Free Republic

Sen. Chambliss Attacks Purchase Of More Super Hornets Author:Loren B. Thompson, Ph.D. Date:Thursday, September 01, 2011 TagsF/A-18, F-35, Navy, Saxby Chambliss You know the budget wars are heating up when a senior Republican senator starts attacking weapons programs important to other legislators in his own party. That's what happened yesterday, when Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss assailed Pentagon purchases of Boeing's carrier-based F/A-18 Super Hornet, saying the plane is "obsolete" and "will be of limited to no value in any future threat scenario." In a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Chambliss argued that if the Pentagon failed to move...

Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss leveled sharp criticism at his Republican colleagues for spouting “misinformation” about the Gang of Six’s proposal, calling their remarks “very disturbing” and questioning their desire to pass a deficit-cutting deal. “Because people are here on this floor throwing out numbers that are wrong, giving specifics on a piece of legislation that has not even been written, and they’re talking like they’re experts on the subject of a matter that my five colleagues and I have been discussing, debating among ourselves for the last six months,” Chambliss said on the floor. “And we haven’t even put the...

Sorry for the vanity but I thought some would like to see one of the Gang of Six's defense and my response to my "conservative Republican" Senator's email. ------------------- Dear Mr. Mortensen: I appreciate your thoughts and comments in the past regarding our nation's budget crisis. I wanted to reconnect with you on the situation, and summarize some solutions I have been working on. As always, I welcome your thoughts on this most important issue. Our country is in the midst of a fiscal crisis. In 2010, our government spent at a rate of 25% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product)...

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that a proposal offered by Republican and Democratic senators is “a very significant step” that represents “the potential for bipartisan consensus” on resolving the impasse over cutting the deficit and raising the debt ceiling. In an appearance in the White House briefing room, Obama urged congressional leaders to embrace the “Gang of Six” proposal, which would slash the deficit by $3.7 trillion over 10 years, in part by raising about $1 trillion in new revenue. We have a Democratic president and administration that is prepared to sign a tough package that includes both spending cuts,...

Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) has introduced a bill that would allow the President to imprison an unlimited number of American citizens (as well as foreigners) indefinitely without trial. Known as The Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010, or S. 3081, the bill authorizes the President to deny a detainee a trial by jury simply by designating that person an “enemy belligerent.” The bill, which has eight cosponsors, explicitly names U.S. citizens as among those who can be detained indefinitely without trial: An individual, including a citizen of the United States, determined to be an unprivileged enemy belligerent...

A few weeks ago, I reported that the Senate Republicans’ point man on dealing with the deficit, Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), said he’d support tax increases as a means to reduce the deficit. Chambliss promptly denied it. Yesterday, in the New York Times, Chambliss admitted he and the Senate Republicans will support tax increases to pay off the deficit. Mr. Chambliss has been increasingly outspoken in arguing that additional revenues must be part of a debt-reduction plan, given the scale of the problem. “I’m taking arrows from some on the far right,” he told the Rotary Club of Atlanta in an...

Gang of Six negotiators are close to striking a deal on a deficit-reduction package, according to Senate sources.  White House officials and Democrats are pressing for the six negotiators to wrap up their talks by the Easter recess beginning on April 16. There is no deal yet, however, and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has made clear that he will not be held to an arbitrary timeline.  Coburn has also insisted that a broad deficit reduction package include Social Security reform, something that Democratic negotiators such as Sens. Kent Conrad (N.D.) and Dick Durbin (Ill.) argue should be handled separately.  The...

SNIP The other lawmakers in attendance (beside Sen. Richard Lugar R-IN) were Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-TX), Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Rep. Buck McKeon (R-NY), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA). Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough held a conference call with...

There is absolutely no reason to capitulate to the illegitimate Democrat majority and their golden parachute continuing resolution The first few days would be tough as the networks show pictures of "suffering" national park workers that may not be paid for 23 more days. But notice that number, 23. Only 23 days. Many Americans who work get paid once per month. Twenty-three days is only nine days more than 14 and only 16 days more than seven. Nearly 18% of Americans are underemployed and over 9% haven't been paid in over 6 months. But is it really 23 days that...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss' office has determined it was indeed the source of a highly publicized homosexual-bashing slur on an Internet site.

Chambliss: Abortion compromise 'sets up a Supreme Court challenge' By Michael O'Brien - 12/19/09 12:38 PM ET The Senate healthcare bill's language on abortion "sets up a Supreme Court challenge," one senator warned Saturday. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) asserted that the compromise on abortion contained within the bill, which would seek to segregate federal funds from subsidizing health plans covering abortion, is unconstitutional. "What this provision does that Sen. Nelson negotiated sets up a Supreme Court challenge. Roe v. Wade's pretty clear on federal funding for abortion," Chambliss said at a Capitol Hill press conference early this afternoon. The compromise...

[snip long aside about Joe Wilson] Whether he knows it or not, Chambliss should be grateful that the dust-up over Wilson's outburst overshadowed the senator's own remarks about Obama. In a Tuesday interview on Fox News, Chambliss was talking about Republican expectations for the president's address when he said, "I think what you're looking at is folks on my side anxious to see what the president has to say (Wednesday) night. I think he's going to have to express some humility based on what we've seen around the country during August, and that's not his inclination." Take a closer look...

AUGUSTA,Ga---Dozens gathered at the Augusta Museum of History for a chamber of commerce forum on health care reform with Senator Saxby Chambliss. Chambliss attempted to set the record straight on what he calls misinformation. "Say goodbye," said Susan Swanson who is fed up with Washington lawmakers. "Kick out the bums. Kick them all out." She fears talk of health care reform. "My concern is all this talk about death panels," said Susan. "All the bureaucracy that people have to go through." The death panel rumors were given credence by Sarah Palin who campaigned with Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss in Augusta...

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., addressed the Macon Chamber of Commerce Wednesday afternoon on the issue of health care reform. While praising President Obama for “spending a little political capital” to address the issue, Chambliss told the audience gathered on the campus of Central Georgia Technical College that “the goal of a government run option is to have everyone under a government run plan.” Obama has advocated establishing a government-offered health insurance plan as a strategy to reduce health care costs by increased competition. Appearing before reporters after his remarks, Chambliss elaborated. [...] Chambliss also distanced himself from comments made by...

If you are trying to figure out what your congressmen really believe in, don't focus on what they say - look closely at what they do when it comes time to vote. A good example of that involves Georgia's two senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, and their approach to spending about $2 billion of your money. The two senators, especially Chambliss, have worked hard this summer to take nearly $2 billion out of the defense budget and earmark it for the building of more F-22 fighter jets at Marietta's Lockheed Martin plant. ... Here are some criticisms of the...

Saxby Chambliss returned to the Senate after winning a hotly contested election in which many Georgia conservatives, disgusted with his votes for the bailouts and stimulus and his stance against domestic drilling, voted for the Libertarian candidate, Allen Buckley. The number of votes acquired by Buckley did not allow Chambliss to gain a majority and forced a runoff with his Democrat challenger. Chambliss eventually won the runoff, helped a great deal by support from talk radio and national Republican leaders who were all apparently willing to sacrifice their conservative principles to save the Senate from a filibuster-proof Democratic majority. And...

Chambliss blocks regulatory pick over animal lawsuits By Alexander Bolton Posted: 06/28/09 07:57 PM [ET] Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) has blocked President Obama’s candidate for regulation czar, Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, because Sunstein has argued that animals should have the right to sue humans in court. Obama has picked Sunstein, his adviser and longtime friend, to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, an office that has power to review and assess all draft regulations proposed within the administration. But Chambliss worries that Sunstein’s innovative legal views may someday lead to a farmer having to defend himself in...

Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns over President Obama's citizenship. I appreciate hearing from you. Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the United States Constitution states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States." President Obama demonstrated his citizenship during his campaign...

Georgia’s two U.S. senators spoke with The Augusta Chronicle today, giving their insight into national hot button issues and stating where they stand on them. ***snip** Everyone knew what Mr. Obama wanted to do when he ran for president, Mr. Isakson said. “I don’t think anybody in Washington expected him to put all of it on the table in the first 90 days,” he said, adding concerns about some of the actions the president has taken. “Government does a lot of things well. Running a business isn’t one of them.”

Legislation will protect families, charities and small businesses from regulations and lawsuits that could kill thousands of jobs. Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) announced the introduction of a bill protect small businesses, charities and families by reforming the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). Senator DeMint’s legislation would stop the most overreaching and burdensome aspects of CPSIA, slated to take effect February 10. Unless reformed, the new law will demand onerous testing for anything geared towards children age 12 and under. This mandate would fall on books, toys, clothing, hair bands, board games, sporting equipment, backpacks,...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Ten Republican senators met in Sen. Mel Martinez's office Tuesday morning to discuss a broader stimulus measure than their leadership is proposing — but a narrower one than Democrats are considering. CNN was the only news organization outside the meeting. Afterwards, Martinez told CNN the details are still being debated and finalized, but they are looking at a ballpark figure of $500 billion, including the cost of tax cuts, infrastructure and military spending, and provisions to address the housing crisis. Martinez and Sen. Lindsey Graham said they plan to present their ideas to fellow Republicans at their...

Unedited and messed up response from Saxby Chambliss to a request that he demand that Barack (Barry) Obama (Soetoro) have a certified long form Birth Certificate sent to the Senate to prove his eligibility. Try not to bust a blood vessel. Email.BeginHide.merge Mail.date_on_letter_for_printing.merge Mail.name_based_on_salutation.merge Mail.address.title.merge Mail.address.org1.merge Mail.address.addr1.merge Mail.address.addr2.merge Mail.address.csz_translation.merge Email.EndHide.merge Dear mail.salutation_for_merging.merge : Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns over President-elect Obama's citizenship. I appreciate hearing from you. Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the United States Constitution states, "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time...

Seven Republican senators signed a letter sent to President Bush on Tuesday, urging him not to use Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds in a bailout of U.S. automakers. The senators wrote that absent restructuring, they "do not believe any amount of money will succeed in saving these companies." The letter was sent by Senators Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), John Ensign (R-Nevada), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia).

November’s elections proved a second-straight disaster for Republicans, but December has given them some room for optimism regarding 2010. In the aftermath of a week in which the GOP went 3-for-3 in contested races and inexplicably stole a seat from the majority party, Republicans are wrestling with the larger significance of the three wins, though some are hesitant to overemphasize. Democrats, meanwhile, are seeking to distance their fortunes from President-elect Obama and reinforce that they won in November thanks to the strength of their candidates and machinery and not simply the Obama effect. In Georgia, a three-point Election Day edge...

So the good news is that Saxby Chambliss has helped our nation stave off total democratic hegemony in Congress. The concern on the right has been that with the Presidency and both houses controlled by Democrats, a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate would have been the brick on the gas pedal in the national drag race to see who can get taken care of more by the government. The other good news is that Sen. Chambliss won his reelection resoundingly. Just 5 weeks after the GOP was handed its most devastating defeat in a generation, Chambliss ran away with one...

Chambliss: ‘Dynamite’ Palin turned out vote By Klaus Marre Posted: 12/03/08 10:29 [ET] Newly reelected Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) credited Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with firing up his base and allowing him to cruise to a victory over Democrat Jim Martin. “Sarah Palin came in on the last day, did a fly-around and, man, she was dynamite,” Chambliss told Fox News on Wednesday. “We packed the houses everywhere we went. And it really did allow us to peak and get our base fired up.” Chambliss beat Martin by three points on Nov. 4 but did not reach 50 percent of...

Earlier I noted that it's possible for the Dems to "steal" the MN senate seat, because the senate gets to decide who "wins".  On the other side of the argument, however, is Michael Barone who makes a particularly noteworthy point:  A consequence of Chambliss winning is that Al Franken’s importance as a possible addition to the Democratic Senate bloc diminishes...   This is especially true because getting Franken in the Senate would entail Obama (and the Dems) expending political capital that could be better used on other things.  What is more, getting Franken in the Senate might not be worth the predictable backlash that would ensue if...

Chambliss Win Offers Secret for GOP Comeback By: Dick Morris & Eileen McGann We have written before that the message of the November election results for us is simple: Conservatism and the free enterprise system are too important to leave their protection to the morons who run the Republican Party. So when even the ability to filibuster seemed on the verge of being taken from the forces of conservative government, we decided to act by helping to raise funds for independent expenditure groups who are willing to run the kind of ads and do the sort of cyber-roots campaigning that...

"Former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore both stumped for Martin. President-elect Barack Obama recorded a radio ad for Martin and sent 100 field operatives, but he didn't campaign in the state despite a request from Martin to do so."

On the eve the last Senate election of 2008, a still-campaigning Sarah Palin declared: "You Georgians are going to have the opportunity to determine the direction this country is going to take." The Georgians blinked. Instead of stepping into the 21st century with most of the rest of the country – including the southern states of Virginia and North Carolina, both of which backed Barack Obama for president and replaced Republican senators with Democrats – Georgia opted for the past.

The danger of special elections and run-offs is that they invite analysts to impute some sort of national significance or trend to their outcomes. Sometimes, like in the string of Republican victories that preceded their 1994 revolution, this kind of analysis is warranted. But in the case of yesterday's Senate run-off in Georgia, it most certainly is not.

The chair of the Allegheny County Dems, Jim Burn, has confirmed that “Hardballer” Chris Matthews has kept in touch with him about where things stand in "the west” since the weeks leading up to the Pennsylvania primary. “Chris was very inquisitive about the dynamic here in the west,” said Burn, “but equally as coy regarding whether or not he would actually run for the U.S. Senate.” Burn said before this year's primary that he and Matthews mostly discussed the presidential race between Senators Clinton and Obama. “In fact,

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), fresh off his win in Tuesday's runoff, said that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) excited the GOP base and helped persuade voters to go to the polls. "Obviously, you want to peak on the last day, and we had John McCain and Mike Huckabee and Governor [Mitt] Romney and Rudy Giuliani, but Sarah Palin came in on the last day, did a fly-around and, man, she was dynamite," Chambliss said on Fox News Wednesday. "We packed the houses everywhere we want. And it really did allow us to peak and get our base fired up." Chambliss,...

Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss won re-election Tuesday in the Georgia runoff, giving the party a face-saving victory in an otherwise dismal election cycle and dashing Democrats' hope for a supermajority to ram their agenda through Congress. Continues...============================================================ Chambliss wins in landslide; Sarah Palin widely blamed Liberals are so afraid of Sarah Palin that they rolled out one of their biggest guns to campaign for Jim Martin in Georgia -- Ludacris! (Their biggest ugly gun -- Rosie O'Donnell -- was too busy boarding up the windows on her new TV gig.) But still the Obama puppet lost to Saxby Chambliss, 57%...

360° SiloBreaker

Palin's decision to blanket the state with appearances -- and the rock-star reception she is receiving -- speaks to two basic facts about the former vice presidential nominee: she is beloved by the base of the party and she has absolutely no intention of stepping off the national stage any time soon. While Palin has been widely derided by many political commentators and many Democrats, it's hard to dispute that there is no more appealing face for the party faithful at the moment than her's. Though few in the GOP base would admit it publicly, there is a significant weariness...

0% Precincts reporting for Senate race, but Public Service Commission is showing Republican Lauren McDonald beating the Democrat 65/35. I think this is a GOOD sign.

Polls have closed in the run-off election between Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin, and results are beginning to come in. With two percent of precincts reporting, the Georgia secretary of state's Web site shows Chambliss leading by a wide margin. As of this post, Chambliss had 69.1 percent of the vote compared to Martin's 30.1 percent.

United States Senator, Chambliss election results. So far he is ahead with only 8% in.

With 62% of precincts reporting at 9:00 PM EST, Chambliss has 60% of the vote. CNN projects him to be the winner.

- December 2, 2008 9:03 PM ET ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss has won re-election in a runoff, dashing Democratic hopes of capturing enough Senate seats to thwart Republican filibusters. Chambliss, who fell just short of the majority vote needed to win re-election in November, prevailed in a one-on-one rematch with Democrat Jim Martin.

ATLANTA – Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss has won re-election in a runoff, dashing Democratic hopes of capturing enough Senate seats to thwart Republican filibusters.

Saxby Chambliss has taken an early lead in the runoff election for his U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, the Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting. Chambliss, the Republican incumbent, was leading Democratic challenger Jim Martin, 64% to 36%, according to AJC.

Well I braved the cold and rain and packed my husband and daughter (in her crown and sash) and went to the Gwinnett Arena in Atlanta. We got there about two hours ahead and we got there before the crowds were starting to form. It was chilly and wet outside, so they started letting people in to the building early. While most made a bee-line for the front of the stage, we instead scoped out the staging and chose to park ourselves near what looked to be a staging area. (Good thing I have a background in stage management –...

United States Senator, Chambliss 8% of precincts reporting PR=Precincts Reporting TP=Total Precincts Chambliss (R) 126,582 Martin (D) 63,731 Totals 190,313 66.5% 33.5% 100.0% County PR TP APPLING 6 19 980 547 1,527 ATKINSON 0 6 0 0 0 BACON 3 7 931 268 1,199 BAKER 3 7 216 239 455 BALDWIN 0 16 0 0 0 BANKS 0 15 0 0 0 BARROW 0 18 0 0 0 BARTOW 1 19 661 295 956 BEN HILL 4 7 871 959 1,830 BERRIEN 8 11 2,038 756 2,794 BIBB 0 43 0 0 0 BLECKLEY 0 3 0 0 0 BRANTLEY...

The polls close in ten minutes. Hopefully Georgia has held the line today. Poll traffic was reported as steady here Northeast Atlanta today...

Voter turnout for today’s runoff elections is steady but light, election officials report. Cobb County checked voting levels at 30 key precincts and by 10 a.m., 5,555 people had gone to the polls. The county tracks voting at 30 of its 175 precincts. Local and state results U.S. Senate Georgia Public Service Commission Georgia Court of Appeals Carroll County Clayton County DeKalb County Douglas County Fulton County Gwinnett County Cobb had 23,345 ballots cast absentee or in early voting, according to county spokesman Robert Quigley. At stake are three statewide offices and a number of local races in Clayton, DeKalb,...

Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the nation's largest chicken producer, which has plants in northeast Georgia, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, a move some analysts had predicted given the company's sagging debt load and volatile feed prices. The Pittsburg, Texas-based company sought the bankruptcy protection in a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas on Monday, saying that as of Sept. 27 it had $3.75 billion in assets and $2.72 billion in debts. Company spokesman Ray Atkinson said Pilgrim's Pride was reorganizing and not liquidating its assets, and the company will keep operating throughout...

The polls are open. Let's do it! Don't let Democrats reach critical mass! Please make time before or after work. Turnout is the key. Elections are the times when our activism can really get things done...or not.

7 p.m.: Walked out of the Gwinnett auditorium with Tom Baxter, late of this page, who made this observation: That the thousands who attended the Sarah Palin/Saxby Chambliss rally were the most down-scale crowd he’s seen at a GOP event this year. In other words, these were white, young blue-collar newcomers to the process. “They’ve got no money,” Baxter noted. Three weeks ago, the Chambliss rally that featured John McCain in Cobb County drew a smaller and substantially different crowd — still white, but older and in business suits. At the end of the 35-mile drive back to Atlanta, the...