SAXBY CHAMBERPOT GETS A CHALLENGER-- CAN HE BE BEATEN?

Saxby Chamberpot is a pretty unaccomplished waste of Senate space. Basically, his record shows an unadulterated Bush Regime rubber stamp, the 10th most reactionary member of the Senate, further to the right than Miss McConnell (R-KY), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Tom Coburn (R-OK) or even Georgia's other nutcase senator, Johnny Isaakson. But Georgia has long been enamoured of crackpots and no one thought Chambliss could be seriously challenged. Until last week. Last week he was boo-ed-- at the Georgia Republican convention. Why? For doing what he always does-- rubber stamping the Bush Regime. Georgians don't usually mind except this time he was rubber stamping Bush's cheap labor policies on immigration.

Today a WSB-TV investigative reporter, Dale Cardwell, ostensibly some kind of right-wing Democrat, kicked off a campaign to unseat Chamberpot. You want to take a guess which CNN talking head Cardwell seems to be taking a page from? Yep, he's a Lou Dobbsian when it comes to immigration-- which means he'll probably kick Chamberpot's ass. Cardwell compares himself to Sam Nunn but many Georgia Democrats are wondering if they're not smelling another Zell Miller.

Cardwell-- who first has to beat an African-American self described "conservative Democrat" businessman, Vernon Jones in the primary-- claims his investigative reporting into corrupt politicians has "saved Georgia taxpayers millions of dollars." He plans to run as a populist against corruption and illegal immigration. "Georgia has to be freed from this illegal invasion that's holding down salaries."

His station covers more than half of Georgia, giving him tremendous name recognition. On Saturday he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he's "investigated as many Democrats as I have Republicans.... [but] If you boil both parties down to the salt, the Republican motto is survival of the fittest. The Democratic motto is do unto others as you would have others do unto you." He's a Baptist deacon, Sunday school teacher and sings in a gospel group with his brother.


Today's Constitution-Journal is reporting that Cardwell "jumped into the U.S. Senate race with both feet on Monday, condemning Republican in-cumbent Saxby Chambliss as 'a borrow-and-spend pawn of the special interests.'"

"You need to know that most of your elected officials no longer work for you," Cardwell said. "They've been busy looking for the special interest groups that fund their campaigns and send them on fancy vacations all over the world. Our current senior senator, Saxby Chambliss, is no different."

UPDATE: SOMETHING MUCH BETTER HAS POPPED UP

Just when I was despairing that Georgia couldn't send anyone better than Chamberpot to the Senate unless it's a Zell Miller clone, I get word that Rand Knight has declared his candidacy. Rand would be a great senator from anywhere in the USA.