Economy takes center stage in U.S. Senate hopefuls' debate

Incumbent Chambliss, Democrat Martin, Libertarian Buckley scrap at rowdy forum

PERRY - There were only three issues in the first debate of Georgia's U.S. Senate candidates - the economy, the economy, the economy.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Moultrie, Atlanta Democrat Jim Martin, and Libertarian Allen Buckley of Smyrna brawled Thursday night in front of a raucous crowd of 300 people in the Reaves Arena of the Georgia State Fair.

At several points, the candidates' responses were drowned out by jeers, cheers or impromptu comments shouted from the audience. Uniformed state troopers stood around the perimeter of the arena during the hour-long debate.

Chambliss defended his recent vote for a $700 billion economic rescue plan that came under attack from Martin and Buckley on a day the stock market tumbled more than 600 points.

"Today we are suffering the 9/11 of our domestic economy," Chambliss said in the first face-to-face meeting of the candidates in the general election. "Sticking your head in the sand is not the answer."

Martin shot back: "From my perspective, the people sticking their heads in the sand were Saxby Chambliss and George Bush."

Chambliss was booed loudly by Martin's supporters - the Democrat's campaign brought in three busloads from Atlanta - when the first-term senator traced the sub-prime mortgage mess back to the Clinton administration. At one point, a Martin supporter yelled across the arena, "Send Saxby home!"

One of Martin's answers was obliterated by jeers from Chambliss backers - most of them from middle Georgia - when Martin alluded to U.S. Sen. Barack Obama being sworn in as president. Some audience members shouted, "No Bama!"

The debate took place as some polls show the race between Chambliss and Martin tightening. Martin was once considered a long shot and has raised only a fraction of the campaign funds amassed by Chambliss.

The candidates have a half-dozen debates left in the four weeks until the Nov. 4 election, but the middle Georgia face-off has traditionally been one of the rowdiest of the political season.

Buckley came under fire from the crowd when he attacked the so-called Fair Tax, a plan to eliminate the income tax and replace it with a national sales tax. Buckley called the proposed tax, which Chambliss supports, "a sham."

"Why don't you head back up I-75?" shouted one audience member as Buckley tried to finish his answer.

Buckley, a CPA and lawyer, said he is the only candidate who can address the nation's financial problems. He has proposed cutting benefits and closing most overseas military bases.

"We've got to stop spending more than we bring in," Buckley said. "We have to have a balanced budget amendment."

Chambliss blamed the economic downturn on a contraction of the credit markets. The rescue plan and other moves by federal officials should unfreeze those markets, he said.

"It will take time, and then you will see the other markets react positively," he said.

Martin countered that a culture of deregulation backed by President Bush and Chambliss led to the current economic chaos.