Sarah Palin jumps into Georgia Senate runoff to help Chambliss
Despite their electoral thrashing Nov. 4 in Congress and the White House, the Republicans' business of collecting owsies is well and thriving.
Yes, sure, seeing politicians of either party out campaigning for others in their party is a sign of loyalty and, in Hillary Clinton's case all fall, of keeping her promise to campaign for whoever won the Democratic presidential nomination.
With little media attention, Mitt Romney assiduously worked the local Republican side of the autumn campaign, advocating for his party's presidential ticket.
But he also, more importantly for the future, campaigned hard for more than two dozen GOP congressional candidates and distributed funds from his personal PAC.
Such hard, thankless work is also a sure sign that the campaigner is positioning him/herself to get payback help for his or her own possible future run someday.
Now, the news: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is traveling back down to Georgia next Monday to do four last-minute campaign rallies in one day to help incumbent GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss.
Chambliss is in an apparently close-fought runoff race there with Democrat Jim Martin and the balloting is the next day, Dec. 2. Big-name Democrats have jumped in to help the party reach for its 60-Senate-seat, filibuster-proof majority by knocking off yet another Republican incumbent.
Palin, who's also been a successful party fundraiser, will do events for Chambliss from Augusta to Savannah to Perry and then Atlanta, probably just before the evening news on TV. What a coincidence in case any station wanted a live shot of the Republican celebrity!
While many media and Democrats relish making fun of Palin to each other, even weeks after she lost, the 44-year-old mother of five drew immense crowds of the curious and Republican faithful during the presidential campaign. Many broke into chants of "Sa-RAH! Sa-RAH!" even during speeches by the main candidate, John McCain.
The McCain-Palin ticket captured Georgia Nov. 4 by around 200,000 votes. Our colleague Frank James has some more details on Palin's Peach State appearances over at the Swamp.
So if Chambliss wins Tuesday, whom do you think he might support or at least not oppose come 2012?
-- Andrew Malcolm
Speaking of runoffs, cast your ballot for cellphone alerts on each new Ticket item by registering here for free.
Photo credit: Associated Press
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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And get Dan Quayle on the scene too...he and Sarah can both 'help.' What a hoot.
Posted by: Leslie M | November 25, 2008 at 05:01 PM
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... :-)
Posted by: jacksmith | November 25, 2008 at 05:39 PM
Perhaps Palin is great as a lipstick spokesperson for a major company.
Posted by: Annie | November 25, 2008 at 05:41 PM
If Obama is declared not to be "natural born citizen" and hence ineligible for the office of the President (see the 17 lawsuits currently in progress around the country, two in front of the Supreme Court with hearings on Dec.1 and Dec.5, and now the Keyes case filed in Sacramento Superior Court (case 80000096 go there and read it), would Palin be eligible for President? To date the only evidence provided by Obama is the CERTIFICATION of Live Birth which is not sufficient to obtain a passport let alone prove that one was born in Hawaii. The required document is either a CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH or the actual vault or original BIRTH CERTIFICATE, which to date Obama has refused to sign a release and pay $12.00 to produce.
It may be that Obama will be declared ineligible for the office of the President. This issue has been around since last February and shame on the press, Obama and the DNC for not answering this openly and transparently.
Posted by: John Adams | November 25, 2008 at 05:59 PM
We Republicans sure needed the Chambliss seat. But Palin is a proven loser where ever she is heels on the ground. Now she is probably going to do to Chambliss what she did for McCain. You would think Chambliss would have enough sense to look at the record book on how Palin lost CO.NV,PA,OH,VA,FL for McCain and he would say thanks but no thanks.
Posted by: Randy119 | November 25, 2008 at 07:34 PM
Doesn't Palin have a state in a financial crisis like the rest of the country? Why then is she leaving her state instead of running her state? plus who is paying for these trips of hers? Alaska? Republican Party? Where does the Republican party get their money? Taxpayers?
Posted by: nathan hansen | November 25, 2008 at 08:38 PM
Wow! Forgive the mysogeny Palin! You rock gurl! PUMAs and Patriots thank you!
Alaska - NO income tax! NO sales Tax! Palin has over 80% approval rating in Congress!! Every resident of Alaska received $3200.00 from oil revenue profits! I'll take THOSE NUMBERS anyday! Check out her record!
I wonder how many of you nay-sayers can actually tell me the names of your Senators and Congressmen? THEN you can criticize!
Posted by: Kahleeka | November 26, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Oh for heaven's sake, who are these loonies obsessing on the birth certificate thing? People, take off the tin foil hats. There's no there there.
Posted by: g | November 26, 2008 at 04:29 PM
Sarah Palin is terrific. Media coverage of her activities has been a bad joke She needs a image consultant, a smattering of gravitas and a few media advocates who can help repair the damage.
My amateur advice would be steer clear of all negativity. If you don't have anything nice to say... And think about becoming a vegetarian. Lots of great things to eat and no harm to God's creatures great or small.
Posted by: boscobits | November 26, 2008 at 06:30 PM
you gotta wonder if sizzlin' sarah doesn't have her eye on elizabeth dole's carolina carpet bag. but in the meantime, is chambliss man enough to stand on the same stage with the rambo bimbo? mccain wasn't. lieberman uber alles!
http://politiqs.tommyjonq.com
Posted by: tommy jonq | November 27, 2008 at 07:38 AM
I would love Sarah Palin to run for 2012 presidential election. it is time United States must choose a woman for president. Time for a change. If Sarah Palin will surely be in the ticket for 2012, I will surely donate millions of dollars just to make her win
Posted by: Angelo of NYC | November 28, 2008 at 09:08 PM
ha, ha---Palin is going to sink chambliss!!
Posted by: karen | November 29, 2008 at 09:06 PM
Can't wait to hear what smears Palin makes up about Martin. The woman has no moral compass, and even other Republicans can smell it. Somehow she doesn't connect Christian values to how she conducts a campaign.
The rise in race crimes followed her all around the country, according to the Secret Service
Posted by: AML | November 30, 2008 at 06:47 AM
I took off work today in order to go see Gov. Palin and to give my support to Senator Chambliss. Gov. Palin has more experience in running a government in her pinky than Obama has in his entire body. Those who voted for Obama were mesmerized and don't realize what they've done to this country. We need Chambliss back in Washington to keep Pelosi-Reid-Obama from completely destroying our nation.
Posted by: Cynthia | December 01, 2008 at 06:53 AM