It is obviously in incumbent Saxby Chambliss' best interest NOT to have Libertarian Allen Buckley invited to any Georgia Senatorial debates this year. Buckley's reasoned positions on fiscal responsibility, and his ability to point out Saxby's porcine wallowing at the Federal trough for farm subsidies and other earmarks would make him a more uncomfortable debating adversary than either Democrat still in the running (Vernon Jones and Jim Martin).
So Chambliss, trying to stage-manage the whole thing, has set up a strategy to exclude Buckley, as reported by the Peachtree [GA] Weekly:
Ballot access rules. Polling exclusion. Media coverage. Debate exclusion. GOP officials publicly calling for Libertarians to drop out of their races at both the State and National levels.
Ya think somebody's getting worried?
So Chambliss, trying to stage-manage the whole thing, has set up a strategy to exclude Buckley, as reported by the Peachtree [GA] Weekly:
Atlanta, Georgia (August 4, 2008) - According to an August 4th article by Jim Galloway of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, tomorrow, hand-delivered envelopes from Saxby Chambliss will be delivered to Vernon Jones and Jim Martin, requesting the winner of the Democratic primary face Mr. Chambliss in a series of debates. No mention was made of an invitation to Allen Buckley, the Libertarian Party’s candidate for U.S. Senate.
Mr. Buckley placed a call with the Chambliss campaign this morning, asking if he’ll receive an invitation to the debates. Michele Grasso of the Chambliss campaign returned Mr. Buckley’s call, saying no invitation to a series of debates was made. Rather, Mr. Chambliss merely said he looks forward to debating the other U.S. Senate candidates in the fall. Ms. Grasso said Mr. Chambliss wants to debate.
Buckley said: “The majority of the voters in Georgia are conservative. I’m the only conservative candidate in the race. The strategy of the Chambliss campaign is obvious: try to cause the media and the people to focus on only the Republican and the Democratic candidates and hope the voters will decide Mr. Chambliss is the better of the two options/lesser of two evils. I request the press include me in any and all debates and that as many debates as possible be held.”
Joe McCutchen, lifelong Republican, said the following about the debates invitation exclusion of Mr. Buckley: “I think Allen Buckley represents the interest of at least 60 percent of the voters in Georgia because, unlike Saxby Chambliss, he does not support pork, farm subsidies or waste. It would be a terrible injustice if Allen Buckley is not included in the debates.”
Ballot access rules. Polling exclusion. Media coverage. Debate exclusion. GOP officials publicly calling for Libertarians to drop out of their races at both the State and National levels.
Ya think somebody's getting worried?
Comments
He is also in lock-step with the current administration’s misguided ethanol subsidy policy, which places fuel over food (not to be totally confused with the UN’s “Oil-For-Food”, but close!).
Anyone who thinks Chambliss is a conservative- LOL. A social conservative perhaps, more like a Huckabee -i.e. social conservative-economic liberal POPULIST
I am a true economic conservative who believes the governement should do us all a favor by LEAVING US