Political Insider

By Just A Grunt

October 24, 2008 9:48 AM | Link to this

How frikkin stupid and desperate are these liberals? A sitting Senator is supposed to be innately aware of the working conditions inside of all the businesses in his state? I must have overlooked that part of the job description.

By Matilda

October 24, 2008 9:53 AM | Link to this

Will Saxby Chambliss respond the way the members of the Bush Administration do when they receive a subpoena? “SCREW YOU. I AIN’T TESTIFYIN’. YOU GONNA MAKE ME?”

By awm

October 24, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this

Some people will try anything to swing the election their way, what a pity.

By GeezGuys

October 24, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this

Hey, Grunt, nobody said it’s part of his job description. You didn’t bother to read the story in the Savannah paper before making your knee-jerk rant, did you?

By Independent

October 24, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this

I voted for Saxby six years ago.

He and his lobbyist son will not be getting my vote this year.

I will be voting for Jim Martin.

Saxby = Cronyism = George W. Bush

By RobbieSue

October 24, 2008 3:49 PM | Link to this

Saxby Chambliss voted FOR the corporate welfare bailout package, therefore I will be voting AGAINST Saxby Chambliss.

By Carl Row

October 25, 2008 6:40 PM | Link to this

Saxby has worked hard to get things done for his friends on Wall Street.

Yes to rewarding companies that send American jobs to China, India, and other countries. In 2004, Chambliss voted against closing up $39 billion in tax breaks for companies that outsource their jobs. [Vote 90, 5/11/04] In 2005, Chambliss voted against against repealing tax incentives for domestic companies that move their manufacturing plants out of the U.S. [Vote 63, 3/17/05] He even gave those same companies a tax cut. In 2003, Chambliss voted to cut taxes on U.S. companies’ overseas income from 35% to 5.25%. [Vote 165, 5/15/03]

Won’t hold U.S. companies accountable if they deal with terrorists. Chambliss even voted against an amendment that makes U.S. businesses liable for dealing with foreign businesses that have links to terrorism. [Vote 203, 7/26/05]

By Bo Chambliss LOBBYIST

October 25, 2008 7:24 PM | Link to this

If the war/surge is such a success why isn’t Bo Chambliss in Iraq instead of making all the country club booze parties in D.C.? What’s going to happen to that “surge success” when the Shiite militia calls of the cease fire and the thousands of Sunni insurgents (aka the “CLC”) we are paying millions to get tired of fighting for a country they hate, and there is still no political progress on the most significant contentious issues?

Some 70,000 former insurgents are now being paid $10 a day by the U.S. military. It costs about a quarter billion dollars a year in the three trillion dollar fiasco that’s helping to usher in Depression II.

Ole Saxbuh voted 99% with Bushie in the last eight years. His pronouncements during the passage of the illegal wiretapping debacle were simply false statements meant to take advantage of an indifferent and uneducated populace who is getting the democracy they deserve including the bills Bo writes for the Chicago Mercantile exchange.

Saxby still flies Corporate Jet Air free on company owned planes in a familiar quid pro quo.

“It leaves when you want to leave. It goes where you want it to go when you want it to go there. You don’t have to go through the normal security, and you get a lot more than peanuts.”

Little Bo is a recipient of this largess as well.

A spokesman for US Tobacco, Mike Bazinet, said that it received more requests for planes than it could fulfill and that it generally sent a representative on the flights. A spokeswoman for Federal Express, Kristin Krause, said it was policy to do just that. Ms. Krause rejected the notion that FedEx lobbyists had undue access.

“The way you get there is less important than what you do while you’re there,” said Mr. Chambliss, who spent more on corporate jet travel than any other incumbent senator, the Political Money Line said.

Mr. Chambliss said he never spoke to a lobbyist “about any particular issue” on his trips.

I wasn’t on the plane, but ole Saxbuh flew for free on corporate jets than any other Senatuh.

Here’s lookin at ya Bo and Saxbuh:

Saxby the Sugar Stooge. One of the biggest corporate stooges in the Senate, Saxby took corporate loyalty to a new level at a Senate hearing on Friday.

Based on his demeanor at a Senate hearing on Friday you would think Saxby owned Imperial Sugar Company.Well maybe Imperial Sugar owns him.

Saxby is arguing that a “whistleblower” is responsible for a February explosion that killed 13 people at the Imperial Sugar company plant in Port Wentworth, Georgia. Keep in mind that Graham. H. Graham (the man being questioned) had only worked at the plant for three months, while others allege years of safety violations.

Let’s follow the quotes and then follow the money and even Saxby’s son ,the corporate lobbyist, and his connections:

The Article in the Houston Chronicle says

“Chambliss also said he has not been influenced by any lobbyists for the Sugar Land, Texas-based company or by his son, Bo. The younger Chambliss is an in-house Washington lobbyist for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, which also is represented by an outside firm that lobbies for Imperial Sugar. “My purpose has been to try to get the facts out,” Chambliss said. “This guy (Graham) is an agent of the company. How anybody can interpret that I’m doing something for the benefit of the company when really I’m chastising their agent is beyond me … The company’s got to stand on their own. I’m not about to defend them in any way.”

However that is countered by Graham and his attorneys as well as the other Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson.

“Hilder and others have accused Chambliss of doing the company’s bidding on Tuesday when he sharply questioned Graham at a Senate hearing. Chambliss’ questions raised eyebrows because no one aside from Imperial had publicly doubted Graham’s claims. That includes Chambliss’ fellow Georgia Republican, Johnny Isakson. The two rarely split, but Isakson says he has full faith in Graham’s account.”

Let’s follow the money for a second

This might show a little inisght as to why the questions of bias arise.

Look at Imperial Sugar’s PAC $1,000 to Saxby Chambliss this cycle- $2,000 of which was contributed by John Sheptor

John Sheptor is President and CEO of Imperial Sugar who is compensated quite handsomely.

There are several others with ties to Imperial Sugar that have contributed to the PAC Harold Mechler - CFO is a $500 Contributor to the PAC

Gaylord Coan - $1,000 contributor to the PAC is a director

(Apparently Savannah Congressman John Barrow returned some of the money he was given by Imperial and he’s not even questioning them at a Senate hearing)

Saxby Chambliss has received $21k from the Sugar industry this cycle.

Saxby Chambliss has a son Bo Chambliss who works for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as a registered lobbyist (the quote is correct there)

Clarence “Bo” Saxby Chambliss has given $2,000 to the Chicago Mercantile PAC.

The Chicago Mercantile lobbyist works on behalf of several companies with ties to the Sugar Industry.

Googling lobbying and CME, we found one article that shows that

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange is employing the son of Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) to lobby members of his father’s congressional committee and other lawmakers on legislation that may increase trading at the exchange. Clarence Saxby “Bo” Chambliss Jr. is one of two staff lobbyists at the Merc charged with “providing information on issues that impact our industry to decision-makers in Washington,” Merc spokesman David Prosperi said Friday. Saxby Chambliss heads the Senate Agriculture Committee, which jointly oversees the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and must this year pass legislation reauthorizing the futures regulator through 2011. The CFTC’s current authority expires Sept. 30. The panel may vote as early as this month on a bill to reauthorize the CFTC, said a committee spokesman.

Now there isn’t much recusing Bo Chambliss can do with one other lobbyist unless that lobbyist is doing the heavy lifting while Bo is giving mulligans to Judge Smails

Probably not much of a stretch to say that Saxby has some questions to answer about his claim that he is not biased. We will keep searching to see if we can find more connections between Saxby and Imperial Sugar. Or we will let you know if Saxby follows suit of John Barrow and returns the PAC contributions. Conclusion: Saxby Chambliss needs to go home or get a job at some Sugar Refinery (Remember what he did to Max Cleeland) and remember Saxbuh faked a knee injury that was not examined with any modern degree of medical comp;etence and Bo chooses not to serve like so many other Republican cowards.

Thanks to TPM for the research on Saxby aka Saxbuh the Sugar shill.

By Ga Values

October 25, 2008 7:36 PM | Link to this

I cannot wait to cast my vote for Saxby!! Saxby is far better than that Obama supporting Democrat, Jim Martin.

SAXBY ALL THE WAY!!

By Tom GA Hunter

October 25, 2008 8:11 PM | Link to this

Saxby has my vote too. I will not pull a “Perot” and vote for Buckley. A vote for Buckley is a vote for Martin. Saxby may not be the best candidate in the world, but I think he is better than the alternative. A vote for Martin/Buckley is a vote to increase the power of the three biggest morons in American politics: Reid, Pelosi, and Obama/Biden. Why would anyone in this great state want to support more San Francisco/Marxist values on the good people this great country.

SAXBY 08

By Zeep

October 26, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this

Why we need to improve education in Georgia —- Tom GA Hunter’s reference to “the power of the three biggest morons in American politics: Reid, Pelosi, and Obama/Biden. “

I count four names…