Martin assails Chambliss' fed bailout vote

Democratic Senate race candidate Jim Martin, talking to reporters at a press conference in downtown Atlanta, Sept, 16, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Jim Martin Thursday morning slammed Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss over his vote for the financial market bailout bill late Wednesday night:

“I am disappointed, but not surprised, to see that Saxby Chambliss voted for another typical Washington solution to a very real problem.”

“This updated package still fails to address the fundamental problems created by the deregulation of Wall Street, which Chambliss went to Washington and voted for every step of the way. And it lacks consumer protections to stem the abusive lending practices that are at the root of this crisis - practices that I sounded the alarm on two years ago, long before the mortgage crisis began.”

Martin, in a statement, said that if he wins Chambliss' seat in November, he'll take steps to prevent a similar situation in the future:

“If the bailout bill ultimately passes in its present form, I will work with our next president and the congressional leadership to address these flaws so that we can ensure that another crisis of this magnitude does not threaten our economy in the future.”

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Chambliss: fed bailout crucial for Georgians, country

Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss said his vote for the Wall Street bailout was crucial for Georgians. Chambliss was speaking at a press conference in Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Oct 2, 2008. (Carl Zornes)

Chambliss says his Senate vote okaying the 700-billion dollar funding measure is in line with public sentiment:

“The overwhelming majority of the american people, and certainly the majority of Georgians, I know, support the Congress as policymakers, making sure that we don’t slide down into a financial depression.”

While Chambliss voted for the measure, all of Georgia's Republican House members opposed it in a vote on Monday. Chambliss says he hopes they will now throw their support behind the hotly debated bailout.

Sen. Johnny Isakson voted for the bill, as did both presidential candidates, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.

Chambliss says Georgia's economy could take a hit without it's passage. The House is expected to vote on the measure on Friday.

Talking to reporters at the Senate, Chambliss said:

"We’ve got Georgia banks who are crimped from a credit standpoint and aren’t even able to make automobile loans today,"

"We have major employers who are having their lines of credit cut or in some cases cancelled. And it's going to start costing us jobs.”

Addressing reporters at a press conference at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport the morning after the vote, Chambliss said:

"Taking no action is simply not an option. We simply can't afford for the stock market to have losses of one point two trillion dollars on any kind of regular basis."

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Columbus: poly-sci expert considers Obama-Clinton odds

Muscogee County

Barack Obama will have an edge over Hillary Clinton in Muscogee County, according to a Columbus State University political science expert.

When polling stations open in Georgia Tuesday morning, Columbus headquarters for the two Democratic contenders will have tried to outdo each other, for what one analyst calls the progressive, liberal voter.

Tom Dolan, who chairs the political science department at CSU, says over 4,000 voters cast their ballot in Early elections in Muscogee County so far; the highest the county has seen:

"I suspect Obama will do better in Georgia and I suspect he'll do better in Columbus."

Dolan says while Obama attracts younger voters, they were less likely to actually get to polling stations.

County voting officials are predicting a 25% local voter turnout in tomorrow's primary, and state officials put the overall numbers at about 30-percent.

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Gramm stumps for McCain in hometown

Former Senator Phil Gramm.

Columbus native and former Texas Senator Phil Gramm briefly visited his hometown on Saturday, in support of Senator John McCain's presidential bid.

Gramm, who spoke at the Green Island Country Club, told reporters that he wouldn’t rule out a spot in a McCain Administration.

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Andrew Young: Obama's Too Young

Young. (Ric Field/Associated Press)

Civil rights icon Andrew Young says Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is too young and lacks the support network to ascend to the White House.

In a media interview posted online, Young also quipped that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has her husband behind her, and that "Bill is every bit as black as Barack."

Sen. Barack Obama. (AP /J. Scott Applewhite)

"He's probably gone with more black women than Barack," Young said of former President Clinton, drawing laughter from a live television audience. Young, 75, was quick to follow his comment on Bill Clinton with the disclaimer, "I'm clowning."

Young, a former United Nations ambassador and lieutenant of Martin Luther King, Jr., made the comments at an appearance at "Newsmakers Live," an urban media forum that interviews prominent Atlanta personalities and political figures.

Excerpts of the interview were posted on Newsmakers Journal, the Newsmakers' Web site, though the date of the appearance was not included with the video posting. Young was scheduled to appear on "Newsmakers Live" on Sept. 5, according to a press release.

Repeated efforts by The Associated Press to reach Young were unsuccessful.
Young's comments were prompted by a member of the audience who inquired about his opinion on Obama's candidacy.

"I want Barack Obama to be president," Young said, pausing for effect, "in 2016."

"It's not a matter of being inexperienced. It's a matter of being young," Young said. "There's a certain level of maturity ... you've got to learn to take a certain amount of (expletive)."

Young went on to say that Obama needs a protective network that he currently lacks - a quality that could hurt him if he were to be elected. He said Hillary Clinton already has that kind of network, including her husband to back her up.

"There are more black people that Bill and Hillary lean on," Young said. "You cannot be president alone. ... To put a brother in there by himself is to set him up for crucifixion. His time will come and the world will be ready for a visionary leadership."

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(The Associated Press)