Sen. Saxby Chambliss will be up for reelection this year. Will he finally get his comeuppance for more than a decade of intolerance, corruption and gutter politics? If you will be in the Atlanta area on April 2, you have the opportunity to hear four Democratic primary candidates debate each other for the chance to replace a Senator whose tactics have been described by members of his own party as "beyond offensive" and "reprehensible." See below the fold for information on the candidates as well as debate details.
Emory University School of Law in Atlanta will host a Democratic Primary Debate on April 2, 2008, featuring four U.S. Senate candidates vying for Saxby Chambliss's seat. If you read the articles I linked to above, you understand why this election is so essential. Chambliss perfectly represents the viciousness and immorality of the modern Republican party, and ABSOLUTELY MUST BE PREVENTED FROM RETURNING TO WASHINGTON FOR A SECOND TERM. We have seen from the Don Siegelman incident in our neighbor state that Southern politics can be cruel and unforgiving (and a little help from Karl Rove doesn't hurt). Therefore, it is all the more significant that we choose a candidate who can withstand the Republican machine down here and win Georgia back for the Democrats.
The debate at Emory is free and open to the public. Here is some information on the Democratic candidates who will be participating:
Dale Cardwell
From his campaign website:
Dale has been one of the premier and most consistently honored investigative journalists in Georgia. His six "Emmy" awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, as well as numerous other honors such as 2005's "Journalist of the Year," from the Atlanta Press Club, bear testament to the positive change he has brought to the people of the "Peach" state.
...Dale's more recent investigations have led to the exposure of corruption on the part of former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, the conviction of former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, the resignation of Fulton County Sheriff Jackie Barrett, the return of public funds by Senator Zell Miller, and the termination of Georgia Governor Sonny Purdue's abuse of government airplanes and helicopters for private benefit.
And Atlanta hate-radio host Neil Boortz doesn't like him. That's a definite plus in my book.
However, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution back in June, 2007:
The first issue he mentioned to us was the immigration reform bill now before the U.S. Senate, and hammered out with the assistance of both Chambliss and Johnny Isakson.
Cardwell called it an "amnesty" bill that’s aimed at satisfying corporate interests. "Georgia has to be freed from this illegal invasion that’s holding down salaries," he said.
This is fairly standard, Southern populism that you hear from members of both parties down here, but is nonetheless the kind of language most Americans do not want to hear when discussing immigration reform. It deserves to be questioned at the debate.
Rand Knight
From his bio:
Rand completed his Master’s of Science at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1997, and it was during this time that he had his first taste of entrepreneurship, building a business in sustainable development in real estate. After working for several years as an ecologist with the US Forest Service and as a manager and businessman in the private sector, Rand continued his formal education and earned a Ph.D. in Ecosystems Analysis at the University of Washington in 2003. Rand has served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Institute of Biological Sciences in Washington, D.C., and as a Scientist who helped get line-item legislative approval for the $1 billion National Ecological Observatory Network from the Executive branch and Congress.
On Iraq:
Unless our homeland is imminently threatened, we have no business using military force to control other countries while the people of the United States are left exposed to attack on our own shores. Our current leadership speaks stridently to the rest of the world about how things should be done democratically, diplomatically and with all parties at the table; however, our actions scream louder than our words, and the world no longer trusts us. We must begin demonstrating to the global audience through our actions and behavior that the United States is the greatest country in the world, and start the process of earning back the respect of those who once trusted and looked up to us.
...Our involvement in the Iraq war needs to come to a close. We need a specific timeline and benchmarks for withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, and the process needs to be honorable and secure. We need to seriously consider how best to deploy our military to protect our own homeland against terrorism and other threats. Moreover, it is very important for us to think about where, how and in what ways that we can work closely with our allies to combat terrorism worldwide. This should include hunting down and eliminating al Qaeda in Afghanistan and other hiding places.
Jeff Scott, the chairman of the Walker County Democratic Party seemed to be enthusiastic about Knight's message. I particularly like his background in ecology and his statement above on the importance of regaining the trust of the global community.
Josh Lanier
Lanier is a Vietnam veteran and a former staffer to Sen. Herman Talmadge.
From the AJC:
Lanier spent about 30 years working in Washington, first for the Army, then Talmadge’s office. He worked for several associations and then as a private consultant before he helped found LightStream Technologies, which developed water and air cleaning technologies.
...At a time when voters are expressing frustration bordering on contempt for Congress - and Washington in general - Lanier will bill his campaign as a referendum on the corrupting influence of money on politics, particularly campaign finance reform.
...One of the key decisions Lanier made about his campaign is that, unlike any other contenders, he will raise money according to restrictive campaign-finance proposal that, because Congress hasn’t passed it yet, no other candidates will held to.
"What we want to do is make Georgia ground zero for campaign finance reform," he said. I won’t play the money game. I have spent exactly zero hours dialing for dollars."
Seeing as how Chambliss has about $4 million in campaign cash, it would be worth asking Lanier how he plans to manage a campaign that would be overwhelmingly outspent at every turn by an incumbent.
From the "Q&A" section of his website:
On Guantanamo:
Guantanamo should be closed tomorrow, if not today. It is unnecessary, un-American, harmful to our diplomatic relations, and will probably take a generation to overcome.
On health care:
I see merit in adding to the market a single payer universal system of health care where all citizens can be covered, everyone pays into the system, preventative care is emphasized, pharmaceutical prices are negotiated from a position of strength, treatment coding is streamlined and records automated, doctors are able to provide the best care in a competitive and rewarding market, and hospitals are nudged and assisted toward restructuring as non-profit institutions.
He also rips into Chambliss for the paradox of proposing both health care tax credits and a national sales tax (the entire point of a national sales tax--the so-called "fair tax"--is that there are no credits, deductions, etc.)
Maggie Martinez
From her bio:
Maggy Martinez is a dedicated public servant with an excellent and honest public record. She was "Legislator of the Year in 1999" ratified by the Puerto Rico House of Representative's resolution. Also, she is a founder Board Member representing the 13th Congressional District for Early Childhood & Learning, "Bright from the Start" for the State of Georgia, and she is an educator.
...She was elected as the Chairperson of the Women in favor of statehood for Puerto Rico. From 1997 to 2000 she was the P.R. State legislator for District 40. She was a member in the Federal Issues Committee, Health Committee, Ethics Committee, Youth Committee, and she was the Chairperson of the Women's Affair Committee.
Vernon Jones, the CEO of Dekalb County and former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, is also a potential Democratic challenger, but as of now will not be participating in the Emory Law debate. The Dem candidates are currently polling fairly low against Chambliss, but this is mostly due to his name recognition compared to his potential opponents. His approval rating as of late last year was only in the low 50s. While Senate incumbents as a whole are difficult to unseat, first-term Senators such as Chambliss are far more vulnerable than their longer-serving counterparts. If you are a Georgia resident, I STRONGLY encourage you to get involved in this race and come hear what his opponents have to say.
Emory School of Law is located at 1301 Clifton Rd., Atlanta. The debate will be held in Tull Auditorium from 7pm - 10pm and is open to the public. It promises to be a lively and thought-provoking event. For more information, contact Brandon Goldberg of the Emory Law School Democrats at bcgoldb@law.emory.edu.
UPDATE: Maggie Martinez had to cancel for personal reasons. She will not be attending the debate.