Obama pursues secret agenda to bankrupt U.S., sneak in socialism, Republicans say

Forget the birthers, those Americans, like CNN's Lou Dobbs, obsessed about whether President Obama was actually born in Hawaii or in Kenya, affecting his eligibility to serve as the nation's 44th president.

Remember those hysterics who didn't want the president urging schoolchildren to study hard in a video address to kids right after Labor Day?

Now come the conspiratorialists, who believe that the massive government bailout of banks and auto companies is part of a deliberate ploy by the Obama administration to bankrupt the United States so that socialism is the only option. Of course the bailouts were started by the Bush administration but who's counting? Maybe he was in on it.

The Democracy Corps, a public polling outfit founded in 1999 by former Clintonites James Carville and Stanley Greenberg, recently conducted focus interviews among two groups -- self-identifying conservatives in Georgia and older independents in Cleveland.

What the polling found is that among conservatives, described as the heart of the Republican Party's base, voters honestly and overwhelmingly believe Obama is "ruthlessly advancing a secret agenda to bankrupt the United States and dramatically expand government control to an extent nothing short of socialism."

While they are angry at the  Republican Party for ineffectiveness in combating Obama, these core Republicans told the focus group interviewers that a successful Obama presidency would lead to "the destruction of this country’s founding principles." So, they said, they are "committed to seeing the president fail."

As conservative David Frum put it, "Let’s stipulate that the Democracy Corps is ... a highly partisan project of the Democratic Party, and that focus groups lack the objectivity of opinion polling. Sprinkle all that salt over the report, and it still has the ring of truth."

-- Johanna Neuman

Illustration: Joe / rightwingrebel.com

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Czar wars: After axing Van Jones, conservatives sharpen knives in hunt for more Obama blood [Updated]

Green jobs czar Van Jones left the Obama administration over the weekend.

The one-time Marxist who had said a bad word about Republicans in February and signed a 9/11 conspiracy petition in 2001 resigned at midnight Saturday, in the middle of a holiday weekend. [Updated 2:30 p.m.: Jones was also a co-founder of Color of Change, which later launched an ad boycott of Glenn Beck's program. But Fox News insists that Beck's venom against Jones was not payback; the anchor had been ferreting out the more unsavory footnotes in Jones' vita before the boycott began, a publicist told us.]

Now Georgia Republican Jack Kingston, in one of those you-can't-make-this-stuff-up moments, is threatening to put all 34 Obama administration czars -- in every area from science to diversity -- under a microscope. In a recent op-ed on his website, Kingston argued:

In its day, czarist Russia had just 18 czars in 300 years. In just seven months, President Obama has nearly doubled that number. At this rate, we’ll have 272 czars by 2012. Who are these people and why are they necessary? Why do we need an Energy Czar and a Secretary of Energy? Why do we need a TARP Czar and a Secretary of Treasury? Why was a 31 year old with no background in the auto industry and who drives a foreign car appointed as the Auto Recovery Czar? What qualifies a college professor to set executive salaries?

To remedy the situation, Kingston has introduced H.R. 3226, the Czar Accountability and Reform Act, which would bar all funds to presidential envoys not confirmed by the Senate.

Other conservatives, smelling blood in the water, are sharpening their knives. Already, Fox's Beck has alerted his Twitter followers to "find everything you can on Cass Sunstein (the regulatory czar), Mark Lloyd (FCC diversity czar), and Carol Browner (energy czar)."

Sustein, a Harvard Law professor, is being castigated by the right for his support of animals. Lloyd is being portrayed as a disciple of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. Browner, who served in the Clinton White House, is now seen as a socialist.

MSNBC's Keith Obermann, incensed by his Fox counterpart's efforts to root out scandal about the Obama czars, has responded by asking viewers to "send every bit of direct you can find" on Glenn Beck, his radio producer Stu Burguiere and Roger Ailes, the brainchild behind Fox News.

Maybe the czar wars will be good for cable television, but are they good for democracy?

Let us know what you think.

-- Johanna Neuman

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Town hall anger: Why we rage at our politicians

One day after enduring tirades from constituents in a town-hall meeting that erupted in vein-splitting anger directed at him, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania -- who just switched parties from Republican to Democrat in a state that can turn blue-to-red on a dime -- talked about the experience.

"It's more than healthcare," Specter said on CBS' "The Early Show." "I think there is a mood in America of anger with so many people unemployed, with so much bickering in Washington ... with the fear of losing their healthcare. It all boils over."

The Washington Post's Dan Balz agreed, calling the furor over healthcare reform "a proxy for an even larger fear" that the federal government is taking over the private-sector economy.

Some Democrats -- like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- accuse right-wing organizations of stirring up Tea Party activists with instructions to disrupt rather than debate, calling it "un-American." Texas Democrat Lloyd Doggett, who was peppered with angry questions last week, agrees. "This notion of a grass-roots campaign is totally and completely phony," he said. "The Republican Party has coordinated this apparent outrage and stirred it up."

But Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill said it was "a huge mistake" for Democrats to call the protests "manufactured." True, she said, "both sides are organizing, but that's what we do in a democracy."

And the organizers insist they only tapped a vein of genuine anger.

"Those inside the Beltway need to know that you can't fake this sort of outrage outside the Beltway," said Max Papas of Freedom Works, one of the groups fanning the protests. "It only happens when they are very concerned about what is going on inside of Washington, and it's a clear sign that people are very concerned."

Whatever the reason, the town-hall meetings around the country on President Obama's healthcare reform  are offering a vivid display of rage.

In Georgia, moderate Democrat David Scott, an African American representing a majority-white district near Atlanta, had a contentious community meeting on healthcare recently. Tuesday, someone marked up a sign directing constituents to his office, defacing it with a swastika.

"We have got to make sure that the symbol of the swastika does not win, that the racial hatred that's bubbling up does not win this debate," Scott said. "There's so much hatred out there for President Obama."

As for McCaskill, at a town hall on Tuesday, voters shouted, frothed and stomped their feet at the centrist politician who is known as a common-sense moderate. At one point, constituents shouted down her explanations so completely that the senator asked if they wanted her to just go home. 

"I don't understand this rudeness," McCaskill said. "I honestly don't get it." Later, when a man shouted over another person's question, the senator said, "This can't be about who's the loudest."

With 20 more town halls scheduled for today, the protests are likely to continue. And maybe that's just the pull of the American tradition of dissent, the right to disagree with your political leaders without fear of retribution.

As Mary Ann Fieser of Hillsboro, Mo., who attended the McCaskill town hall, explained, "If they don't let us vent our frustrations out, they will have a revolution."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: John Bazemore / Associated Press

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What's coming up for future 'tea party' protests?

Last month's "tea party" protests have come and gone but are not forgotten. New protests are already brewing, some maybe this holiday weekend, others probably for July 4, with txt msgs and tweets flying back and forth.

The phenomenon in many ways is familiar in American political history -- a kind of eruption, an incoherent lashing out by people angry over taxes and spending and big government and bigger spending. And the uncertainty of their current lives.

Contrary to some cable news channels, we found "tea party" protesters often to be just as angry at Republicans in general and George W. Bush in particular as at the awe-inspiring size of the Obama Democratic administration's spending plans.

Historically, these protests have fizzled without some political personality to coalesce around -- a Gene McCarthy, a John Anderson, a George Wallace. A Ron Paul even.

Our Times colleague Richard Fausset spent a good deal of time recently with "tea party" participants. And we asked him to go through his notes and thoughts and share the experiences with us. Here's what he told us:

The people I talked with had a variety of targets. This doesn’t mean they went easy on Obama, however. One fake campaign sign showed a picture of the president and...

Ticket Replay: How 4 weeks changed the Georgia Senate race

The Ticket is republishing some of our favorite items from the recent election season. This one originally appeared here on Dec. 2, 2008:

A quick postscript to our post earlier this evening on the Saxby Chambliss-Jim Martin U.S. Senate runoff election in Georgia that the Republicans won handily:

As calculated by a loyal Ticket groupie and all-around good guy, Ben Welsh: What a difference four weeks, some cold rain and the absence of an African American presidential candidates makes. (See news video below.)

On Nov. 4, with Barack Obama atop the Democratic ticket and John McCain-Sarah Palin atop the Republican ballot, the GOP took Georgia in the presidential race, 52.2% to 47%, winning by 204,000 votes out of a total 3.924 million. (Libertarian Bob Barr, by the way, got a little less than 29,000 votes, or 0.7% in his home state.)

No real surprise there.

On the same day in the Senate race, Chambliss, the incumbent, came in first, but not by enough (49.8%) to win. He got 1.867 million votes to Martin's 1.757 million. Trouble is, Allen Buckley, the Libertarian, snatched 128,000 (3.4%), just denying Chambliss the 50%-+1 vote majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Fast-forward to today's two-man runoff: No Barack Obama on the Democratic side. No Bush baggage on the Republican side. No Libertarian Buckley.

With almost all precincts reporting late tonight, there were about 2.126 million total ballots. Chambliss raked in 1.221 million (57.4%) to Martin's 906,000 (42.6%).

Game over for the Democrats and Harry Reid. Not even close. Republican victory.

Lesson for Republicans and Democrats: Don't schedule your Senate reelection bid during a presidential election year ending eight years of White House control by your party.

Lesson for Democrats: Figure out some way to get the African American voters to come out a second time for the white guy.

--Andrew Malcolm

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How 4 weeks changed crucial numbers in the Georgia Senate race

A quick postscript to our post earlier this evening on the Saxby Chambliss-Jim Martin U.S. Senate runoff election in Georgia that the Republicans won handily:

As calculated by a loyal Ticket groupie and all-around good guy, Ben Welsh: What a difference four weeks, some cold rain and the absence of an African American presidential candidates makes. (See news video below.)

On Nov. 4, with Barack Obama atop the Democratic ticket and John McCain-Sarah Palin atop the Republican ballot, the GOP took Georgia in the presidential race, 52.2% to 47%, winning by 204,000 votes out of a total 3.924 million. (Libertarian Bob Barr, by the way, got a little less than 29,000 votes, or 0.7% in his home state.)

No real surprise there.

On the same day in the Senate race, Chambliss, the incumbent, came in first, but not by enough (49.8%) to win. He got 1.867 million votes to Martin's 1.757 million. Trouble is, Allen Buckley, the Libertarian, snatched 128,000 (3.4%), just denying Chambliss the 50%-+1 vote majority needed to avoid a runoff.

Fast-forward to today's two-man runoff: No Barack Obama on the Democratic side. No Bush baggage on the Republican side. No Libertarian Buckley.

With almost all precincts reporting late tonight, there were about 2.126 million total ballots. Chambliss raked in 1.221 million (57.4%) to Martin's 906,000 (42.6%).

Game over for the Democrats and Harry Reid. Not even close. Republican victory.

Lesson for Republicans and Democrats: Don't schedule your Senate reelection bid during a presidential election year ending eight years of White House control by your party.

Lesson for Democrats: Figure out some way to get the African American voters to come out a second time for the white guy.

--Andrew Malcolm

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Chambliss' Georgia Senate win stymies Democrats' 60-seat hopes

Well, now we know why President-elect Barack Obama was afraid to go campaign for Democrat Jim Martin in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff election.

The about-to-be president knew that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would pull it out for Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss. She campaigned for him there all day yesterday. (Relax, we're just kidding.)

Looks like Saxby has won a second six-year term to represent the Peachtree State that has been so reliably Republican in presidential elections despite what the first GOP president, Abraham Lincoln, allowed Gen. Sherman to do down there.

(UPDATE: Chambliss did win. To see the updated news video, click on the "Read more" line below.)

Chambliss had been uncharacteristically forced into a runoff because state law requires that the winner get 50%-plus-one of the votes. And in a three-man race on Nov. 4 with an African American on the presidential ballot attracting thousands of African American voters to the polls, Chambliss came up a few votes short against his college fraternity brother, an ex-state legislator.

No African American distraction today. No Libertarian distraction to siphon off 3.4% of the vote. Just GOP vs Dem. And nasty weather.

The race was more closely watched than most because Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was hoping to pick up the Georgia seat and snatch the still-counting Minnesota race to give him a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority (including two independents who caucus with the Democrats).

Now, the best he can do is 59 if comedian Democrat Al Franken topples incumbent non-comedian Republican Norm Coleman in their agonizing recount that Coleman narrowly leads.

Bill Clinton and Al Gore campaigned unsuccessfully for Martin. And Barack and Michelle recorded robo-calls to mobilize their base, along with Obama's state presidential campaign that lost Georgia to the Republicans. But that base didn't turn out.

BTW, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee also had a big hand in helping Saxby. But Sarah was the closer among conservatives.

--Andrew Malcolm

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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 ...

Georgia Senate fray enters last day: Chambliss-Palin vs Martin-Obama

This morning most of the political world's attention will focus on the Windy City and one of the most surprising, worst-kept appointment secrets of the new Barack Obama administration currently under construction: Hillary Clinton's appointment as secretary of State.

Meanwhile, down in Georgia the struggle continues over one more Senate seat that could help the Democratic majority reach its coveted, filibuster-proof 60-seat control.

The runoff election is tomorrow.

Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss is in a tight runoff with Democratic challenger Jim Martin.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, still beloved by party regulars despite the ticket's Nov. 4 defeat, will put in a full day of four events for Chambliss, ending right around evening news time in Atlanta.

John McCain has already campaigned there for his GOP Senate colleague. "Going into battle one more time,'' McCain calls it in a fund-raising e-mail he sent out this past weekend for Chambliss.

"The eyes of the country and the world will be on the state of Georgia next Tuesday,'' McCain writes. "If we lose, the Senate Democrats could reach 60 seats in the U.S. Senate.

"This would give them the power to enact an agenda out of touch with our values and beliefs and the ability to confirm activist judges and liberal administration appointees with little to no open debate."

Interestingly, former Sen. Obama himself has not chosen to campaign in Georgia for Martin. The president-elect has, however, ordered his well-oiled in-state campaign apparatus to help, a real aid.

But Obama wants the nation's focus to be on his focus on building a new administration, including today's expected reappointment of George W. Bush's appointee, Robert Gates, as Defense secretary, to give it at least a tinge of bipartisanship.

And, to be honest, since actual Democratic Senate control is not the issue Tuesday, Obama would not be the first president or governor to secretly not really seek a super-majority of his own party controlling both houses of the legislature. Those kind of numbers can get a little uppity, especially with a chief executive of their own party.

Our blogging buddy Mark Silva has more on the McCain e-mail here in the Swamp.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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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

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Photo credit: Associated Press