RNC chief sees message in Chambliss win

When your party gets shellacked at the polls, you look for any sign of hope.

So Mike Duncan, chairman of the Republican National Committee, is trying to make the most of Saxby Chambliss winning re-election to his Senate seat in Georgia in a Tuesday runoff.

The triumph stopped Democrats from reaching a potentially filibuster-proof majority of 60 seats in the next Senate -- and Duncan argues shows that "any rhetoric about a liberal mandate is nothing but hot air."

"Georgians refuted any notion that the ideology of the country has shifted to the left. They supported the candidate who believes that people should keep their hard-earned dollars; that every American resource should be leveraged to address our energy crisis; that the role of judges is to interpret the Constitution; and that America must be vigilant against the very real threats to our nation and its citizens," Duncan writes in an opinion piece for Politico, released by the RNC today.

"Chambliss' re-election sends a message to all those who believe the Republican Party and its core principles are anything less than strong and competitive," he added. "As Republicans, we must continue to take stock of the 2008 elections -- first and foremost, strengthening ourselves by listening to the American people. But that also means learning from our mistakes and acknowledging our successes. Our success in Georgia is a strong sign that reports of the GOP's demise have been greatly exaggerated, and I look forward to future Republican successes in 2009 and 2010."