Tag: Jim Martin

Six years ago, as the nascent liberal blogosphere first began to coalesce, one particular incident quickly became seared in our minds, forever to be a rallying cry – something we would never let go unanswered again. I’m speaking of Saxby Chambliss’s unthinkably odious ad in which he slurred Max Cleland by pairing the triple-amputee war hero with images of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein:

I know you haven’t forgotten this grave offense – none of us have. That’s why I’ve put our goal thermometer right along side that ad, so that we can finally exact payback for this most outrageous and underhanded attack.

I’ll be honest: I didn’t think we’d see this day so soon. Georgia hasn’t exactly been fertile territory for Democrats in some time, and I figured Saxby would cruise to re-election. Fortunately, the political environment and the quality of our nominee have changed things dramatically. We need to seize this opportunity, to honor Max Cleland, to show that we won’t get bullied, and to send a great populist progressive like Jim Martin to the Senate.

We’ve already made awesome progress toward our goal in just twenty-four hours. But time is running very, very short. Barely more than three weeks remain until election day. Please give now.

Check this shit out. Insider Advantage (PDF) (10/9, likely voters, no trendlines):

Jim Martin (D): 45

Saxby Chambliss (R-inc): 45

Other: 2

Undecided: 8

(MoE: ±4.3%)

Hot damn. While Insider Advantage doesn’t make its internals and crosstabs public, this is in line with just about every other recent poll we’ve seen in this race. There is just no doubt now that this is a seriously hot contest, and a winnable seat for Dems.

Which is why I’m going to implore you once again to chip in and help out Jim Martin’s campaign. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about the blogosphere’s fundraising capabilities. One thing that’s become clear to me is that we function best when we act as a first mover – when we jump in early, get the ball rolling, and build up some buzz. In the right cases, that excitement draws in the bigger players and special things can really happen. And I think this is one of those cases.

However, we all know that for Team Blue to have a serious shot here, Chuck Schumer and the DSCC have to get involved. But like James said, we need to put our money where our mouths are – if those of us who are clamoring to make this a marquee race don’t pony up, why should the big boys?

I should add, though, that this fundraising push is not just about momentum-building. Jim Martin is going to need every last dime he can get his hands on. $2300 won’t cover the cost of TV ads, but it can pay for vans to transport voters on election day, boxes of palm cards, pizza for the staff, you name it. In a race as tight as this, everything counts, large and small.

So please, I implore you – dig deep. I know things are scary economically right now and that this ask is probably not coming at a good time for most folks. But if we want Barack Obama to have a real shot at undoing the mess that eight years of Bush, Cheney and McCain have gotten us into, then he’s going to need progressive populist partners like Jim Martin. Let’s make it happen!

(Hat-tip: RandySF)

UPDATE: Can’t believe I forgot the bonus finding! McNap leads by just THREE points statewide (PDF), 49-46. Yes, in Georgia.

LATE UPDATE: Wow! We only began late this afternoon and we’re already at 19 contributions and $923 donated. Can we make it an even 20/$1000?

Many times over the past few months, we’ve been asked if and when we’d fundraise for another candidate. We’ve said all along that we’d hold our fire unless and until we saw a very special opportunity emerge. That time is now.

Over the past two cycles, SSP has only endorsed three candidates: Jon Tester and Paul Hackett in 2005 and Travis Childers earlier this year in his groundbreaking Mississippi special election race. Today, we add a fourth: Georgia Senate candidate Jim Martin, who is waging an uphill but increasingly competitive battle against the repugnant GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

As with Childers, we were the first prognosticator to give this race a highly competitive rating, and the polls have shown this contest dramatically tightening in recent weeks. We would never ask our readers to donate to a candidate unless we truly believed that we stood a fighting chance of winning — and I believe that Jim Martin is within striking distance.

As Markos writes, Jim Martin is a progressive candidate across the board — a veteran state legislator, a sharp consumer advocate and friend of labor, and a thoroughly committed Democrat. You couldn’t ask for a better trade than replacing Saxby Chambliss, a man who slandered triple-amputee Max Cleland in his 2002 Senate race, with Jim Martin.

We’re not predicting a Martin win. But we are saying that this is a crucial opportunity, and Martin needs every last dollar he can get. While we would all love for the DSCC to flood Georgia with ads and resources, it’s time to put our money where our mouths are. If we expect Chuck Schumer to step up, we should be prepared to do the same.

Our goal? The same as in April: $2300 for Martin. In other words, that’s the equivalent of one “maxed out” big dollar donation.

Together, we can do this. So please support Jim Martin today with whatever you can manage.

Strategic Vision (R) (10/5-7, likely voters, 9/7-9 in parens):

Jim Martin (D): 44 (36)

Saxby Chambliss (R-inc): 47 (54)

Allen Buckley (L): 4 (4)

(MoE: ±3%)

Here’s yet more confirmation that we have a real race on our hands in Georgia: even Republican pollster Strategic Vision has the race within three, tightening from an 18-point spread one month ago (before the stock market collapse, Chambliss’s bailout vote, and, as an extra treat for Georgians, gas lines). The same sample shows a surprisingly close presidential race in Georgia as well, with McCain up only 50-43.

This poll might stick out like a sore thumb, if it didn’t mirror every other poll taken in the last few weeks; in fact, this race just slipped in to yellow toss-up territory at Pollster.com. Winning here (and the other Pollster tossups) would not only take us to the ‘magic number’ of 60, but give us the immense satisfaction of taking out Chambliss, who owes his Senate seat to one of the most disgusting smear jobs in American history. His opponent, Jim Martin, was just yesterday added to O2B over at Kos (hint hint).

There was a poll after the GA primary that showed Martin down 6 and Schumer and the DSCC said they’d keep an eye on this race. Well, it looks like they may look elsewhere now.

http://www.surveyusa.com/clien…

Atlanta attorney Jim Martin had much to celebrate last night at Piedmont Park’s Park Tavern as he, his family, and campaign team savored a landslide victory rout over DeKalb County Executive Vernon Jones.

Atlanta’s WSB-TV is reporting this morning that Martin garnered 190000+ votes to win 60/40 over Jones with 99% of precints reporting. WSB election results data can be found here.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitition:

.Turnout was light in the race for the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Only 18 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the primary, and fewer than half of those were expected to return to the polls Tuesday for 12 hours of voting that began at 7 a.m.

The entire AJC article can be found here.

NEXT STEPS

While many local and national pundits have viewed a Martin/Chambliss contest as a third tier race, recent polling data suggests otherwise Chambliss is vulnerable. Recent polling shows that fewer than 40% of Georgia voters are planning to vote to re-elect him this November.  Here is recent polling data from the Mellman Group here.

This is a winnable race. An exceptionally strong African American turnout in Georgia this fall in support of Barack Obama, aided by substantial liberal voting blocs in Fulton and DeKalb counties, Athens, and Savannah, can propel Martin to victory in November.

Whether you live in Georgia or elsewhere, your help is needed. Saxby Chambliss begins this race with a substantial $4 million+ campaign war chest. Although Jim Martin has proven to be an adept fundraiser in previous campaigns, he cannot overcome this current Chambliss financial advantage without your help.

DONT GET MAD…GET EVEN!

Saxby Chambliss’ despicable, vicious and dishonest attacks on war hero and former Senator Max Cleland in the 2002 election, plus his unyielding support of George W. Bush for the last six years underscore his lack of character and judgement. He’s in the same league as other Bushbots like Joe Lieberman, John Cornyn, and others. It’s time for us to GET EVEN and remove the stench of Saxby Chambliss from the US Senate.

Whether you live in Georgia or elsewhere, your help is needed. Saxby Chambliss begins this race with a substantial $4 million+ campaign warchest. Although Jim Martin has proven to be an adept fundraiser in previous campaigns, he cannot overcome this current Chambliss financial advantage without your help. Please consider a donation today to help Jim defeat Chambliss.

Donate to the Martin For Senate campaign here.

Be sure to put add a penny (.01) to your donation so it can be identified as netroots support.

VOLUNTEER

An exceptionally strong network of volunteers in the Atlanta area were critical to Jim Martin’s primary and runoff successes, but much more help will be needed to successfully defeat Chambliss. Whether you are a Georgia resident or reside in surrounding states like Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, or SC, please take time to volunteer and help us remove the Stench of Saxby from public office. You can volunteer to help Jim Martin defeat Saxby Chambliss here.

Cross posted at Daily Kos.

This is a reminder for all Georgia residents: don’t forget to vote for Jim Martin tomorrow in the Democratic Senate Primary runoff against Vernon Jones. Jones, a Democrat-in-name-only who proudly brags that he voted for George W. Bush in both 2000 and 2004, has neither the statewide name recognition, the ability to raise funds, nor the personal character to defeat Saxby Chambliss next fall.

Jim Martin is a person of tremendous intelligence, decency and integrity. He served for nearly two decades in the Georgia House of Representatives, including chairing the House Judiciary Committee; and ran a strong, though unsuccessful, campaign for Lieutenant Governor in 2006, where he garnered 75000 more votes than Dem Gubernatorial candidate Mark Taylor.

More on the flip…

Here’s what The Atlanta Journal Constitution had to say about the two candidates in their endorsement of Jim Martin:

Martin is clearly the better choice.

As a Vietnam veteran with a long and admirable career in public service and the law, Martin has the background and credentials to represent Georgia well. As a state legislator, Martin was known as a workhorse, someone who knew the issues and who could work with colleagues to get things done. That same combination of wisdom, hard work and collegiality served Martin well as head of the state Department of Human Services under Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes and then Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue.

Jones, a two-term DeKalb County CEO, is an intelligent man and has been a competent county administrator. Unfortunately, his temperament, judgment and behavior make him a bad fit for higher office. His style is confrontational, and he has shown very little ability or willingness to respect conflicting views. Put simply, Jones would not be good for the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. Senate would not be good for him.

You can read the entire endorsement in the AJC archives here.

Chambliss is vulnerable. Recent polling shows that fewer than 40% of Georgia voters are planning to vote to re-elect him this November.  Here is recent polling data from the Mellman Group here.

Turnout is expected to be low in tomorrow’s election, so please make every effort to ensure you get to the polls and select Jim Martin, a solid progressive who can and will defeat Saxby Chambliss this fall.

And if you have a few bucks to spare, please consider a donation to Jim Martin here.

To be crossposted at Daily Kos.

Senate Guru is on strike!  What are the Guru’s demands?  To get the Guru back to blogging, we need to raise seven twenty-dollar bills each for red state Democratic Senate candidates Jim Martin, Jim Slattery, and Ronnie Musgrove on the Expand the Map! ActBlue page.  Your Andrew Jacksons will go toward a great cause: dislodging Shameless Saxby Chambliss, Bush-cover-up-artist Pat Roberts, and ethically questionable Roger Wicker from the U.S. Senate.  So, please, this weekend, send your twenties to these competitive Democrats in red states via the Expand the Map! ActBlue page and get the Guru back to blogging!