Peachy Keen For ... ?
As GA voters go to the polls tomorrow to cast ballots in the runoff election between Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin, they hold one of two keys to the Democrats securing a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority. If Chambliss wins, the Dems will fall at least one vote shy of the margin; the party has secured 58 seats to date, with the GA and MN contests outstanding.
MN is, of course, still mired in a complicated recount of the race between Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Coleman holds a 270-vote edge today with about 90% of ballots counted. Franken's lawyer, Marc Elias, pushed today during a call with reporters for the state canvassing board, which has jurisdiction over the recount, to count any "wrongfully rejected" absentee ballots. MN's secretary of state, Elias said, has advised that as many as 1K such ballots have not been tallied.
"Will Sen. Coleman choose to argue that in fact Minnesotans' legally cast votes should not be counted?" Elias said.
Mark Drake, a spokesman for Coleman's campaign, sent his response to Elias' absentee argument via email: “Absolutely no one knows that number, including Marc Elias. What is clear is that the Franken campaign doesn’t care about the recount and plan [sic] to take this to the courts and the U.S. Senate.”
Elias also said on the call that the campaign would withdraw several legal ballot challenges levied across the state. Both campaigns have filed ballot challenges. There are more than 5,700 challenged ballots in play today, according to the MST.
A final MN count is expected sometime later this month, though the Franken camp teased today that they're willing to go to the mat -- court perhaps? -- for those absentee ballots.
Meanwhile, from Bill Clinton to Sarah Palin, a Who's Who of Dem and GOP headliners have traipsed through the Peach State over the last month to stump for their preferred candidates. Even Ludacris, the hip hop star, was expected to show tonight with Martin. Barack Obama, it's worth noting, never turned out, preferring, we imagine, not to spend precious early political capital on a contest that could go against the Dems.
So Georgians will have the first final say tomorrow about how much power Senate Democrats will have going into the 111th Congress. And we'll have the results here tomorrow eve. Check back.
(JENNIFER SKALKA)
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... :-)