Democrats seek to use metro Atlanta's continued robust growth to eventually compete again in Georgia politics (compared, time)

[jero23]

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

Feature film production won't shoot in Georgia if 'religious... | www.wsbtv.com

That's the start if the creative class sees itself being stifled upon because of asininity then it will be a domino effect.

[Atlwarrior]

We must have record turnouts not only for the presidential races, but local elections and vote some state politians out of office.

[Mutiny77]

Originally Posted by JoeP

the problem with GA, is they put up conservative Democrats. The GOP, especially in the South, is rigidly and extremely to the right and live to call anything to the left of AM radio as "liberal" etc.

Democrats need to have liberal candidates that will drive Democrats to vote. They are never going to get Republicans in this state. It's about moving the base.

They need to run conservative/moderate Dems to get the independents. Go too far to the left and that becomes a problem.

[Airforceguy]

It looks Gov. Deal might just go ahead and kill this bill....

In stark terms, the Republican said he would reject any measure that “allows discrimination in our state in order to protect people of faith,” and urged religious conservatives not to feel threatened by the ruling. He also called on his fellow Republicans pushing for the measure to take a deep breath and ” recognize that the world is changing around us.”

Deal has already called on lawmakers to make changes to the proposal, which has passed the Georgia Senate. It would allow opponents of same-sex marriage to cite religious beliefs in denying services to gay couples. On Thursday, he made clear that he wouldn’t be disappointed if even a variation of that measure fails to pass the Legislature when the session ends in late March.

“It’s not on my agenda item. It’s not one of those issues that I have been pushing,” said Deal.
He added:

“I know that there are a lot of Georgians who feel like this is a necessary step for us to take. I would hope that in the process of these last few days, we can keep in mind the concerns of the faith-based community, which I believe can be protected without setting up the situation where we could be accused of allowing or encouraging discrimination.”

Then came a more remarkable moment for the governor, who has largely sought to skirt the debate this year.

Standing in the lobby of a government building after a ribbon-cutting ceremony, he laid out a lengthy condemnation of the measure from a Biblical perspective, first noting that he is a Southern Baptist who took religion courses at Mercer University.

“What the New Testament teaches us is that Jesus reached out to those who were considered the outcasts, the ones that did not conform to the religious societies’ view of the world … we do not have a belief in my way of looking at religion that says we have to discriminate against anybody. If you were to apply those standards to the teaching of Jesus, I don’t think they fit.”

He then turned to a passage from the Gospel of John that showed Jesus reaching out to an outcast.

“What that says is we have a belief in forgiveness and that we do not have to discriminate unduly against anyone on the basis of our own religious beliefs. We are not jeopardized, in my opinion, by those who believe differently from us. We are not, in my opinion, put in jeopardy by virtue of those who might hold different beliefs are who may not even agree with what our supreme court said the law of the land is on the issue of same-sex marriage. I do not feel threatened by the fact that people who might choose same-sex marriages pursue that route.”

The governor said he and his wife Sandra, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this summer, believe in “traditional marriage” between a man and a woman.

“But that does not mean that those who hold to that view should feel like they are threatened by those who have a different point of view,” he said.

Nathan Deal’s forceful opposition to Georgia ‘religious liberty’ bill | Political Insider blog

[primaltech]

Okay, I guess that's our version of progress. Good for the governor.

It's sad that if you're a gay person in the South, about the best you can ever hope for is conservative political leaders who oppose your civil rights and who you are, but at least accept that they can't legally do anything about it anymore.

[Mutiny77]

Wow, he actually addressed the issue from a non-traditional conservative religious perspective...how about that.

[Hokiehaven]

Deal would bring a serious problem for the next GOP candidate to the changing demographics of GA if he ok'd that bill

He would look like the extremists on the right

If Trump wins the nomination and the delegates back him, GOP will be in a tough spot, potentially locally too or if they disenfranchise itll be worse

[Hokiehaven]

I agree though the changing dynamics compared to the dwindling older voter numbers who are more conservative could see changes in parts of the country not seen in many years

[jero23]

Deal is saving face for the Georgia GOP by killing this asinine bill because this would lead to a political bloodbath for the party if it was allowed to pass. If this bill is allowed to pass it would send political shock waves and trigger an acceleration in the fall from grace of the Georgia Republicans-control of the General Assembly.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Unless there is redistricting it seems like it would be hard for the Dems to take over.

This is a good point.

In the immediate future, Democrats could become competitive again in state legislative and federal congressional races with the implementation of a non-partisan commission to redraw the current state legislative and federal congressional district maps and draw future state legislative and federal congressional district maps after the next census (2020) and after each census thereafter. The neighboring swing state of Florida has been ordered by a federal judge to redraw its state legislative and federal congressional district maps while the neighboring swing state of North Carolina has been ordered to redraw some of its state legislative and federal congressional maps by a federal judge after legal challenges to the current partisan-controlled districting process in both of those states.

The problem in Georgia is that the Republicans who currently control the districting process don't want to relinquish the control they currently have over the state legislative and federal congressional districting process. With their majority in state legislative politics and control of all statewide offices (particularly with their control of the governor's office), Georgia Republicans basically have the power to map or gerrymander themselves a supermajority of state legislative and federal congressional seats.

(...Gerrymandering is something that the erstwhile ruling Georgia Democrats commonly did during the districting process, especially towards the end of their reign as the Georgia Republicans ascended to parity in the 1980's and '90's and then dominance in the 2000's.)

Right now, the makeup of the Georgia electorate is roughly about 55% Republican, 45% Democrat, give or take a few percentage points in down-ticket races and offices. But the Republican majority has drawn themselves a state legislative map where Republicans control about 67% or two-thirds of Georgia's state legislative seats and about 71% of Georgia's federal congressional seats.

Meanwhile, even though they currently hold a super-minority of state legislative and federal congressional seats, Georgia Democrats seem extremely reluctant to challenge the Republican-drawn legislative and congressional maps that give the GOP legislative and congressional majorities that are greater than the electoral power that they actually have.

Georgia Democrats are extremely hesitant to challenge the Republican-gerrymandered supermajorities on state legislative and federal congressional district maps because Georgia Democrats see the state's demographics changing in their favor (on the strength of the continued robust minority-dominated population growth in Metro Atlanta) and want to retain the ability to possibly draw themselves state legislative and federal congressional supermajorities of their own in about 15 years or so (particularly after the 2030 Census when Georgia's demographic makeup is projected to be similar to that of 'majority-minority' dominated California).

(...Racial and ethnic minorities are projected to potentially makeup about 60% of Georgia's population by 2030, which will be both a census year and a statewide gubernatorial election year.)

Georgia Democrats are willing to forgo federal court challenges to the gerrymandered maps of the current Republican majority and suffer through a few years of Republican supermajority rule if it means that Georgia Democrats may possibly have the ability to draw themselves state legislative and federal congressional supermajorities of their own after the 2030 census and beyond.

Having state legislative and federal congressional district maps drawn by a non-partisan redistricting commission would give Democrats an electoral boost now in state legislative and federal congressional races....Which is something that Republicans don't want while still being able to retain the benefits of drawing themselves legislative and congressional majorities that are far in excess of their actual electoral strength.

Having state legislative and federal congressional district maps drawn by a non-partisan redistricting commission would also help Republicans to stay competitive in Georgia statewide politics as the state's demographics continue to trend increasingly heavily in favor of Democrats over the next 2 decades....Which is something that Democrats do not want.

Republicans do not want to lose the power to draw themselves legislative and congressional supermajorities now while the state's demographics continue to lean their way for the time being. Democrats do not want to lose the power to possibly draw themselves legislative and congressional supermajorities in the future when the state's demographics will increasingly and heavily trend their way.

Meanwhile, the state's rapidly changing demographic makeup signals that Georgia Republicans should enjoy their large majorities while they can because in about 15 years or so, unquestioned Republican dominance of Georgia will likely be a thing of the past and the question for the Georgia GOP could be how to keep Georgia Democrats from taking over their own supermajority (67% or more) of state legislative and federal congressional seats.