So my shear hatred towards U.S. Senator Saxby "Chicken Hawk" Chambliss (R. GA) is no secret here. In fact thanks to all you wonderful people, you made my hate letter to Chambliss my most recced diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Well it looks like Amy Kremer, chairman of the national Tea Party Express and a Georgia resident shares my hatred for Chambliss as well but for different reasons:
http://blogs.ajc.com/...
“The Tea Party Express, we haven’t decided anything at this point, but I can tell you I live in the state of Georgia and Saxby Chambliss is going to be primaried. Our own senator. It’s unacceptable to have somebody who votes with the Democrats more than they do with the conservatives, and he has proven time and time again he’s all about the spending.
“And we’re a red state, we deserve a conservative senator, a conservative senator that would stand with [Sens.] Marco Rubio [R-Fla.] and Rand Paul [R-Ky.] and Mike Lee [R-Utah] who all voted ‘no’ for this bill.” - Ann Kremer, chairman of the national Tea Party Express, 1/3/13
Kremer is pissed that Chambliss voted for the recent fiscal cliff deal which involves tax increases so that's why she hates him. I hate him because of what he did to this great man in 2002:
The best part is Chambliss is shitting his pants now more than ever:
http://blogs.ajc.com/...
Based on what he told reporters in a conference call this morning, I guess Saxby Chambliss is taking talk of a primary challenge seriously:
“My message to you, Mister President, is you’d better strap on your chin strap very tight because this junkyard dog is going to address spending cuts and entitlement reform in the debt-ceiling debate, and that’s going to be a line in the sand for us Republicans and conservatives.”
Junkyard dogs wearing helmets and chin straps while drawing lines in the sand? - Jay Bookman for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, 1/4/13
Yeah, ok Chambliss. Teabaggers might be crazy and stupid but they know you're all bark and no bite. Plus lets not forget that the Libertarian vote took away decent chunk of your vote back in 2008 causing you to go up in a runoff with Democrat Jim Martin.
Now I do want to see Chambliss go down in the primary, that's the first part of what I like to think of as the Max Cleland Karma Pay Back but the second part is taking back this seat for the Democrats. Right now, there hasn't been any names showing any interest. Yes Blue Dog Democratic Congressman John Barrow and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed have been mentioned but they're not really interested. I've heard a lot of names mentioned from Former Governor Roy Barnes to Jimmy Carter's son, Jason Carter to even the idea of Cleland himself running for the Senate. PPP showed us that Cleland is the only one who comes the closest to beating Chambliss. For some reason the PPP had them tied. Now against a more conservative, Tea Party Republican like Congressman Tom Price, Democrats have a much better shot. In looking for our ideal candidate to take on Chambliss, PPP offers this advice:
-Chambliss' cross over appeal to Democrats would make him hard to defeat in a general election. But given the very real possibility of him losing to an extreme conservative candidate in the primary it might benefit Democrats to get a Joe Donnelly caliber candidate who doesn't have a lot to lose into the race, just in case... - PPP, 12/4/12
My advice to Georgia Democrats is this: nominate someone who is open to immigration reform. Yes, you need a centrist Democrat who can appeal to white voters but even Cleland, who voted for the Bush Tax Cuts, was pro-environment, pro-choice and most importantly, pro-immigration reform. Voter turnout is key for Democrats to win this seat against a crazy teabagger and Georgia's changing demographics show great potential for a Democratic victory:
http://www.rollcall.com/...
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed (D) (Right)
Whoever the Democratic standard-bearer is, and whether 2014 is a year in which a Democrat has a chance, the demographics continue to move in the party’s direction and push Georgia toward tossup territory.
In 2000, non-Hispanic whites made up 62.6 percent of the population. In 2011, non-Hispanic whites made up only 55.5 percent of the Peach State’s population.
In the 2004 presidential election, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., got 41 percent of the vote. In 2012, Barack Obama pulled 45.4 percent.
“The trend is an undeniable trend,” Reed said in an interview with Roll Call over the summer. “It just depends on what year and what cycle.” - Roll Call, 11/19/12