As the primary approaches, even in the North Georgia Mountains it is heating up around the Republicans who want to defeat Max Cleland in November. Even with the across the board popularity of Senator Zell Miller, Republicans still have an uneasy feeling about the loss of Senator Paul Coverdell and the influence that he had in the Party. The activists in the Republican Party want victory this November and they are rallying around their candidates.
Recently, I interviewed Congressman Saxby Chambliss and his opponent, State Representative Bob Irvin about their thoughts about issues and the Senate race up to this point. We discussed homeland security, fiscal policy, the rules of the Senate and the challenges of a statewide race.
Homeland security is a phrase that has come into daily use since September 11th. With the President's proposal to create a cabinet level position, the stakes are high because this is the largest reorganization of the Federal government since the Truman administration.
Congressman Chambliss currently serves as the Chairman of the House Sub-Committee on Terrorism and Homeland Security and believes that the President is doing the right thing. "I was opposed to a cabinet level position until Governor Ridge and the President had walked through this enough to know what was needed," Congressmen Chambliss said regarding the President's plan to reorganize the homeland security functions of the government.
Rep. Bob Irvin commented, "If the President needs this, we ought to give it to him and we ought not to nitpick." He noted that in his experience in overseeing mergers and acquisitions, it is important to keep your goal in mind. It is human nature to be introspective and worry about how this will affect the individual at a time of upheaval and that could lead to lower performance. "We can't let that happen in homeland security at this time," Rep. Irvin said.
The biggest challenge in the message for both of these candidates is the question of fiscal policy. Since September 11, Congress has used our security as the excuse for every kind of spending. On the supplemental budget, the President asked for $27 billion and the House added a billion or two and the Senate added a billion or two. Spending is out of control and there is no will to say this has to go because we need the money for homeland security or the military. We should have learned with President Johnson that we can't have "guns and butter" but we have a short memory.
One of the biggest areas of disagreement between Chambliss and Irvin is on the Agriculture bill. Chambliss was on the conference committee and believes that the bill is better than the Freedom to Farm Act of 1996 and that it is not a step back. Irvin thinks that could not be farther from the truth. He contends that the bill is too large and gives out too much money and uses it as the cornerstone of his attack on Congressman Chambliss.
It is interesting to see the opinions of these candidates on the Senate itself. Anyone who follows history and Washington knows that the Senate is designed to be a "calming" body. The House is reactive by design and the Senate is supposed to be the voice of reason. Both candidates believe that Cloture should be easier to achieve. (Cloture came about in the Senate after a long history of unlimited debate. In 1917, President Wilson suggested a rule (Rule 22) that allowed the Senate to end debate with a two-thirds vote. This rule is known as Cloture).
Congressman Chambliss believes in the calming role of the Senate and supports Cloture in some form. Representative Irvin believes that Cloture should be easier to achieve. The original intent of Cloture was to be used in controversial issues. The threshold was lowered in 1975 to 60 out of 100 to make it easier to achieve. In the Senate run by Tom Daschle, he sees every issue as a controversial issue. The House has sent 55 bills to the Senate that are now waiting for action from that body.
Both men are confident they can send Senator Max Cleland home after the November election. Congressman Chambliss believes that Senator Cleland is "out of touch with Georgia." He went on to say that "since Zell (Miller) came to the Senate, he (Sen. Cleland) aligns himself with Zell."
State Representative Irvin believes that he can challenge Senator Cleland on his voting record because if you campaign on style Senator Cleland is "the best there is at that kind of campaigning."
One thing is sure; this will be a hotly contested race. With the control of the Senate in the balance there will be intervention from in and outside the state. Money will be flowing. This is Saxby Chambliss' nomination to lose. He has money, the support of his Congressional colleagues, the President's ear and a good campaign organization. Bob Irvin is known in the Atlanta metro area where 60% of the Republican Primary voters live. He is strong on the issues that immediately effect voters. He does not have as much money but he is in this race for the long haul.
Of all the statewide races, this United States Senate race is anybody's call. The key is getting out the vote on August 20. If we learned anything from the 2000 election is that every vote counts, even yours.
Martha Zoller is the host of The Martha Zoller Show heard weekdays from 9-11:30 am on WDUN Newstalk 550. She is also a regular panelist on Fox5 Atlanta's The Georgia Gang. You may contact her via email at [email protected]. This article was reprinted from IN North Georgia Magazine, July 2002.
Monday
August 4th, 2025
8:26AM
