Promoted from the diaries by Erick.

Michael Barone reports:

Democrats hope for a disproportionately large turnout of young and black voters, but Barack Obama, busy building an administration with an eye to bipartisan acceptability, seems so far unwilling to deploy the one political asset—personal campaigning by the president-elect—that seems most likely to spark such turnout.

Democrats hope, but Obama’s non-change Clinton cabinet doesn’t extend to the Peach State:

I imagine there’s some behind-the-scenes arguments among Democrats about whether Obama should (pardon the expression) march through Georgia. Bill Clinton’s campaigning for incumbent Wyche Fowler in the 1992 runoff didn’t help Clinton’s prestige but rather signaled something in the way of political weakness, because Republican challenger Paul Coverdell won. I’m guessing that Obama wants to avoid a repeat of this outcome.

Do some Senate Democrats fear the spotlight and accountability of a filibuster-proof majority?

And I’m guessing, with some basis, that at least some incumbent Democratic senators would rather not have 59 Democratic colleagues, lest they be put on the record for imposing policies like the abolition of secret ballots in union recognition elections.

An astute political observer and life-long Democratic Party activist in Metro Atlanta advises TMR’s Mike gamecock DeVine that bitterness over Republican Saxby Chambliss’ campaign TV ad against then incumbent Democrat Max Cleland, six years ago, remains a factor in the race.

The ads, which included the passing visage of Osama bin Laden, criticized Cleland’s vote against a Homeland Security bill that failed to include a Labor Union provision preventing personnel changes by the President outside grievance rules that apply to most government employees. Chambliss claimed that the vote weakened national security, thus justifying the ad.

Gamecock doubts this bitterness will be enough to drive enough blacks, that are more conservative than Democrat Martin on social issues; and young people, that were too young to vote in 2002, to the polls to unseat Chambliss in this non-Obama on the ticket run-off.

With Obama on the ballot on Election Day, Martin trailed Chambliss by 3% and was saved from defeat only because the incumbent failed to garner more than 50% of the vote as required under state law.

An updated report on this race will be filed at TMR by Monday.

[Gamecock was legal editor of The (Decatur, GA)) Champion from 2002-2006 and convered the 2002 Chambliss-Cleland race.]

Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer, Examiner.com and Minority Report columns

“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson

Originally published by Mike “gamecock” DeVine as Legal Editor for The Minority Report