Sam Nunn on Thursday condemned as "shameful" that TV spot from Republican U.S. Senate candidate David Perdue that accuses Michelle Nunn and the foundation for which she worked of giving money to terrorist-linked organizations.
“It’s shameful. Particularly when you know that everybody in the opposition campaign knows that that’s not true,” her father, the longtime former U.S senator, said in an hour-long interview. “It’s not like they believe it. There’s too much these days of anything that works, regardless of what lines it crosses.”
Michelle Nunn’s father also said his daughter, the Democratic nominee for Senate, has little obligation to support Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., should Democrats maintain the chamber in November – given that Reid, in the spring of 2013, asked her not to run for Sam Nunn’s old seat.\
“They said they had their eye on another candidate,” Sam Nunn said. Presumably, that other candidate would have been U.S. Rep. John Barrow, D-Augusta, whom many Democrats were attempting to lure into the contest at the time.
Michelle Nunn, her father said, rejected the advice to withdraw. Barrow declined to enter the race.
Sam Nunn’s remarks were part of a full-court press by Nunn campaign to combat the effects of a 30-second spot that accuses the daughter of one of the nation’s foremost security experts of funneling money to questionable Islamic groups, through the Points of Light Foundation, a volunteer organization founded by former President George H.W. Bush.
Neil Bush, chairman of the Points of Light Foundation, likewise denounced the accusation as "shameful" last month – after his father endorsed Perdue. In a TV ad released last week, Michelle Nunn looks directly into the camera to denounce what she called "a terrible lie."
The topic first came to light in a Nunn campaign memo that examined areas that could cause problems for the first-time candidate. But fact-checking operations of several newspapers have looked into the resulting accusation, including the AJC's Politifact, and have debunked it.
“Look, that ad is nothing more than a report of what’s in their campaign plan. My question is, why aren’t we asking them to reveal the details around the fact that that organization is on their approved list?” Perdue told our AJC colleague Nicholas Fouriezos today.
Today’s sit-down with Sam Nunn was his most extensive yet on the topic of his daughter’s U.S. Senate candidate.
In addition to the TV attack and Harry Reid, the elder Nunn also said that, when choosing a senator, Georgia voters ought to be thinking long-term – well beyond the Obama administration.
Below is a partial transcript:
Sam Nunn said he wouldn't be at Tuesday’s debate in Perry between his daughter and David Perdue – a board meeting of his Nuclear Threat Initiative will keep him in Washington. But he thinks the three Nunn/Perdue confrontations now on the calendar will matter – particularly when it comes to Michelle Nunn defining herself as an independent Democrat. To continue:
Insider: What did Nunn get?
Sam Nunn: Nunn got 51.7 percent – 51 or 52 percent. It was close. But the debates had a huge effect in that campaign.
…My first term in the Senate, I served [with] three presidents and four vice presidents. In her first three years, she's going to serve with two presidents. Georgia has a history of electing people to stay in the Senate – if they do a good job.
And it has a big effect on the state over time. People don't think about it, but I think that's one of the real important things here – her ability, if she gets elected this time, and if she continues to get elected….
Insider: We haven't elected younger people to that spot lately.
Sam Nunn: I think it's important. Michelle's opponent says he will serve only 12 years. I understand there's a debate about term limits. But to me, that's unilateral disarmament. That's like saying you basically will never be a major committee chairman.
Appropriations, Armed Services and Foreign Relations and Finance – people seek those committees. I think it's important for the state.
For an awful lot of people who may think Michelle is the best candidate, but who don't favor the president or don't favor the majority leader – I think those people need to think longer term.
The whole history of Georgia, and one of the great strengths of our economy, are military bases as well as things like the CDC – it goes to the question of not only having people stay there long enough and gain seniority, but also respect.
So to me, saying you're going to get elected and serve 12 years is basically unilateral disarmament on that very important point. People who don't like President Obama, but do like Michelle, I think really need to think seriously on this.
Insider: And the argument that this race is about control of the U.S. Senate?
Sam Nunn: My view on control of the Senate is, nobody controls the Senate –whether they've got 50 votes or 51 or 52 votes in the current atmosphere. Even if you've got 60 votes, the last two votes you need to kill a filibuster – they demand so much of the majority leader. Governance in the Senate doesn't work unless people on both sides of the aisle can work together – and unless they say they are going to work together.
Will this election change the whole thing? No. It's going to take Democrats and Republicans, all over the country, over the next several election cycles, who say they want to work together.
…The ability to have a functioning U.S. Senate, where people work together, in my view is absolutely crucial economically, and it's absolutely crucial in terms of security. When countries around the world, whether it's North Korea or Iran or whatever, when they see a dysfunctional Washington -- if they have any kind of itch, they feel like it's time to scratch it.
I think she ought to work with President Obama. She'll work with another president in three years. Whether it's Democrat or Republican, you really try to carve out areas where you can work. To have a campaign that's major focus is accusing your opponent of being willing to work with the only person that's president of the United States – if those kinds of campaign tactics win over and over again, then Washington is going to remain dysfunctional.
And the danger to America, economically and security-wise, will grow. I just don't think people think about it enough.
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