U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said he can keep out ‘activist judges,’ a term local activists say invokes the fight over gay marriage. (Photo by AP)
Chambliss promises to keep out ‘activist judges’ Flier attacks Martin
Although
Sen.
Saxby
Chambliss
(R-Ga.)
has
avoided
using
anti-gay
rhetoric
in
public
campaign
speeches,
his
promise
to
fight
against
“activist
judges”
is
likely
code
for
his
opposition
to
gay
marriage
and
other
progressive
issues,
local
gay
activists
said.
At
a
Nov.
13
rally
in
Cobb
County
that
featured
Republican
presidential
candidate
Sen.
John
McCain
(R-Ariz.),
Chambliss
said
Georgia
must
be
the
firewall
against
“activist
judges”
who
would
legislate
from
the
bench.
Chambliss
is
in
a
Dec.
2
runoff
with
Jim
Martin
for
a
seat
the
Democrats
want
to
win
to
add
to
their
majority
in
Congress.
Like
“family
values”
and
“pro-marriage,”
gay
rights
advocates
said
“activist
judges”
has
joined
the
list
of
“code
words”
candidates
use
to
tell
their
supporters
they
oppose
gay
rights.
The
phrase
“activist
judges”
has
become
more
common
in
campaigns
since
judicial
rulings
in
Vermont
allowed
the
nation’s
first
civil
unions
for
gay
couples,
followed
by
judges
in
Massachusetts
and
California
paving
the
way
for
gay
couples
to
wed.
“Generally
the
right
uses
it
as
a
code
for,
‘These
judges
are
friendly
to
queers
and
supportive
of
abortion
rights,’”
Jason
Cecil
said.
Cecil,
who
is
gay,
is
the
president
of
the
Young
Democrats
of
Georgia
and
a
member
of
Atlanta
Stonewall
Democrats.
At
the
Cobb
rally,
Chambliss
promised
to
work
with
President-Elect
Barack
Obama
when
he
agreed
with
him,
but
vowed
fierce
opposition
on
a
number
of
issues.
“When
he
comes
out
with
an
agenda
where
he
wants
to
put
liberal
and
activist
judges
on
the
bench,
I’m
not
going
to
be
with
him,”
he
said.
Chambliss’
words
were
met
with
loud
and
long
cheering
and
applause
from
the
crowd.
ATTACK
FLIER
Randy
Beck
teaches
constitutional
law
at
the
University
of
Georgia.
Beck
said
there
is
no
fast
and
objective
standard
used
to
determine
what
makes
an
“activist
judge.”
“I
think
I’ve
heard
about
three
different
ways
that
the
term
gets
defined.
One
way
is
an
activist
that
creates
new
rights
that
weren’t
intended
when
the
law
was
created,
and
that
is
probably
in
the
term
that
Chambliss
is
using,”
Beck
said.
He
added
judges
are
often
branded
as
activists
for
perceiving
to
overreach
their
authority,
and
social
conservatives
and
social
progressives
have
used
the
term.
Chambliss’
opponent
has
also
avoided
making
gay
issues
a
major
part
of
his
campaign.
Martin,
who
won
support
from
the
gay
Human
Rights
Campaign
and
National
Stonewall
Democrats,
has
a
long
record
of
fighting
for
HIV
and
gay
issues
from
his
years
in
the
Georgia
General
Assembly.
After
Martin
held
a
Nov.
12
press
conference
to
discuss
the
runoff,
Southern
Voice
asked
about
California’s
Proposition
8,
which
banned
gay
marriage.
“I
understand
the
concern
people
have
about
that,
it’s
a
California
issue,
it’s
not
a
Georgia
issue,”
Martin
said.
“People
know
my
position
and
how
I’ve
stood
up
for
fair
treatment
for
all
Georgians
and
against
discrimination
of
any
Georgians
based
upon
their
sexual
orientation.”
Cecil
said
he
understands
why
Martin
hasn’t
focused
on
gay
causes.
“And
honestly
I
don’t
blame
him.
Anything
that
is
friendly
toward
us
that
he
would
put
out
right
now
would
be
used
as
a
bludgeon,”
Cecil
said.
“The
whole
campaign
is
trying
to
focus
on
economic
issues,
and
if
we
try
to
put
a
spotlight
on
Martin’s
pro-gay
positions
it
will
absolutely
doom
it.”
While
Chambliss
himself
hasn’t
attacked
Martin
directly
on
gay
issues,
the
National
Republican
Senatorial
Committee
mailed
a
flier
claiming
Martin
should
“take
his
show
on
the
road”
on
“Left
Wing
Air.”
“San
Francisco
would
hold
a
parade
in
his
honor,”
the
flier
claims,
next
to
a
cartoon
rainbow,
noting
that
among
other
issues,
Martin
“opposes
banning
gay
marriage.”
Martin
has
said
he
personally
does
not
support
gay
marriage,
but
he
supports
civil
unions
for
gay
couples.
Martin
campaign
spokesperson
Kate
Hanson
said
the
attacks
were
nothing
new,
and
Martin
has
said
he
expected
them.
“He’ll
throw
out
everything
he
can,
old
Republican
politics,”
she
said.
The
Chambliss
campaign
could
not
be
reached
for
comment.
The
following comments were posted by our readers and were
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SouthernGal on 11/23/0810:11 AM:
Chambliss is my choice...I do believe he can be swayed.
Martin is too much of a southern bible belt kinda guy.
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