for a recount, so there will be no confusion about who indeed won. Score one for the GOP and by a slam dunk. But still decidedly second place in a beauty contest, the onus is still on the GOP to reinvent itself, with Chambliss as hardly that GOP role model.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: Lemon law
After a quick visit to yahoo news, I can confirm that indeed seems to be the result, Chambliss cruises to an easy victory, with the victory margin perhaps exceeding a 60-40 split.

Even as a partisan dem, it was hard to be optimistic about the results, but the margin of the Chambliss victory is hard to swallow.

But in the grand scheme of things, the people of Georgia have spoken, and no doubt about it, Chambliss has prevailed. And now, no matter what happens in Minnesota, the GOP has foiled any democratic dream of a filibuster proof Senate. And to somewhat acknowledge the loki8481 point, the GOP pulled out all the stops and used Palin like a club to make the 60 vote thing a major campaign issue in the Georgia runoff.

Oh well, if it makes any of you GOP fans happy, I will give you my best Snidley Whiplash, curses foiled again.

Once again Georgia is responsible for the downfall of the country along side with Texas.
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
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There is indeed some irony in the dmcowen674 comments of "Once again Georgia is responsible for the downfall of the country along side with Texas." Not only does ole DM forget a California that brought us a Nixon and a Reagan, in terms of contrasts, Carter is no Chambliss, and Chambliss is no Carter. But do not hold your breath, I can safely predict that Chambliss will never win any Nobel peace prizes.

But still my beating heart, maybe there should be a ignobel sleaze prize for what Chambliss did to Max Cleleland.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,685
136
Old ways die hard, particularly in the South, and it just goes to show ya that scum floats...
 

winnar111

Banned
Mar 10, 2008
2,847
0
0
Originally posted by: Lemon law
There is indeed some irony in the dmcowen674 comments of "Once again Georgia is responsible for the downfall of the country along side with Texas." Not only does ole DM forget a California that brought us a Nixon and a Reagan, in terms of contrasts, Carter is no Chambliss, and Chambliss is no Carter. But do not hold your breath, I can safely predict that Chambliss will never win any Nobel peace prizes.

But still my beating heart, maybe there should be a ignobel sleaze prize for what Chambliss did to Max Cleleland.

Not being a Jimmy Carter is about the best thing you can say about a man.
 

ProfJohn

Lifer
Jul 28, 2006
18,161
7
0
The Republicans are on the march now!!!!!

First Georgia, next Minnesota!!!

(Actually the Democrats should be at the peak of their power. Presidents almost always lose seats in mid term elections so it should be down hill from here.)
 

Dari

Lifer
Oct 25, 2002
17,133
38
91
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
The Republicans are on the march now!!!!!

First Georgia, next Minnesota!!!

(Actually the Democrats should be at the peak of their power. Presidents almost always lose seats in mid term elections so it should be down hill from here.)

shut up.
 

DealMonkey

Lifer
Nov 25, 2001
13,136
1
0
Saxby Chambliss? WTF kind of name is that? He sounds like a civil war general or perhaps a slave-owning cotton farmer. In other words, a perfect fit for the Republican party!

:laugh:
 

FuzzyBee

Diamond Member
Jan 22, 2000
5,172
1
81
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Originally posted by: Blackjack200
Yeah, too bad. It was a long shot, but fun to dream for a little while. Even without the unstoppable block of 60, you still have a pretty damn powerful majority in the senate with 57 democrats. It will not be easy to muster all 40 Republican votes for filibuster every time, they will need to make some serious concessions.

Resident Republicans will still lie and say that Democrats have full control.

Kinda like *you* have said the Republicans are "in control"?
 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
Originally posted by: DealMonkey
Saxby Chambliss? WTF kind of name is that? He sounds like a civil war general or perhaps a slave-owning cotton farmer. In other words, a perfect fit for the Republican party!

:laugh:

apparently he's a child molester :p
 

theeedude

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
6,197
126
Cool, GOP still has some rope to continue hanging itself. If they are seen as even remotely obstructionist of the will of the American people, they will continue paying a heavy price.
 

Double Trouble

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,270
103
106
A great thing for the country. The dems will still have control, but not complete control without at least some opposition. That will force the sides to work together, even if only to a small extent, which is good for all. The smug attitude among the lefties you see now is the same smugness I saw after the repubs took control of the white house and congress in 2000. Everyone always seem to forget that no matter how things look right now, things will always change and if you treat the "other side" with contempt and exclude them from the governing process, it's going to end up biting you in the butt. It's always been that way, always will be.
 

bamx2

Senior member
Oct 25, 2004
483
1
81
I live in GA . This may sound odd but I voted for Obama and Chambliss ! . Why ? Obama was by far the better candidate for President . I voted for Chambliss for balance in the Senate and he is an ardent supporter of the Fair Tax (www.fairtax.org ) .
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
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Originally posted by: bamx2
I live in GA . This may sound odd but I voted for Obama and Chambliss ! . Why ? Obama was by far the better candidate for President . I voted for Chambliss for balance in the Senate and he is an ardent supporter of the Fair Tax (www.fairtax.org ) .
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In all due respects bamx2, you evidently were not alone in your thinking. As Chambliss seeming made the 60 seat super majority into a cornerstone of his campaign.

But I very much wonder, even if Martin and Franken would have won, if the democrats would have had the party discipline to keep all of their members voting in lockstep.

And now we will see if the GOP will be able to keep their members all in the same lockstep they achieved in the last congress, a congress in which the GOP set new world records for the use of the filibuster. Which prevented the democrats from delivering the change the American people wanted when they voted in 11/2006.

But its not too hard to connect the dots and read the tea leaves from both the elections of November of 2006 and 2008. The GOP reward for gridlock has netted the GOP some negative 50 house seats and negative 13 or 14 Senate seats from those two elections. Or an 11.5% gain in the house and a 13 or 14% gain in the Senate.

And that gridlock basically only benefited GWB, who, as a lame duck in 2006, could not be a lasting investment come the election of 11/2008.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
91
www.alienbabeltech.com
Originally posted by: Double Trouble
That will force the sides to work together

The smug attitude among the lefties

if you treat the "other side" with contempt and exclude them from the governing process, it's going to end up biting you in the butt.

Yeah right, like you said that from 2001 to 2006 :roll: