The Best Of The Drifts - Josh Lanier Enters The Senate Race

Originally published October 3, 2007

A New Name In The Georgia Senate Race

He's not a career politician but he knows politics.

Josh Lanier, 55, is a native of Statesboro although his career took him to Virginia over 30 years ago. A Vietnam Veteran, Lanier worked on the personal staff of Georgia Senator Herman Talmadge assisting the front line aides on the hottest issues of the day including Watergate and Vietnam. He returned to his native state one year ago and his name keeps popping up in interesting places.

Recently, it began surfacing in the already muddled race for the seat currently held by Senator Saxby Chambliss. Democratic Party of Georgia officials confirm that Lanier contacted the Atlanta headquarters expressing an interest in the contest but would comment no further, stating it was one of many calls speculating on candidates.

Lanier says he's not a person looking for a career in politics but is willing to step up if there is a need.

" I talked to [a party official] because I heard he had been asking questions", Lanier stated via telephone, "All my conversations have been what is the status of the race and what is the real need here".

Lanier is not rushing anything but admits to the possibility of a campaign,

"I have not made a decision to run yet, but I am kicking it around."

Lanier's name recognition may be low at this time, but just two years ago few people knew Jim Webb in Virginia. The potential of a knowledgeable neophyte running may make a Senate race considered by many to be a foregone conclusion, at the very least, a lot more fascinating.

Saxby's Georgia: Atlanta, The Mountains and Moultrie

Oh jeez. National Geographic asked Senators to submit a hand drawn map of their home state and Saxby Chambliss (R-My Hometown) pulled out a sharpie and a napkin or something for an easel.

I suppose I should be happy our mutual hometown is so dear to his heart.

Wrestling The Eel

I've been wrestling with this Senate race for a week now. Despite him being my hometown boy, I can't endorse Senator Chambliss. But I've never been a Martin fan either. My default position should be Libertarian Allen Buckley but his deer in the headlights performance in Perry caused pause.

Fellow Georgia writer Jason Pye attempts to clear some of the fog for me. Although he encourages voting for his man Buckley, he is also a realist.

I have no illusions about Jim Martin. He isn’t what I would call a fiscal conservative, but he seems to be there on issues relating to privacy, Iraq and reigning executive power. Saxby Chambliss has proven himself incapable of voting for less spending or legislation that would steer us in a small government direction.

I'm going to wrestle this eel a bit more, but this type of level headed reasoning certainly eases the struggle.

Josh Lanier On Saxby Chambliss

Earlier this week we had some Dale Cardwell guerilla video. Now comes Josh Lanier. In case you don't remember, this ad is play on the 2002 Chambliss ad which juxtaposed Senator Max Cleland with Osama Bin Laden.

I got a preview of this last week and thought it was interesting. What say you, gentle readers?

Cardwell On Martin

Look for more guerilla theater from the "outsiders" later this week.

Local Boy Does Good

I suppose I should go to this.

On Monday afternoon, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Moultrie will kick off his reelection campaign on his hometown’s courthouse square.

I need to check on things at the southern compound anyway.

Poll Dancing

Rasmussen has a new poll on the strange meandering thoughts of the beast known as the Georgia voter.

Many will obsess on the big presidential hoo-hah. Not many surprises there. Republicans leading everywhere.

Instead, good friend, let us look at the bones a little further down the page. Let us look at the upcoming Senate race.

What immediately jumps out is the three Democratic contenders (Lanier was not polled apparently because he is still in explorer mode) hover in the low to mid 30s. That's a rather substantial leap from the Strategic Vision poll of two weeks ago which had all three somewhere between 26-28. The only explanation is either arcane statistical voodoo that only the geeks understand, mass acid dosing in the water supply or the numbers are starting to move. Given the state of water deprivation in the state, only the devil knows.

Then there's Vernon. The Dekalb CEO has a combined unfavorable rating of 54%! 31% rate Jones as very unfavorable. He is dangerously close to entering territory normally held by whore-mongering preachers caught in hotel rooms with their pants down.

What does it all mean? Only one thing. Politics is such a weird profession that there exist a whole subset of tradesmen who peer relentlessly at every smidge of data.

Oh, and there is another thing. It means the election is still a year away. Anything can happen.

Not So Tortuous Answers

This morning, I received a dispatch from our absent Blogfather. It seems even in the great white north he still manages to occasionally lean against a telegraph post and receive hums from along the wire. Today, he passes along a gem from his former UPI cohort Joe Galloway, veteran combat journalist and co-author of "We Were Solidiers Once".

Here's what Mr. Galloway has to say about the practice of ""water boarding".

When you hog-tie a human being, tilt him head down, stuff a rag in his mouth and over his nostrils and pour water onto the rag slowly and steadily to the point where his lungs fill with water and he's suffocating and drowning, that is torture.

Well, that seems pretty clear cut.

Now, let's take a look at how three of the four Democratic candidates for Saxby Chambliss' Senate seat responded at Tondee's Tavern to the question, "Where do you stand on torture?"

Rand Knight

Torture of any kind, for any purpose, is completely unacceptable, irreproachable and must be eliminated. Furthermore, beyond the blatant inhumanity and illegality of torture, such horrific practices only embolden and strengthen our enemies and diminish our standing in the world. Torture must be stopped.

Dale Cardwell

I am against it, for the same reasons stated in question 4. We cannot protect our society by violating its most basic principles.

Josh Lanier

It's wrong, mostly ineffective, and I'm opposed to it.

And what does our distinguished senior Senator Saxby Chambliss have to say about torture?

Well, not much. But in May, in a closed door session of the Senate Intelligence Committee, two Democrats offered an amendment to ban interrogation techniques which go beyond what is allowed by the Army Field Manual.

Senator Chambliss voted no on the amendent.

And that pretty much says it all.

A Question For Saxby Chambliss

Georgia Senator and fellow Moultrian Saxby Chambliss is in Switzerland rubbing elbows with the intelligentsia and talking about global warming. He is one of the those I spoke of who will question the potential armageddon as cyclical going so far as to say it may be "nature taking its course".

I have a question for Senator Chambliss.

Senator, you have shown remarkable flexibility on immigration issues. This open-mindedness is certainly understandable given the reality of undocumented aliens being vital to agri-business in our state. Given your willingness to buck your own party on this issue, I am curious why you are not also willing to at least entertain discussion on global warming given the possibility its effects on the world economy could ruin south Georgia farming for generations?

The Feeling Of Dread

As I sit watching CSPAN2 as yet another amendment goes down to defeat a cold feeling permeates my innards. I keep wishing someone would stand up and scream that can't everyone see what we are doing is wrong. Senator Leahy came the closest as he stated the august group was rushing willy nilly to alter the Constitution so that everyone could back to the campaign trail. He called it a farce and angrily through down his microphone.

For you Georgians out there, Chambliss and Isakson have both voted to kill every amendment including the Habeas. Chambliss is up for election in two years. Do not forget this day when it comes time for him to be held accountable.

Saxby Chambliss' Slip Of The Tongue

I hate that I even feel the need to comment on this. Currently simmering, hopefully that is all it will do, is controversy over the following quote by Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss:

We need better intelligence. If we had better intelligence in the Civil War
we’d be quoting Jefferson Davis, not Lincoln.

It should be noted that Senator Chambliss' office disputes the quote.

Even though he is from the south, even though he represents my state, even though he is from my hometown, I am not going to defend Chambliss. There is no need for any defense. In my mind, the only thing Chambliss is guilty of is a poorly worded analogy.

Chambliss and I agree on practically nothing but I do not believe he is a closet racist or Confederate apologist. Any attempt to crucify him over this statement borders on the ridiculous. There are plenty of areas to criticize and question Chambliss. This is not one of them.

Immigration Protests Continue

Protests that began over the weekend are continuing into the work week or in this case the school week. The L.A. Times is reporting approximately 14,000 high school students have walked out of class in protest of what they perceive as the anti-immigrant storm brewing in Washington.

The immigration issue is a thorny one that I don't feel ready to tackle just yet. Apparently I am not alone. Many want to paint this in the stark black and white of it's illegal so there is no middle ground. In most election years this would be a no-brainer for the law and order set. But as I think we will continue to see, this ain't no ordinary election year.

In my home state of Georgia, the more conservative of our two Republican Senators, Saxby Chambliss appears to be dancing through a mindfield. Although Chambliss represents the entire state, he is from south Georgia and it is no secret that he leans towards his agricultural constituents. He is certainly towing the party line of the borders must be secure but he is also warning fellow GOPers that draconian measures could leave "produce...rotting in the fields".

The MTV crowd paying attention to current events for more than 10 minutes? Republican politicians arguing for amnesty for law breakers?

This story promises to get more and more interesting. Stay tuned.