The battle for Georgia -- and the Senate -- focuses on Van Nelson's house

Good news for Republicans is bad weather across much of Georgia today, with dismal, dripping skies and temperatures in the 40s.

Such obvious signs of global cooling have often deterred Democratic voters, while Republican voters seem more oblivious to the weather.

Historically, GOP voters are also more likely to turn out for runoffs in Georgia.

Although that's not going to stop Van and Judy Nelson this morning.

This is important in that place on this day because Georgia law requires 50% + one vote to win elections.

And in a three-person race (Libertarian Allen Buckley took 3.4%) incumbent freshman GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss came up just short Nov. 4, causing a runoff today with Democrat Jim Martin, an ex-state legislator and college fraternity brother of Chambliss.

We have a video report at the bottom of this item and a link to a Sarah Palin speech video.

The Georgia Senate seat and Minnesota's comic counting opera with another GOP incumbent Norm Coleman and Democratic comedian Al Franken are the only remaining undecided contests. Coleman is ahead by 215 votes in the statewide recount, which will linger even longer.

The Georgia race has attracted all the big names of ...

... national politics as surrogates -- Al Gore, who has not yet announced a presidential candidacy for 2012, Bill Clinton, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani.

Chambliss, who's 65, trotted out his big closer Monday, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who lit up four unusually large crowds (video) and had them chanting her name, which was all right with candidate Chambliss this time.

"You Georgians are going to have the opportunity to determine the direction this country is going to take," Palin told the crowds.

The race's unusual import is that if Democrats win the Peach State and the 10,000 Lakes up in Viking country, they'll own a filibuster-proof Senate majority of 60 seats, rendering the Republican minority even more irrelevant than now.

Chambliss calls himself the "firewall" against that.

The president-elect did not deign to campaign in Georgia for the runoff, allegedly because of forming a national government or something minor like that.

But he did loan Martin his state campaign organization, which lost to McCain-Palin on Nov. 4.

Republicans are hoping much of Martin's support that day came from blacks turning out for Obama's candidacy. And without those numbers and a third candidate, Chambliss will reap the necessary 50% today. Two last-minute polls show Chambliss ahead.

But Democrats are trying everything as Van and Judy Nelson learned up in Hiram in Atlanta's northwestern exurbs. They had the only Obama lawn sign on Pool Road all fall.

So in the last 24 hours they received recorded phone calls from Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama and Barack Obama himself, part of an estimated 1 million such automated calls statewide, which got the couple jazzed enough to decide on trooping out in this morning's lousy weather for Martin no matter what.

Martin, who's 63, also had the campaign help Monday of Rep. John Lewis and rapper Ludacris.

Tonight, we'll see if such acts and their resulting decisions made a difference.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credits: Office of Sen. Saxby Chambliss (top); Facebook (bottom).

Comments

[Chris]

Palin and Ludicrous - sounds like politics is going for the fringe vote again. Too many moderates will likely stay home out of the rain - the Rovepublic base will win this for Saxby.

[jacksmith]

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... :-)