Posts Tagged ‘Allen Buckley’

Buckley Issues Endorsement Commitment List

Friday, November 14th, 2008

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Fresh from the Buckley camp:

LIBERTARIAN PARTY’S  U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE BUCKLEY ISSUES ENDORSEMENT COMMITMENT LIST TO CHAMBLISS AND MARTIN

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, November 14, 2008 Allen Buckley, the Libertarian Party’s U.S. Senate candidate in the 2008 Georgia U.S. Senate race, has issued a commitment statement to both the Chambliss and Martin campaigns. If one of the two men but not both sign the statement, Buckley will endorse the one who signs. If both men sign or neither man signs, Buckley will reanalyze the situation.The statement emphasizes financial responsibility. The statement is attached, along with related materials.

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, the Buckley Campaign provided a draft of the commitment statement to both the Chambliss campaign and the Martin campaign, along with an invitation for comment. Although communications have existed, no comments have been received.

Buckley said: “With one exception relating to ballot access, all of the items in the commitment list were covered by my campaign. I believe that all of the items are reasonable. I’ll wait until the end of the day on Tuesday, November 18th, for replies. I will not tell one side whether the other has or has not signed.”

Mr. Buckley can be reached for comment at (404) 962-1042.

Commitment PDF is here.

Saxby Has Received The Message

Saturday, November 8th, 2008

This morning at the Paulding Republicans meeting I attended, Micah Gravley (Chairman for Saxby in Paulding County) challenged those in attendance who voted for Allen Buckley to vote for Saxby in the runoff.  He said he understands that voters are frustrated with Saxby.  He insists that Chambliss has gotten the message sent by voters on November 4, and is confident that Saxby will be more fiscally conservative moving forward.

After the meeting, I introduced myself to Micah and spoke with him as I was heading out.  I told him that if Saxby is recognizing he needs to be fiscally conservative, I want to hear it from him.  I told him that when Allen Buckley finishes his pledge to fiscal conservatism, that I’d like to see Saxby sign it.

Micah told me that there are some new commercials coming that will focus on Saxby’s intended commitment to fiscal conservatism.  He also said something about Saxby going door-to-door…?  I’m not totally sure about what he meant - if Saxby would actually be knocking on my door or if some of his supporters would.  He did tell me to come to rallies and try to get Saxby to answer my questions.

Honestly, I’m not ready to vote for him.  I need to hear a pretty convincing repentance for the past 6 years and a clear plan for the future before I’m willing to consider casting my vote in his direction.

This week should be interesting though.  The Republicans are bringing in the big names to campaign for Saxby, Buckley should have his fiscal conservatism pledge finished, and the mud-slinging TV commercials will bombarding our living rooms 24/7.

A Win/Win Situation

Friday, November 7th, 2008

Allen Buckley is in a win/win situation.  No, he won’t be our next Senator, but he’s in a unique position as we enter this (probable) runoff election.

Buckley is preparing a commitment of reasonable fiscal responsibility.  The candidate that agrees to it gets Buckley’s support and (most likely) a hefty percentage of the votes that were cast for Buckley on Election Day.

Neither Chambliss or Martin have a reputation for being fiscally responsible, and I suspect that neither will rush to agree to Buckley’s terms.  We’ll have an alleged “for the people” Republican dodging an commitment to fiscal responsibility - while the nation watches.

With the Senate runoff race being a critical race for both parties, this is going to be a perfect opportunity to address some serious issues while we have everybody’s attention.  It’s a win/win situation, and we voters need to make sure we capitalize on it.

November 2 Senate Debate

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Those of you looking for last night’s debate can find it here.  I tried to pull it down and get it on youtube, but it started taking more time than I have to spend on it.  Sorry for the non-embedded link.

My favorite line of the night was from Allen Buckley, who, in his closing statement said:

Our state needs and deserves a great senator.  Saxby Chambliss is not, and never will be, a great Senator.  I think he is less than a mediocre Senator.  From farm subsidies to pork to sugar factory explosions, he serves the special interest groups that serve him.

If you didn’t get in on the early voting, be sure to get out and vote (Buckley) in tomorrow’s election.  We need a great senator.  This is our chance to elect one.

Buckley vs. 2 Democrats

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

This self-described Republican with Libertarian leanings is leaning more and more towards the Libertarians each day.  An email received from the Buckley campaign shows how Chambliss’ voting record proves he is a big government Democrat.

The following bullet points are quoting the email from the Buckley campaign.

  • $1.5 trillion of debt between 2001 and 2006
  • a 75 percent increase in nondefense spending from 1995 through 2007 (35 percent, when adjusted for inflation)
  • 7 percent growth in government on average per year from 2001 through 2006
  • expansion of Medicare by addition of Part D (which then Comptroller General David Walker called “probably the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s”)
  • farm subsidies and pork in general
  • “National Watermelon Month!”
  • No Child Left Behind (a bureaucratic mess with little positive to it)
  • Gang of 10-one of the worst deals in the history of deals.

Wait. What? National Watermelon Month?

Anyway, take a good look at those points before you go vote.  There’s only one fiscal conservative running in this race, and it’s certainly not Chambliss.

No Special Interest Money

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008

Allen Buckley, the Libertarian running against Saxby Chambliss, has pledged not to take any money from special interests.  If you like the idea of having a Senator working for your interests, vote Buckley on Election Day.

Something to Think About

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Note:  This is mostly the work of one of our readers, Shane, who left this as a comment to a previous post.  Some minor changes have been made, but the vast majority of this post is his content.  Thanks, Shane, for agreeing to let us post it here.

I watched the Senate debate between Buckley, Martin and Chambliss on the WMAZ 13 live stream as it happened. The only candidate on that stage with any fire in his belly was Allen Buckley.

Since we’re 15 days out from the election, Georgians might want to ponder the special significance of our US Senate race. Let’s put up the long lens and see if we can devine a narrative for the murky future.

First, We have in Saxby Chambliss a politician that thrives on pork through the power of the purse. It’s a family affair with Chambliss as his son Bo is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s chief in house lobbyist. What does it say when the son of a powerfully positioned member of the Senate plies his trade in the same industries that his father is supposed to regulate on behalf of the people?

Combine that fact with the illustrious Senator’s votes on Immigration, The pork laden farm bill, his attempt to sell out the American people’s energy independence with the Gang of 10 proposal and I can not see any way to justify sending him back for another term.

Second, we have Mr. Martin. A good man, a career Democrat with ambition who fought a tough primary against a large field of competitors. A man that is intimately aware of the power of the run off. Especially a run off that requires democrats to turn out in record numbers.

Third, we have Allen Buckley. The Libertarian Candidate, a hard to define candidate in a country dominated by an entrenched two party system. Who are the Libertarians? What do they stand for? Why should I cast my vote for the perennial losers?

As the national race progresses, the leadership at the DNC is starting to talk about the possibility of a 60 seat, veto proof, filibuster proof majority in the Senate. A chimera they have pursued for the last 40 years. The scent of absolute power drives them and they will use every weapon in thier arsenal to achieve it.

Which brings us to the general election on November 4. What if the race for the US Senate here in Georgia was not resolved by a clear 50% +1 vote winner? What if the moon and the stars align in such a fashion as to deny Saxby or Mr. Martin a victory? And also left the disposition of that all important 60th seat in the Senate up in the air?

I can not think of a better way to jam my thumb in the eyes of the Republicans and the Democrats than voting for Allen Buckley. Enough votes to get him in the runoff. Think 34% to 38% of the votes in the general election. That’s an impossible task for a candidate with absolutely no campaign funds, no campaign staff and no major support.

Except for you.

If you’re as unhappy with the two party choices foisted upon us by the powers that be, consider the above narrative.  Observe the scene and the players, orient youself relative to your observations, decide your course of action, and act.

Large events are shaped by a series of small ones. The seemingly impossible becomes doable with resources. We have seen the effect that the internet has on political fundraising. Millions flow into republican and democratic campaign funds on a daily basis, imagine the possibilities if a fraction of that could find it’s way into the Buckley campaign.

Imagine the grin on your face on November 5, if there’s a runoff between Allen Buckley and Jim Martin. Georgia could lead the way, the third way, and send a Libertarian Senator to Washington.

Something to consider over the next 15 days.

Is Saxby Wrong (Yet) Again?

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

This page came through my Google Reader earlier today, and it shows a very interesting trend.  Look at Saxby’s numbers in September.  Once he showed a 19 point lead over Jim Martin in the polls.

Since September, you can see a definite slide in those who would vote (or, rather, would have voted) for Saxby in November.  A recent Associated Press article says:

The senator downplayed suggestions that the bailout vote would make or break him.

“I’ve cast hundreds and hundreds of votes over the last 14 years,” Chambliss, a former House member, told reporters before the GOP Victory dinner in Atlanta. “To say any one is going to cost me the election, that’s just not the case.”

Saxby is deceiving himself here.  If his cowardly support of the bailout bill didn’t cause this sudden change in the polls, what did?  Certainly conservatives haven’t just decided to fall in love with the liberal Jim Martin.  No typical Saxby Chambliss supporter would ever just decide to vote for Jim Martin unless there was some big issue that prompted a change of opinion.

(The logical thing for a Chambliss supporter to do is to take a good look at Allen Buckley.  No, I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says, but those of us who favor small government and fiscal responsibility would be happy to have Allen Buckley representing us.)

If you are one of these former Saxby supporters who have changed your mind about this election since early September, and if the reason was something other than Saxby’s support of the bailout bill, share your concerns.

Saxby doesn’t think he’s wrong on this.  Let’s show him that he is wrong.  Again.

Senate Debate Video

Monday, October 13th, 2008

Many thanks to reader Chris for pointing me to the Senate Debate Video from the WMAZ web site. Here are the two parts to the 60-minute debate.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Senate Debate

Sunday, October 12th, 2008

A debate for the Senate position currently held by Saxby Chambliss took place this past Thursday in Perry.  It was streamed live on a local TV station’s site, but I wasn’t able to watch.  I deliberately delayed this posting, hoping that it would show up on youtube, but I’ve not found it anywhere online yet.

Fortunately, Jason Pye (not associated with this site) was kind enough to cover it live so we all could get a feeling for what happened at the debate.

Two pieces that I found particularly amusing:

7:19  Jason:  Chambliss blames the [economic] crisis on Clinton and is booed.

and

7:30  Jason:  Chambliss, the self-proclaimed small government candidate, praises Medicare part D.
7:30  Jason:  Buckley slams  him on it.

If you’ve got this debate recorded in some way that we can get it online here, or if you find any/all of it streaming online, drop an email to contact (at) firesaxby (dot) com.