Mike Cantone on Georgia’s Runoff, National Senate Battles & the Paul Broun Controversy

This episode opens with updates on Georgia’s nonstop election cycle and a preview of next week’s interviews with Court of Appeals candidates Sarah Doyle and Mike Sheffield. The hosts then turn to a flurry of late-runoff campaign events: John McCain, Zell Miller, Bill Clinton, and Mike Huckabee all stump in Georgia as Saxby Chambliss leans heavily on the Fair Tax message alongside allies Neil Boortz and John Linder. The panel criticizes the Fair Tax as economically harmful and politically unrealistic given the incoming Congress.They shift to national races, predicting Democrat Mark Begich will defeat convicted Senator Ted Stevens in Alaska, while the Minnesota Senate recount between Al Franken and Norm Coleman could ultimately bring Democrats to 59 seats—heightening the importance of Georgia’s runoff. Discussion of turnout follows; while polls show unusually high voter-intent numbers, the hosts believe actual turnout will be far lower, though enthusiasm for Jim Martin appears strong among energized Obama supporters. Obama’s team has reopened field offices statewide and resumed canvassing and phone-banking.The conversation broadens to the 2010 Senate landscape. In Florida, Senator Mel Martinez suffers approval ratings in the low 20s and polls poorly against several Democrats. In North Carolina, conservative Democrat Heath Shuler is weighing a challenge to Senator Richard Burr, a race the hosts view as highly winnable. They also note signs that Kentucky’s Jim Bunning may retire, potentially creating another competitive open seat.The episode’s “Outrage of the Week” targets Georgia Congressman Paul Broun, who compared President-elect Obama to Adolf Hitler and labeled his views Marxist. The hosts condemn the remarks as historically illiterate, inflammatory, and beneath a Member of Congress—setting the stage for guest Mike Cantone to join the discussion.