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DEL.ICIO.USBuckley: Martin better on liberty than Chambliss, but ‘could be worse’ fiscally
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To earn his endorsement, Libertarian Allen Buckley is requiring the surviving two candidates in the U.S. Senate runoff to sign a lengthy statement of principles.
You can read the entire thing here. It includes a demand for a balanced federal budget, a less expansive military, rethinking the war on drugs, ballot access for third parties, and this promise:
“Given that judges can be on call 24/7, I will never vote for any legislation that allows spying on American citizens without a warrant issued by a federal judge.”
Don’t expect a signature from either Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss or Democrat Jim Martin. Even so, both parties have aggressively pursued the 128,002 votes that Buckley won on Nov. 4.
Public Policy Polling of North Carolina said this week that the result is likely to be a wash in the Dec. 2 runoff.
According to the firm’s final poll before the election, Buckley voters were all over the map when it came to the presidential election:
36% of Buckley’s supporters were for John McCain, 32% were for Barack Obama, and 30% were supporting the Libertarian ‘ticket’ and also supporting Bob Barr.
That could be important, now that Chambliss and Martin have turned the Senate contest into a remorse-or-no-remorse vote on the incoming Barack Obama administration.
Further, PPP noted that Buckley voters were much younger than others. Thirty percent were under the age of 30, compared to 17 percent in the overall population of voters.
That could mean that Buckley voters are less likely to show up for a low-profile runoff held five days after Thanksgiving.
Still, that hasn’t stopped the Chambliss and Martin from trying. On Saturday, Chambliss took his campaign to North Georgia, which gave Buckley his strongest support.
The Martin campaign this week has passed around comments made by Buckley to a Democratic web site called Senate Guru:
Senate Guru: Do you believe that Saxby Chambliss’ position on the Wall Street bailout has been fiscally responsible?
Allen Buckley: Something needed to be done, but I wouldn’t have voted for the bail-out bill. No, I don’t think his position was fiscally responsible.
Senate Guru: Speaking as a Libertarian, which remaining candidate do you think would be more proactive in restoring the civil liberties of Georgians and acting appropriately in response to the Bush Administration’s practice of wiretapping Americans’ phones without warrants?
Allen Buckley: Jim Martin.
Now, Buckley confirmed making the comments above. But the Smyrna attorney and CPA also said this in an e-mail:
“Those are my answers. I believe Martin would be better with respect to civil liberties. It’s hard to believe he could be worse than Chambliss on fiscal matters, but he could be so.”
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Comments
By john denton
November 19, 2008 11:10 AM | Link to this
I believe Martin would be better with respect to civil liberties. It’s hard to believe he could be worse than Chambliss on fiscal matters, but he could be so.”
But Jim, in your headline you quoted Buckley as saying Martin “could be worse,” leaving off the “hard to believe” part.
Don’t make me come down there and wipe that foolish smirk off your face. Just kidding. I can phonebank from Oregon and win more Martin votes than you can discourage from Atlanta.
By nirad
November 19, 2008 11:44 AM | Link to this
Mr Denton is correct. Your headline is very misleading. Saying someone “could be worse” and saying it’s “hard to believe he could be worse” are basically the opposite. That’s pretty shoddy journalism.
By jacksmith
November 19, 2008 12:32 PM | Link to this
WE HAVE MORE TO DO:
Democrat Jim Martin is in a runoff against Bush Republican Saxby Chambliss for the Senate seat from Georgia. Bush’s Saxby Chambliss voted against spending a few measly dollars to provide health care coverage for Georgia, and Americas needy children. But he supported wasting hundreds of billions of your dollars, and the life BLOOD of Americas finest on an unnecessary war in Iraq.
At a time when 47 million of you have no health insurance coverage, and over 100 million of you with insurance are just one major illness away from complete financial destruction. Bush and Saxby Chambliss voted to make the heart break of bankruptcy relief even harder for all of you to use.
You see, Bush and Saxby Chambliss, and his family don’t have to worry about their health care coverage. They have the finest health care coverage your tax money can buy for them. Courtesy of you. The American Tax payer. In fact, no one but the super rich can afford the health care coverage you the tax payer provide for Saxby Chambliss, and his family for FREE! with your tax dollars.
He supposedly works for you. But he doesn’t think you and your family should have access to the type of taxpayer supported FREE health care that you provide for him, and his loved ones for FREE!. Doesn’t that just make you BURRING MAD!
Vote for JIM MARTIN for US senator from Georgia. Vote for JIM Martin who will be on your side. Vote for JIM MARTIN who will work with President Obama and a majority congress for you. Vote for JIM MARTIN most of all for your-self, your family’s, friends, and loved ones. Vote for JIM MARTIN for a better America, and a better World.
Don’t let Saxby Chambliss make a chump out of you by tricking you into voting against your own best interest. Saxby chambliss is NOT! on your side. He’s not one of you. He is on George Bush’s side. And we all know what a catastrophe the Bush Chambliss administration has been the past 8 years.
Contact all your family and friends and do every thing you can to see to it that JIM MARTIN and GEORGIANS! take that senate seat back for Georgia, and America. No matter where you live in America. This is important to you. President Obama will need all the help, and power you can give him to try and fix this catastrophic mess that the Corrupt Bush Chambliss administration has created.
As I said before you will have to vote in overwhelming numbers to overcome the Bush Chambliss “Let Them Eat Cake” vote fraud machine. Vote early if you can. Then help everyone you can get to the polls and vote for JIM MARTIN. You and your loved ones don’t have to be Saxby Chambliss’s victims anymore.
I know you will get it done. Just like you did for President Obama.
God bless all of you
jacksmith - WORKING CLASS… :-)
By Sissy Saxby
November 19, 2008 12:59 PM | Link to this
Don’t expect Sissy Saxby to stand up for your individual rights. The only right he believes in is the right to make money.
By Wayne
November 19, 2008 2:15 PM | Link to this
A vote for Jim Martin, is a vote for socialism in America. The Democrats will have a 60-40 majority in the Senate and we (the American People) will have 2 years of our Civil Liberties stolen from us. Congress will rob from the rich to give to the poor and rob from the middle class to give to themselves. Jim Martin supports Barack Obama and all of his left wing liberal agenda. It is irresponsible for Mr. Buckley to call him self a conservative in his campaign ads then support a liberal. Buckley is no more conservative than the candidate he supports with statements such as those.
By Wayne
November 19, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this
A vote for Jim Martin, is a vote for socialism in America. The Democrats will have a 60-40 majority in the Senate and we (the American People) will have 2 years of our Civil Liberties stolen from us. Congress will rob from the rich to give to the poor and rob from the middle class to give to themselves. Jim Martin supports Barack Obama and all of his left wing liberal agenda. It is irresponsible for Mr. Buckley to call him self a conservative in his campaign ads then support a liberal. Buckley is no more conservative than the candidate he supports with statements such as those.
By WH
November 19, 2008 2:23 PM | Link to this
When the SCHIP proposal was sent to President Bush to sign, some members in Congress have tried to use this program to create a massive government-run health care system by allowing states to cover “adults” with their SCHIP funds, and in some cases “families making as much as $80,000 a year.” Saxby and other lawmakers supported an alternative proposal to expand SCHIP by $9.5 billion over the next five years. Additionally, they co-sponsored another alternative proposal to reauthorize and fully fund the existing SCHIP program for an additional 18 months. That extension would allow Congress time to steer the SCHIP program back to its original intent of access to healthcare for low-income children while giving the states a significant funding commitment in order to make sound decisions regarding the future of their programs.
Now for the bail-out. President-elect Obama also signed the bail-out package. So quit blaming Senator Chambliss, and making it like he was the only one who signed it just like Jim Martin is doing.
Sometimes many people get half of the truth, and start sputtering those half-truths all around because of some AJC article, which they are well known for their biasness or some TV campaign ad. Read more articles from many newspapers and other news networks, and get your facts straight.
Saxby Chambliss has always had the concerns for all Georgians on his mind. Jim Martin is just going to be a “Democratic Pawn” and a “Yes Main.”
By Irresponsable
November 19, 2008 2:33 PM | Link to this
Your a joke Jim Galloway. That title is professionally irresponsible.To mislead all those people who are going to read the title pass judgement and never read the article.
By Bo Chambliss LOBBYIST
November 19, 2008 2:39 PM | Link to this
Saxby is a BIG SPENDING, BIG GOVERNMENT, PRO AMNESTY SOCIALIST. SAXBY sells our vote to the highest paying LOBBYIST. A vote for Saxby is a vote for out of state LOBBYIST..
By TO: WH
November 19, 2008 2:46 PM | Link to this
TO: WH Saxby Chambliss has always had the concerns for all Georgians on his mind. Jim Martin is just going to be a “Democratic Pawn” and a “Yes Main.”
If you think that Chambliss wasent a”Republican Pawn” and a “Bush Yes Man” not main then your just as bias and nieve as the rest off them
By Libertarian Voter
November 19, 2008 2:47 PM | Link to this
Proudly votes for Allen in the election, just voting for Martin in the runoff because he is LESS BAD THAN SAXBY
By TO: WH
November 19, 2008 2:47 PM | Link to this
TO: WH Saxby Chambliss has always had the concerns for all Georgians on his mind. Jim Martin is just going to be a “Democratic Pawn” and a “Yes Main.”
If you think that Chambliss wasent a”Republican Pawn” and a “Bush Yes Man” not main then your just as bias and nieve as the rest of them
By TO: WH
November 19, 2008 2:51 PM | Link to this
TO: WH Saxby Chambliss has always had the concerns for all Georgians on his mind. Jim Martin is just going to be a “Democratic Pawn” and a “Yes Main.”
If you think that Chambliss wasent a”Republican Pawn” and a “Bush Yes Man” not main then your just as bias and nieve as the rest of them
By TO: WH
November 19, 2008 2:55 PM | Link to this
TO: WH Saxby Chambliss has always had the concerns for all Georgians on his mind. Jim Martin is just going to be a “Democratic Pawn” and a “Yes Main.”
If you think that Chambliss wasent a”Republican Pawn” and a “Bush Yes Man” not main then your just as bias and nieve as the rest of them
By Saxby stole my Social Security
November 19, 2008 3:07 PM | Link to this
Saxby’s Gang of 10 Traitors has helped elect OBAMA. His vote for the $700,000,000,000.00 Wall Street Bailout with an added $153,000,000,000.00 of pork was done after he got over $2,000,000.00 from LOBBYIST. Saxby worked with Pelosi, Reid, Boxer & Kennedy on the ILLEGAL AMNESTY Bill & to over ride President Bush’s Veto of the PORK filled Farm Bill. If this is what our country needs we are in deep trouble.
By bill purser
November 19, 2008 6:56 PM | Link to this
saxby chambliss,has never failed to surprise me.defeating max cleland a viet nam veteran and triple amputee,for the senate seat.you georgians owe M.C.a debt of gratitude for his service.shame on you.what has happened to your patriotism
By James Anderson Merritt
November 28, 2008 2:57 AM | Link to this
Thanks to those who voted for Allen Buckley. The fact that his candidacy forced Martin and Chambliss into a runoff at least guarantees that the two surviving candidates must address Buckley’s libertarian issues.
Unfortunately, the wrong candidates survived the runoff. No matter who wins, the victorious candidate will support bigger government intrusion into your lives than you have seen previously. The real choice was between bigger government and smaller government, and by eliminating Allen Buckley, that choice was also eliminated. The only decision you now have to make, Georgia voters, is which side of the pie will be chomped sooner, civil rights or property rights.
If, when this year’s victor is up for re-election in six years, the government is taking more of your money in taxes, putting your descendants in debt, and further restraining your behavior, you can blame yourselves for voting for the two-party system, instead of the alternative offered by the Libertarian Party and other third-parties. Today, please resolve to vote for third parties if, six years from now, we have gone further down the bad road. Indeed, if we have continued down that road just two years from now, please give third party candidates your serious consideration for other Senate or House seats in 2010. You have to draw the line at some point. Take a lesson from the aftermath of the 2008 election. Watch and see what happens next.