When a senator does everything in his power to prevent progressive motion that affects the progress of not only the American economy, but the progress in Washington to shut out Big Oil PAC's and stop padding the pockets of Big OIl businessmen, something is seriously amiss.

Saxby Chamblis voted No on the Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN) Act because he claimed that to stop paying Big Oil and glad-handing was (and I quote) "communist".

The senator certainly has a flair for drama:

(Chambliss) "I am wearing this red shirt today, because this shirt is the color of the bill that we are debating, communist red. It is a taking. It will go to court, and it should be decided in court.

This bill will increase the competitive edge of foreign oil imported to this country. If the problem is foreign oil, why increase taxes and make it harder to produce American oil and gas? That makes no sense. We should insert taxes on all foreign oil imported. That would raise your money for renewable resources. But what we are doing here today is taxing our domestic oil. "

Well, so not using oil is communist. Brilliant.

Even if we disregard his apparent nonchalance for the current and future state of the environment, one cannot help if wonder if this antiquated senator will be able to put McCarthy back on his mantle and really study the renewable energy crisis instead of pointing the red finger at progress come election time. His statements make one wonder if he will ever be able to look ahead and put shot-gun competition to more present practical issues such as education and the health of the environment for future Georgians?

Polling done for the Capital Hill Newspaper Roll Call and two local Georgia TV stations indicate that Saxby Chambliss is holding his lead and the coattails effect Democrats are counting on in a state with a large African American population is seemingly not occurring. Saxby is leading his challenger by 17 points, statistically the same as the 16 point lead John McCain has over Barack Obama in the national race. National interest in this race has expanded the coffers of Democrat Jim Martin despite Chambliss having taken in over $4M per his June filing. Polling to date would indicate this is in vain, unless there is a game changing event between now and the November elections.

Neither Jim Martin (D) nor Saxby Chambliss (R) nor Libertarian Allen Buckley necessarily agreed with the $700 billion bailout as the three candidates battle it out for the Georgia Senate seat.

Yet, while he may have not liked it, Republican Saxby Chambliss voted for the bailout and he's going to have his hands full trying to explain to an already frustrated voting base in Georgia why he did.

"Whatever we do, honestly, is not going to be popular with lots of people in Georgia."

The incumbent Republican explained himself further:

"I'm concerned about people's mortgages being foreclosed on. I'm also concerned about the safety and security of every banking institution in the country."

"I'm not going to vote for any bill that allows for golden parachutes to be paid to executives at any banks."

In a political climate that belittles politically motivated decisions, you have to wonder about Saxby Chambliss' reasoning behind his vote in favor of Bush's bailout. He has to be aware of his declining standing amongst Georgia voters and their predominant disapproval of the bailout plan. Why then would he vote for it? With all the doom-sayers and dire predictions swirling around our economic state, perhaps the Senator was right?

Chambliss is an established politician and has served Georgia well during his tenure in the Senate. His policies and voting record have helped move Georgia forward economically, and there is no reason to expect that replacing him with a lesser candidate.

It's not a good idea for the Democrats to be running candidates like Jim Martin, who are largely unknown, against incumbents who know at least partially what they're talking about. Experience should never be underestimated. We are a long way from having all the facts out for public view of where Martin stands on all issues. But Chambliss served four terms in the House and is now finishing a term in the Senate, and we have plenty of information on his stances.

C. Saxby Chambliss and Sen. Kent Conrad (D) of North Dakota are pushing a bill that supports the expansion of offshore drilling efforts as well as an extension of tax credits for renewable energy initiatives.

The bill marks a major compromise and significant progress in bipartisan legislation with regards to our current energy crisis.

Chambliss states, "The No. 1 issue I hear about continues to be the high cost of fuel. The American people are looking for action.”

He continues, "We’re drilling in the Gulf now pretty close to this area. We have the infrastructure there, [and] we have the pipelines.”

If the bill passes, it will be a watershed moment for Chambliss' campaign against Jim Martin (D) and prove his pragmatic success in dealing with the energy issue, which is fast rising to the top (if it's not already there) of Georgia (and the nation's) voter's concerns as they head to the polls in November.

Chambliss Votes for Bailout

Chambliss explained that he voted for the bill because he believes that expedient action must be taken to ensure economic stability of millions. After the vote he stated,

"Today, I had a significant choice to make between two very different courses of action – do nothing at all or do what I truly believe is best for America. I believe to the core of my being that doing nothing will devastate our economy, destroy the financial security of millions of Americans and could possibly force our nation into a depression. I just as strongly believe the bill as it has been negotiated, and that I just voted for, will provide stability during this crisis and will begin to turn our economy around."

Opposed to popular portrayal, Chamblis frames the bill as a measure that will stop the financial crisis. He continued,

"Let me be clear – this is not a bailout. This bill has been carefully crafted to arrest our current financial crisis, restore security for the American taxpayer and ensure that our nation is the strongest economic power in the world."

A vote for Saxby is at least a safe vote, Jim Martin can't decide where he stands on issues. It's like he is waiting for someone to tell him. Saxby is an honest social conservative, but not really a financial conservative, though I think that he will come around to that point of view. I also believe that the Southern Republicans will prove to be a vocal and dangerous foil to extreme Obama policies, such as gun bans and abortion becoming available at the gas station

Naje, please stop trying to spread your liberal propaganda. You are obviously a little intern for Jim Martin, who was the most liberal member under the Gold Dome. If you want to pull out information, why don't you explain to us how 2 infants died under Jim Martins watch while he was head of DHR??? For which he lost his job!!! How could you want this man in a federal office? What has he done? At least Saxby has gotten things done for Georgians, and is working on an energy plan, which is the number one issue in the country right now, and you obviously can't tell that energy effects everything including education and health care, just ask Martin's former opponents, Rand Knight, Josh Lanier, and Dale Cardwell.