Georgia Dem Senate Candidate Attacked On Family Safety, Even Though His Daughter Was Once Kidnapped

There is an eerie familiarity taking hold in Georgia's runoff Senate race. The same tone that defined the much lamented 2002 contest -- in which challenger Saxby Chambliss questioned the patriotism of triple-amputee, Vietnam vet Max Cleland -- is resurfacing in the current go-around.

This time, Chambliss and other Republican groups are going after Democratic challenger Jim Martin for being soft on crime and a danger to children, even though Martin's daughter was kidnapped at the age of eight and, subsequently, the Georgia Democrat introduced a wide-variety of legislation to protect families from crime.

It's a classic thread of political thought that suggests the best line of attack is to go after your opponent's character strength. And it's a meme that defined Chambliss' past run for office. In 2002, the Georgia Republican (who never served in Vietnam) was widely rebuked for running an advertisement that featured a picture of Cleland alongside one of Saddam Hussein and then Osama bin Laden.

This time around, the Chambliss campaign has put out an ad saying that the Martin was fired from a government position "after children die[d]." The reference was to Martin's 2003 resignation from the post of commissioner of the Department of Human Resources after two toddlers passed away under state supervision -- hardly the implicit involvement that the charge suggests.

But the more controversial attack comes by way of the group Freedom's Watch, which put out an ad that accuses Martin of being a danger to "your family's safety."

"You need to know, one public leader failed to look out for Georgia families: Jim Martin," goes the script. "First he actually helped block stiffer penalties for drunk drivers. And then, Martin voted against tougher sentences for domestic abuse."

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Martin's campaign has been quick to push back against the line. The former General Assembly member and Vietnam vet put out an ad of his own, telling the tale of how his eight-year-old daughter, Becky, was kidnapped in 1980 while walking home from school.

"We were blessed that she got away but I never forgot the way she trembled when she faced her kidnapper in court," Martin says, directly into the camera. "That's why I fought so hard to crack down on violent crime and lockup violent criminals."

Martin's response is a good one, in that it doesn't overtly denounce the attacks being launched his way, but rather makes the case that he is the one who is serious about tackling crime -- after all, he knows from personal experience.

Whether Republicans in Georgia can win a second straight Senate race by going after their opponent's personal stories and character strengths remains to be seen. The runoff election is on December 2.

Comments

[Stephen C. Rose - Huffpost Blogger]

From these tea leaves one can conclude that Martin should WIN! We will soon be thanking Chambliss along with Hannity and Ailes and McCain and Palin and Schmidt and all others who played Atwater cards this year.

[rbrinega]

I believe that there also must be something more going on besides attacking Martin on one of his strengths. The Rovian strategy that I've seen this year attacks not only where the opposition is strong, but where there is weakness on the side of the attacker. I'm wondering if Chambliss is attempting to hide something about himself by launching this awful attack. If there is, now's the time for dedicated researchers to find it.

[NationalTreasure]

+rbrinega

you are spot on Chambliss has a lot of dirt under his nails when it comes to the republicans purported "strong on moral values," meme.

Chambliss is a fraud and hypocrite just like his republican brethren

[indypete]

The "tough on crime" obsession of the repubs is simply a multi-edged tool in their power-grabbing and money-grubbing. Use it to scare people with lies and distortions then fill the (incredibly corrupt) private prisons with low-maintenance inmates (pot smokers) instead of actual but expensive villains. Win-win situation for the wrong-wingers.

[demigod]

C'mon, Georgia, you have the advantage of knowing who the next President will be. Are you really going to re-elect one of the biggest jerks in the LOSER party, and spend the next four, if not eight, years out in the wilderness voting NO on every bill, or are you going to wise up and elect at least ONE Senator who will be invited to the right meetings, serve in the right committees, and maybe actually SERVE the people of Georgia ? Are you really going to dig in your heels, stay RED, and knowingly oppose what the rest of the nation is trying to do ? Do you really think that is going to get you anywhere ? Times are hard and getting harder - are rich people really that important to you ?

[Blue in NH]

Georgia appears to be locked in a close race with Alaska to be named the dumbest state.

[Blue in NH]

This shouldn't come as any surprise. After all Saxby Chambliss (what a stupid name) attacked multiple amputee veteran Max Cleland as unpatriotic.

[peacegurl48]

Saxby Chambliss has proven himself to be without human decency, no one has been exempt from his venemous, hateful smears.

[gintheb]

Next they'll talk about the 1/2 black "love child" he's holding in the picture.

[cre8ive]

Martin's commercials before November 4 were replete with Obama rhetoric and perspective, but it was obvious that he was not going to connect himself to the presidential candidate. The only mention of Obama in any of the senatorial ads was Chambliss using the association to attack Martin. Martin, knowing he was in a red state didn't seem to want the association and never mentioned that he supported Obama in any way.

Since November, he's Obama's biggest fan. Now that there is a runoff, ALL of his ads talk about helping Obama put this country back together. He's scrambling for the volunteers who worked so hard on the ground for Obama here (who, by the way, also campaigned for Martin just because he was in the same party but were ignored by him during the campaign).

Martin's pitiful poaching of Obama's message while pandering to Georgia's red and white has left him with a lot of blue voters saying, "This is not my fight."

I'm an independent. I voted against Chambliss in the regular election. I'll vote against him again in December. I can't say I'm FOR Martin.

[deke33]

But to suggest that a man who saw his 8 year old daughter testify in court against a kidnapper is soft on crime is as bad as suggesting the sitting senator he bested in the last election never served in Nam. By the way where did "Braveheart Chambliss" serve during that war? It is amazing the patriotic fervor that dribbles from the mouths of those who not only never served, but did their utmost to avoid serving. It seems you adore those heoes who never felt the abject terror of the battlefield, nor heard the screams, curses and prayers of those who did.

[doublels]

What does any of what you're saying have to do with the article?? GOP is saying he's dangerous to families which is obviously untrue. The GOP just keeps sinking LOWER, LOWER & LOWER.

I sure hope Martin wins over that excuse of a human being Chambliss. Typical GOP...COMPLETE hypocrite.

[11907281]

Your outrage's priorities are are beyond mind-boggling, re-read you comment then go look at the front page of a news paper.

[demigod]

So what ? He's running in GEORGIA - DUH !!! Obama is half BLACK, remember ? Even playing Obama down, and playing the disasters of the Republicans up, he only got 48% - doesn't say much about the intelligence of Georgians, but OK, now Obama's been elected, no need to even deal with that, in fact, try to convince Georgians that - KNOWING WHAT THEY NOW KNOW - they might actually want some butter on their bread, they might want at least one Senator who would actually be welcome in the halls of power. This is politics, my friend, a very ugly business.

Obama doesn't care if his message is "poached" by another Democrat - his message change and renewal is universal, the people of Georgia should put down their ugly past, cast out their Republicans, and join the American renaissance.

[sufi66]

The less attention we pay to this lunatic, the better off we will all be.

[win2kpro]

I've already voted absentee for Jim Martin, but truthfully his political ads have been poor. He should have been busting Saxby "Shameless" on his deferments to keep him out of Vietnam, but I have heard nothing about that in his ads.

Georgia is a strong military State, and the DNC should have gotten Wes Clark to come in and "stump" the State with Jim. Wes Clark is highly regarded in Georgia, and in my opinion could have really helped Jim in both the urban and rural areas, much more than Al Gore.

When you look at the results from the November elections, Obama only needed 4% more to carry Georgia. The DNC needs a better campaign strategy here. With a little more effort we can turn Georgia blue, and stop automatically giving the 15 electoral college votes to the GOP every election.

WAKE UP DNC, IT'S TIME TO PLAY HARDBALL IN GEORGIA!

[YunekFlava]

Chambliss and his slime bunch are the same ones that defeated Max Cleland, and he did that by in part by saying that Cleland was a "friend to the terroist", because he opposed the Iraqi war and questioned the president. Max Cleland lost both of his legs during the VietNam war, and was a successful secretary of state of Ga for many years, before his unsuccessful bid for Senator against Chambliss.

However Chambliss has refused to testify in a trial that has the owners of a GA sugar factory facing a jury their peers. Chambliss has said that he has "Senate immunity"...no such frigging thing. Chambliss is going down this time, this is a new day and HOPE is the new thing, FEAR is so yesterday.

[AnotherunhappyDemocrat]

Sorry for being annoying, Huffpost, but this has been an issue lately. So....

This comment has lots and lots and lots to do with Saxby Chambliss and the issues involved on this thread. It contains content comparable to that posted by other commentators. Saxby Chambliss is....

The voters of Georgia are...

So, will this make the cut? (seriously, this has been an issue lately)

[shanefish]

Maybe you should try being "HAPPIER". We all get deleted, just press on dude. Life is what you make it.

[AnotherunhappyDemocrat]

And dude, apparently in your world, life is making pointless comments to those of us, wondering if there is any sort of computer glitch here.

[AnotherunhappyDemocrat]

Now I am even more curious, given that two comments - which were complaining about posts getting bounced - made the cut here, while three comments that were on topic, didn't make the cut. Huffpost, could you please explain this problem?

[AnotherunhappyDemocrat]

All right, I am now really curious. A comment that had no substance made the cut, while three that had substance were bounced. What gives Huffpost?