Before dropping out, Chambliss had mixed feelings about running again
The first serious indication I got from Sen. Saxby Chambliss that he wasn’t planning to run for re-election next year came two weeks ago, during an interview at his local office in Cobb County. I put some of it in my write-up of the meeting, and I could have written a whole column about his mixed feelings about running for a third term in the Senate. But I had to balance space considerations (that piece was for the print edition of the AJC) and interest in what the “Gang of Six” member had to say about the fiscal cliff, debt ceiling, etc., so I kept the re-election talk in my column limited and placed at the end. Plus, he gave me no reason to believe he’d announce his intentions for 2014 so soon.
Looking back, and in light of his statement today that he’s leaving due in largest part to “frustration, both at a lack of leadership from the White House and at the dearth of meaningful action from Congress,” I thought I’d publish his entire remarks about whether he’d run and how he’d arrive at the decision:
ON WHETHER HE’S GOING TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION:
What I’m doing right now, what I do at the end or beginning of every election cycle, we’re evaluating where we are and what our goals are. And the difference … this is an eight-year decision for me. It’s two years plus six years. That’s a lot different form a two-year decision. And if I thought the next eight years were going to be filled with contentious debates and the wrong way to govern that we have just gone through in the last two months, it would have a significant impact on my decision. But yeah, right now my plans are to run.
We’re in good shape financially from a campaign standpoint. Got a lot more money to raise, but we’ll do that. …
First of all, I’ve never backed off from a fight. And I’ve never backed off from my principles of trying to solve problems. Anytime you do that, then you’re going to create controversy. You can’t govern in the way you have to govern under our Constitution without antagonizing or making folks unhappy with you. I don’t worry about that. Obviously I’d love to have everybody happy with me, but I could go up and vote no on everything and you wouldn’t see the opposition activity that is stirring around out there now. But I’m not going to do that. I’m going to do what I think’s right for the country. When I voted for TARP in ‘08, it was the right thing to do. And people are still upset about that. But what they fail to realize is what both Johnny [Isakson] and I said when we voted for it: In the long run, this will not only settle down the financial community, but we’ll [the government] make money. And we’ve made money on TARP. It was kind of a no-brainer back then. And as things have gone forward from that on the other issues that folks have gotten upset about, it was the right thing to do.
So I don’t worry about that — well, I say I don’t worry about that: Obviously you always worry about your political future. But the thing that’s really been encouraging to me, with all the activity stirring around, I have people now instead of stopping me in the grocery store and saying, ‘Let me tell you about my problem,’ they stop me wherever I am and say, ‘Look, we’re reading all this stuff, just know we’ve got your back — those of us who are by far the majority are behind you and appreciate what you’re doing, we just don’t talk to the press or pick up the phone and call you.’
And on the fiscal cliff issue, it’s pretty easy to tell when somebody calls your office whether it’s been generated by an email or something because they’ll reading a script. And by far, the negative comments we got, folks were reading a script.
So, when you take it all into account — I mean, I’m flying back to D.C., I [went] back last week, I had six people stop me in the airport who just, I didn’t know any one of ‘em. But they just came over and said, ‘Look, we just want you to know we appreciate your vote the other day, we appreciate what you’re doing.’ You know, that just doesn’t happen regularly. [Earlier that week] at Lillian Lewis’s funeral, I had five or six people come up and say the same thing. And I’ve had offers of fund raisers from around the country, as well as around the state, from folks, some of whom had never supported me before, because they appreciate doing the right thing. So at the end of the day, we’ll be fine. But we’re going to think things through like we always do, but I think I know what the answer is.
ON WHETHER GRIDLOCK IN WASHINGTON WOULD BE ENOUGH TO MAKE HIM LEAVE:
This’ll be, what, I just concluded 18 years. And when I first got elected to Congress, we were in that wave of Republicans that took over the House, took over the Senate, those were fun times. [Newt] Gingrich was our leader, he had good ideas, we really passed good positive legislation. Sometimes it got done, sometimes it didn’t, although out of the Contract with America, I think we got seven out of the 10 provisions passed. Those were fun times. The time we went through at the end of the year, and really leading up to that — I’ve been working on this fiscal crisis now for two and a half years. And the bumps in the road we’ve run into … in the past couple of months wasn’t as much fun as what it was in ‘95, ‘96 and going forward.
You want to look forward to getting up and going to work in the morning. I really looked forward, in those early years, to getting up and going to work. Sometimes now I think, gosh, we got to get up, we got to face this fiscal battle again tomorrow.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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358 comments Add your comment
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
January 27th, 2013
1:15 pm
Independent thinker shows with that last post that he is neither.
bluecoat
January 27th, 2013
1:18 pm
Maher “cowards using guided missiles”Aesop they want necular “we should just drop one on them”Sounds like quoting TD.
independent thinker
January 27th, 2013
1:19 pm
Mr. Tiberius is a prime example of why the Republican Party is now referred to by some of its own as the stupid party. Stupid is as stupid does-on display every day here. No wonder Saxby wants out before the stink gets too much.
@@
January 27th, 2013
1:19 pm
Obama: Gun control supporters must listen more.
“Part of being able to move this forward is understanding the reality of guns in urban areas are very different from the realities of guns in rural areas,” he said.
“So it’s trying to bridge those gaps that I think is going to be part of the biggest task over the next several months,” Mr. Obama explained. “And that means that advocates of gun control have to do a little more listening than they do sometimes.”
Huh?
At least 5 die in Chicago shootings
Have crime will travel?
I think it’s safe to say the shooters in Chicago weren’t mentally ill in the clinical term. Societal terms? Oooooh yeah.
@@
January 27th, 2013
1:22 pm
independent thinker:
And your take on the other party?
schnirt
@@
January 27th, 2013
1:27 pm
I probably should have said….
“And your take FROM the other party?”
independent thinker
January 27th, 2013
1:39 pm
Democrats do not refer to themselves as the stupid party. They did not diss all veterans and 47% of the country; They did not bankrupt the country with three wars costing nearly two trillion dollars while not accomplishing the primary mission of the war on terror after eight years. There is no equivalent of Allan West and Michelle Bachmann in the Democratic party. The Democrats are not ashamed of their former president and keeps him hidden from view. Yes they have issues on the budget and entitlements and the Administration did screw up in Benghazi..
Find me an equivalent Democrat leader to Rinse Prebuss
And I voted for McCain and Saxby.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 27th, 2013
1:46 pm
I think I know why hairy didn’t push the Senate filibuster deal -
The move puts Iowa in play and came on the heels of Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s retirement in West Virginia, which gave Republicans a likely pick-up. Another possible Democratic retirement in a red state looms in South Dakota, where Sen. Tim Johnson is expected to decide soon whether to pursue a third term. And a new poll shows Republican Scott Brown — who’s mulling whether to run for Senate this year or governor in 2014 — up by double digits in a potential race for Democrat John Kerry’s seat.
Get ready, cause here we come.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Z8NU5ImK0
@@
January 27th, 2013
1:51 pm
Find me an equivalent Democrat leader to Rinse Prebuss
Not a fan of Preibus (sp?) but Debbie Wasserman Schultz strikes me as worse than…
Among her many stoopid claims?
Union rabble-rouser: Wasserman Schultz, in an address at George Washington University, said that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker deserved the “organizer-of-the-year award” for energizing public-employee unions after trying to rein in the cost to the state of their lucrative pensions and health care benefits. “The sleeping giant has been awakened,” she said, according to Politico.
Debbie Dumb as a rock.
David slew Goliath.
schnirt
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 27th, 2013
1:58 pm
While diane Freakenstein recognized Sunday that passing the ban will be an “uphill fight” and the “hardest of the hard,” she expressed confidence that she can at least get it to the Senate floor.
“There will be a package put together. If ‘assault weapons’ is left out of the package – and I’m a member of (the) Judiciary (committee), No. 2 in seniority – I’ve been assured by the majority leader I’ll be able to do it as an amendment on the floor.”
We won’t be banning assault weapons but we’ll be banning………..something.
Opened a can of whoopass on ya, didn’t we?
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
January 27th, 2013
1:58 pm
“They did not bankrupt the country with three wars costing nearly two trillion dollars”
Let’s see . . .$2 trillion in war costs out of a total of $16 trillion in debt and rising.
WHO bankrupted the country, not so independent non-thinker?
bluecoat
January 27th, 2013
2:07 pm
VA Gov.leave it alone.Works fine as is.Level headed R.Rare I know.
Just Saying..
January 27th, 2013
2:15 pm
Fables: Wait til next election…
Tib: Remember 2010…
Dusty
January 27th, 2013
2:15 pm
Well, JUST SAYING @ 12:44
Thank you for the nice little songbird. I imagine she is appealing to a lot of people. I don’t care too much for one quiet voice with a piano. Guess I go for semething with a little more zip.
Just Saying..
January 27th, 2013
2:31 pm
Dusty, it was probably the lyrics for me.
Since “I’ll take my sorrow straight” isn’t posted, this one is a bit more up tempo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlaoR5m4L80
bluecoat
January 27th, 2013
2:33 pm
Yep,ready,fire,aim here they come….
Dusty
January 27th, 2013
2:37 pm
Well, I know how Saxby feels. Things are getting a litle tiresome here.too. Soooo
WHAT’S TO BE DONE WITH UNDERGROUND?? That was a headline but I’m too lazy to sign in there to comment..
Here are two choices for Underground. It is either Vice or Compassion. Yes!
VICE- Make it a CASINO. Georgia already has a lottery. Make Underground a casino and take away the rest of the money being thrown away. Then the state could put $$$ back in Medicaid. Like the lottery goes for education.
or
COMPASSION-Make Underground a homeless center and close the Pine Street center. Nobody likes the Pine Street center. Might as well put it underground.
(What, Kyle? Stay on subject? Awwww…OK.)
Dusty
January 27th, 2013
2:53 pm
Yes, JUST SAYING Your last selection was more lively. Iris can belt it out when she wants to. I had to smile over the title of one of her other songs. “God May Forgive You (But I won’t)”..That was interesting!! Maybe even political!! Nawww…
Just Saying..
January 27th, 2013
2:58 pm
Happy that one worked better for you. Iris is the genuine article.
Something we could all use a bit more of…
Just Saying..
January 27th, 2013
2:59 pm
Happy that one worked better for you, Dusty. Iris is the genuine article.
Something we could all use a bit more of…
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
3:05 pm
I see nothing has really changed from the first page of this blog. The socialist liberal blog squatters who have drifted onto this conservatives blog haven’t changed a single mind.
These “someones” must like to exercise futility?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 27th, 2013
3:08 pm
obozo also said he can get 50 percent of public support for many of his upcoming initiatives, but “I can’t get enough votes out of the House of Representatives to actually get something passed. …
So freikenstein says Senate dims are blocking it, obozo blames it on the Repug House, is the talking point apparatus in turmoil now that whackerman schulz is on the outs?
“If a Republican member of Congress is not punished on Fox News or by Rush Limbaugh for working with a Democrat on a bill of common interest, then you’ll see more of them doing it,” obozo said.
This was, of course, in an interview given to The New Republic.
The president argued that “the more left-leaning media outlets recognize that compromise is not a dirty word” and that party leaders, including Senate Majority hairy reed and House Minority Leader nasty Pelosi, are “willing to buck the more absolutist-wing elements in our party to try to get stuff done.”
When did we get a president????
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
3:11 pm
VICE- Make it a CASINO. Georgia already has a lottery. Make Underground a casino and take away the rest of the money being thrown away. Then the state could put $$$ back in Medicaid. Like the lottery goes for education.
We agree on two point Dusty 1) gaming in Georgia 2) the direction of those proceeds to fund health-care.
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
3:20 pm
Exactly when did obumer ever compromise?
That hardcore Marxist ideologue totally rejected his own select debt commission’s recommendations.
Simpson Bowles got it right on almost everything: Eliminate all deductions and lowering tax rates thereby increasing federal revenues.
JamVet
January 27th, 2013
3:45 pm
Take it up with Jindal, girl.
“We must stop being the stupid party. We must stop looking backward. We must stop insulting the intelligence of voters.”
Even for you play stupid to perfection types, it’s obvious he was denouncing the worst of you stuck on stupid Republicans.
Though personally, I disagree.
i believe you should honor even more your stupidity, backwardness and insults.
It’s working out great for you!
@@
January 27th, 2013
4:04 pm
AmVet:
So the GOP isn’t into group think?
Whodathunkit?
schnirt
I’m enjoying the diversity within. Something good is bound to take the lead.
I’m inclined to take the best of what each individual has to offer.
Patience is my only virtue.
indigo
January 27th, 2013
4:10 pm
Michael H. Smith – 3:05
I don’t believe any of the “liberal” bloggers here have ever professed a strong belief in the below:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/socialism?s=t
Do you just shoot from the hip and suppose we’ll believe you?
JamVet
January 27th, 2013
4:19 pm
Compromise?
Now THAT is funny! (In a sad and demented kind of way…)
LOL!!!
October 28, 2010
During an appearance with conservative talk show host Sean Hannity this week, Rep. John Boehner, (R-Ohio) the House Speaker apparent, uttered the rallying cry.
“This is not a time for compromise, and I can tell you that we will not compromise on our principles,” Boehner said during an appearance on conservative Sean Hannity’s radio show.
Likewise Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), a member of the House Republican leadership who is thought to be considering a White House run, said on CNN Wednesday evening:
What I’ve said is there will be no compromise on ending this era of runaway spending, deficits and debt. No compromise on repealing Obamacare lock, stock and barrel. No compromise on defending the broad mainstream values of the American people in the way we spend the people’s money at home and abroad. On issues that go straight to principle and straight to the concern the American people have on spending and taxes and values, there’ll be no compromise.
You losers bluffed.
And lost. As in three out of the past four elections.
Now you’re gonna pay the piper.
I advocate that the president never compromise with these Republican would be traitors.
Their complete and unconditional surrender should be his only focus.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 27th, 2013
4:27 pm
I was just wondering, now that obozo’s been castrated by the NRA, is it time to start calling him our little lame duck?
MarkV
January 27th, 2013
4:29 pm
MHS’ use of the terms socialist, communist or “a Marxist ideologue” is a political version of parents using an amorphous imaginary called “bogeyman” to frighten children into compliant behavior – and about as close to reality.
JamVet
January 27th, 2013
4:36 pm
Take it up with Jindal, girl.
He has you nuts pegged perfectly.
Here’s another headline for the reality averse MHS:
Rush Limbaugh Continues Warning GOP Not To Compromise
Speaking of stuck on backward, did that fanatic actually write …hardcore Marxist ideologue…???
Wow.
It ids hard to find anyone more stuck than those sill living with their heads up Joseph McCarthy’s ___, circa 1953!
It now appears that the next decade will almost certainly spell the end of this horrifically incompetent and immoral neoconservative experiment.
Trickle down on that…
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
January 27th, 2013
4:36 pm
AmVet would have to possess principles to understand why compromising them would be a bad thing.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
January 27th, 2013
4:38 pm
“Horrifically incompetent”?
Take a peek inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave any day between 2009 and 2016 to view that particular mess.
Hillbilly D
January 27th, 2013
4:38 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFnk36YYV1w
Rafe Hollister preparing for an Obamanist America
January 27th, 2013
4:42 pm
JamVet
Hate to spoil your rant, but if you don’t know who the Gov of Indiana is, then the rest of the rant is probably incorrect as well. Mike Pence is the Governor of Indiana, not a House member.
JamVet
January 27th, 2013
4:51 pm
Take it up with Jindal, little Andy.
And your groupthink and groupdespondency during the dark days is duly noted.
Hard to believe that just 13 years ago you boys were able to get the (W)orst Ever (s)elected, huh?
Given the toxic effects of that clusterflub administration, you probably wish ti had been 113 years ago, huh?
Until someone in the GOP has the guts to stand up to Rush Limbaugh and tell him to ____ ___ ___ ___, you are hopelessly screwed.
Which is awesome!
Complete con capitulation. The destruction of American fascism.
That is the ultimate goal.
And more than ever, it is in sight…
Rafe Hollister preparing for an Obamanist America
January 27th, 2013
4:52 pm
MarkV, you are technically correct Obama is not a socialist in that he does not advocate government ownership of business, at least he hasn’t informed us that he thinks that way, but then again, he claimed to be opposed to same sex marriage, until it was politically safe to say so. We never know what tomorrow brings in Obama’s America.
He doesn’t claim to be a fascist, but his policies of trying to use regulations to force business to conform to government will is close.
I don’t use the terms (socialism and fascism) as the left will just jump up and start quoting Websters on you, so I just call him a proponent of Obamanism, a distructive blend of crony capitalism, popularism, socialism, elitism, fascism, and anti-American tendencies.
@@
January 27th, 2013
4:55 pm
Ditto what Tiberius said at 4:36.
It ids hard to find anyone more stuck than those sill living with their heads up Joseph McCarthy’s ___, circa 1953!
Well….it IS almost 5:00.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
January 27th, 2013
4:59 pm
Anybody who continues to post that Bush was selected in 2000 doesn’t have a working brain in their head.
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
5:01 pm
MarkV
Use of the term Marxist socialist is accurate to describe obumer who I have not called communist yet because he has not escalated to that stage of Marxism.
Your opinion MarkV, which is what you have asserted to be accurate is not an definition of Marxism and its’ various stages.
oh and brucie vet… booo!
Now crawl back under your bed.
Um Rafe, under fascist socialism the government doesn’t have to own everything to meet the definition factually, as was the case with NAZI Germany.
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
5:02 pm
MarkV, is technically and factually correct, Rafe
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
5:04 pm
Oops… MarkV, is technically and factually incorrect, Rafe
JamVet
January 27th, 2013
5:05 pm
Use of the term Marxist socialist is accurate…
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not amongst intelligent people.
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right when needed
January 27th, 2013
5:09 pm
“”Not amongst intelligent people.”
Who, btw, you’re not qualified to speak for . . .
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
5:17 pm
I do use the terms Rafe and let the left jump all they want. Fascism is a dominate if not complete system of socioeconomic control. This country has regulated just about everything. I’ve challenged all to name something that is not regulated in this country and MarkV certainly hasn’t been able to produce anything that isn’t regulated .
The democrats since Wilson to obumer have continued to push for a “social democracy” to replace the Representative Republic. A “social democracy” – a term MarkV has used – is a socialist form of government, Rafe.
But hey all this is just name calling, right? Boogiemen right? Labels really don’t mean anything, right?
indigo
January 27th, 2013
5:18 pm
Rafe – 4:52 “jump up and start quoting Websters on you”
That pesky Websters dictionary sure gets in the way of so much good Republican thinking, right punkie?
JamVet
January 27th, 2013
5:18 pm
sunspot tibby, intelligent Americans, including Republican Bobby Jindal are pointing their fingers at…………… you neocons, for being stupid, backward and insulting.
Own it.
You wear it well.
And don’t ever change!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsqKdZ3JZ2k
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
5:18 pm
Not amongst intelligent people.
In that case brucie it’s time for you to leave.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 27th, 2013
5:19 pm
It’s true, Stalin and Mao would probably laugh in obozo’s face.
Like putin does.
Michael H. Smith
January 27th, 2013
5:20 pm
neocons?
Define that word brucie, as best you can.