Could an Undecided Coleman-Franken Race in Minnesota Help Chambliss in Georgia?
By Michael Barone, Thomas Jefferson St. blog
Interesting numbers from Scott Rasmussen. The generic vote for Congress since the election shows much smaller margins for the Democrats than they enjoyed before the election. Are voters saying, "Hey, now that we see how many Democrats there are in Congress, we're not sure we want any more"? If so, that buttresses a finding in Rasmussen's poll on the Georgia Senate runoff between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin. Rasmussen shows Chambliss ahead by 50 percent to 46 percent (which was actually the rounded off percentages in the November 4 election, with Chambliss barely under the 50 percent mark). In addition, 52 percent (including 9 percent of Martin voters) say they're less likely to vote for Martin if it will give Democrats 60 seats in the Senate. Only 38 percent say they are more likely. This suggests that Chambliss stands to do better (a) if the Minnesota race is decided for Democrat Al Franken on or before December 2 or (b) if the Minnesota winner is undetermined December 2 than (c) if Republican Norm Coleman is declared the winner by that time. Since it seems like the Minnesota race will not be decided until well after December 2, it looks like the don't-let-them-get-60 argument will help Chambliss.
Another interesting result from Rasmussen: By a 48 percent-to-35 percent margin, voters say it's better for a big company like GM to go bankrupt rather than for the government to subsidize such companies. I'm not sure you can regard opinion on such heretofore unfamiliar issues as firm and settled, but it's interesting that the weight of opinion is against such bailouts/rescue packages.
Tags: Democrats | Senate | polls | Rasmussen Report | Al Franken | 2008 Senate election | Saxby Chambliss
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Reader Comments
I think NOT
Democrats are not as stupid as you seem to think. Yes, they have a majority now, but some cooler heads than in the past will steering the ship. I'll be very surprised if the Democratic Party is ready to collapse in 4 years, despite the horrendous mess now facing the new government.
As to Saxby Chambliss being such a "good man", even here in Arizona we were treated to the absolutely below the belt ads he ran, associating Max Cleland with terrorists, and implying that he was "soft". It made me cringe, and it caused me to remember his name when I would have no other reason to do so. Sometimes what comes around does go around. We shall see.
Barone Blog on Georgia Senate race
There goes Barone burying the Democrats again. He's done that for so long you would think he would have broken his shovel by now. Old Saxby should win, this is Georgia for God sakes. The fact that this race is in a run-off is just a testament
to how low the GOP has sunk. Chambliss ran a despicable ad against Cleland and he deserves what ever happens to him. I'm sure a Chambliss victory will be hailed as a victory for bi-partisanship by Barone, just as he thought George W. was the beginning of a new Republican millennium. Mike, you could have talked to a janitor at the state capitol in Austin,Texas and they would have told you the boy was all hat.
Truth being a stranger most of the time, my guess is that Martin would actually be more of a force for compromise than "Grumbles Chambliss".
Hopefully, the people of Georgia will choose a new day for their great state and for our wonderful country. It certainly did my heart glad to see Florida, North Carolina and the capitol state of the Confederacy,Virginia, helping to elect a black man to our highest office.
Then there's corruption
Who knows -- maybe Georgians might just gag at giving six more years to a Senator who browbeat a whistleblower during a Senate hearing over the explosion at Imperial Sugar Factor that killed 14 people.
Then again, better having a Senator who's in the pocket of a powerful sugar company than one who harbors "San Francisco values."
P.S. -- Is it a San Francisco value to believe workers shouldn't be blown to bits in sugar factories?
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