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1oM 1??M??RRoW??I-30-2013 ...www.thismodernworld.com,,.twitter.com/tomtomorrow
SAXBY STARTS A FREE-FOR-ALL
Whether you love him or hate him, you
have to admire how Sen. Saxby Chambliss
threw the state's political community into an
uproar with last week's announcement that he
won't run again in 2014. Chambliss made all
the necessary remarks about how "frustration"
with the dysfunctional Senate caused him to
step down after 20 years in Congress. In the
end, it comes down to this: He did not want
his political career to finish with a defeat in a
GOP primary.
Chambliss has made some enemies in the
extreme fringe of the Republican base, partly
because of his negotiations with Democratic
senators on a "Gang of Six" to craft a com
promise on the federal deficit. Chambliss was
lambasted by conservatives for being a
part of that group and also drew criti
cism for supporting legislation that
could have provided a path to
citizenship for immigrants.
It thus was no surprise that
Chambliss, who probably spent
more time on golf courses than
he did on the Senate floor, was
ready to go back home so he
could be "sitting on a back porch
drinking whiskey with some of y'all.
Chambliss has guaranteed that 2014
should be the craziest, most wide-open elec
tion year this state has seen in a long time. It
will be a time when the inmates are truly run
ning the asylum.
Most of the nine Republicans who repre
sent Georgia in the U.S. House can be seen
as potential replacements for Chambliss. This
group includes Tom Price, Phil Gingrey and
Paul Broun. Jack Kingston said he's giving the
Senate race some consideration as well.
Tom Graves, Lynn Westmoreland, Rob
Woodall and Austin Scott could also get
into the mix. You should add the names of
Secretary of State Brian Kemp and former
secretary of state Karen Handel to that list of
prospective candidates, along with talk show
stalwarts Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich and
Erick Erickson.
That will be a very crowded Republican
primary, with the candidates making all sorts
of outrageous statements to show that they're
the most conservative politician in the race.
By the time they're through, they'll prob
ably make Saxby Chambliss look like Leon
Trotsky. They may even make Paul Broun look
moderate.
As these House seats are vacated, that will
put more congressional districts into play.
Handel, for example, might be tempted to run
for Price's old House seat if Price does enter
the Senate race.
If Broun runs for the U.S. Senate, state
Sen. Bill Cowsert (R-Athens) would probably
declare he's running for Broun's House seat. If
Kingston tries to move up, former state
legislator Eric Johnson could be the
candidate who runs for Kingston's
House seat.
With an open race now assured
for the Senate seat, Georgia
Democrats will try to field a cred
ible candidate on their side of
the ballot. Atlanta Mayor Kasim
Reed, U.S. Rep. John Barrow and
state Sen. Jason Carter (D-Decatur)
would all be possibilities to consider
in that race.
"Today's announcement by Senator
Chambliss that he has decided to retire
presents a great opportunity for Georgia
Democrats to reclaim one of our U.S. Senate
seats," said Mike Berlon, Democratic chair.
One of the happiest persons in the state
has to be Gov. Nathan Deal. Any conservative
with a decent amount of campaign funding is
going to be running for the Senate or for one
of the House seats that open up.
The political consultants and advertis
ing directors who work in Georgia are even
happier than Deal. Thanks to the many com
petitive races that will result from Chambliss'
retirement, they are assured of full employ
ment during this election cycle.
Tom Crawford tcrawford@gareport.com
THIS M*??hKH
by TOM TOMORROW
GUN TALK
WITH YOUR HOST, THE
GLIB SOCIOPATH
THANKS FOR DOWNLOADING MY SHOW!
TODAY WE'LL BE DISCUSSING GUN
MASSACRES???SPECIFICALLY, THE
TERM "GUN MASSACRE"!
X PREFER TO THINK OF THEM AS
"REGRETTABLE CROWD-RELATED
INCIDENTS WHICH HAPPEN TO
INVOLVE FIREARMS"!
i I
I MEAN, YOU COULD KILL A GROUP
OF PEOPLE IN A HOT TUB IF You
THREW IN A TOASTER!
So WHY MUST WE SCAPEGOAT
INNOCENT GUNS???WHEN VIOLENT
MOVIES AND VIDEoSAMES
ARE SO CLEARLY TO BLAME?
NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE
CAPABLE OF EXPERIENCING ACTUAL
HUMAN EMOTION PERCEIVE THESE
EVENTS AS TRAGEDIES'.
BUT LET'S KEEP THINGS IN PER
SPECTIVE! EVERYBODY'S GOTTA
go sometime, amirite?
IN THE MEANTIME, WE CANNOT
ALLOW POLITICIANS TO EXPLOIT
THESE INCIDENTS TO JUSTIFY AN
EVEN GREATER tragedy???
???BY WHICH X MEAN, ANY RESTRIC
TION WHATSOEVER ON MV RIGHT
TO OWN MILITARY GRADE WEAPONRY!
next: the glib sociopath exer
cises HIS FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT TO
BRANDISH AN AR-15 IN PUBLIC!
mmmi>
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Salem High Show Choir
Oconee High Glitz ???N Ritz Show Choir
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Four High School Glee Clubs compet
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All proceeds benefit Children First
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Presented by
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HEALTH SYSTEM
LIVE on stage!
UGA???s Hogdson Hall Performing Arts
Center on Feb. 2, 2013 at 6pm.
Tickets $10.
Scan this code with your
phone to buy tickets, visit
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or call 706-613-1922.
GEORGIA^
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VISIT FLAGPOLE.COM TO VOTE
JANUARY 30,2013 ??? FLAGPOLE.COM 5