Frontrunner GA Lt. Gov. Cagle raises nearly $7 million in gubernatorial bid (Atlanta: city hall, credit rating)

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by whodean

Again, you see the words "religious liberty" and freak out. If the law included the anti-discrimination wording then it would allow "Georgians to live and work free from discrimination"

No, I don't. Since I consider myself a person of faith, why would I?
And since we already have anti-discrimination laws firmly in place, why would a law such as you describe even be necessary?
Lastly, it's just a badly written bill IMO; its vague language opens the door for a host of abuses. In one short sentence, it says that Georgia should apply in similar fashion the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Formally approved in 1993, the law requires the government to prove a “compelling governmental interest” before it interferes with a person’s exercise of religion. So to me, it places an undue burden on the government to enforce existing laws against open discrimination by any group deeming itself a religious organization.
I can't think of any reason for such a law to exist except to provide a license for bigotry.

SB*233*2017-2018 Regular Session

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Iconographer

No, I don't. Since I consider myself a person of faith, why would I?
And since we already have anti-discrimination laws firmly in place, why would a law such as you describe even be necessary?
Lastly, it's just a badly written bill IMO; its vague language opens the door for a host of abuses. In one short sentence, it says that Georgia should apply in similar fashion the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Formally approved in 1993, the law requires the government to prove a “compelling governmental interest” before it interferes with a person’s exercise of religion. So to me, it places an undue burden on the government to enforce existing laws against open discrimination by any group deeming itself a religious organization.
I can't think of any reason for such a law to exist except to provide a license for bigotry.

SB*233*2017-2018 Regular Session

Spot on, as usual.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by primaltech

As admirably as Stacey Abrams is doing in her campaign, I hate to say this- but black people just don't vote enough. She may not even win the Dem primary, and anyway I'd put either Stacey's chances in the general election at slim to none. Abrams might even do worse in the general, because of her race. Stupid but true.

Originally Posted by CaliDreaming01

Sadly, I agree with you on the Staceys' chances. I would love to be proven wrong, but I just don't see a realistic scenario where either one of them would win.

I wish black people would turnout more, but I don't think even a large black turnout would matter given the demographics of the state. South Georgia still runs the show in this state and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Stacey Abrams is actually the Democratic gubernatorial candidate that the Georgia Republican establishment seems to fear more right now because of her stated intention to turnout very large numbers of Democratic and progressive base voters while appealing to some moderate white female voters in an election year that potentially could be very tough for Republicans.

The Georgia Republican establishment also seems to be afraid of Stacey Abrams because of her apparent potential to attract large sums of money from national progressive groups who are looking to turn Georgia into either a Virginia-style bluish-purple state or a Maryland-style blue state on the strength of Georgia's very advantageous demographics... Demographics which are roughly about 1.5 percentage points more diverse than a purple state like Florida, 10 percentage points more diverse than purple states like Virginia and North Carolina, and only about 2 percentage points less diverse than a reliably blue state like Maryland.

(...In Maryland, non-Hispanic whites made up about 51.5% of that state's population as of 2016)...

(...In Georgia, non-Hispanic whites made up about 53.4% of the state's population as of 2016)...

(...In Florida, non-Hispanic whites made up about 54.9% of the state's population as of 2016)...

(...In Virginia, non-Hispanic whites made up about 62.4% of the state's population as of 2016)...

(...In North Carolina, non-Hispanic whites made up about 63.5% of the state's population as of 2016.)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Forhall

I will probably switch parties to vote in the Republican primary. Cagle is the only one who will not destroy the states economy, film industry, and future just to shove his own beliefs down everyone's throats.

I love that Atlanta is now such a force that the Republican primary must he moderate to win this deep South state. Won't be long until Atlanta has enough pull that even a democrat can win statewide.

Originally Posted by primaltech

Yeah, same exact thinking here.

Theoretically, metro Atlanta should already have enough pull for a Democrat to win statewide.

Georgia has, at least since the 2010 Census, had demographics for Democrats to both be much more competitive and even win races statewide.

The problem is that Georgia's Democratic Party structural apparatus has been very weak and even almost completely non-existent since Democratic former Georgia governor Roy Barnes was beaten by Republican Sonny Perdue back in the 2002 statewide election.

That particular loss exposed lots of glaring weaknesses in Georgia's Democratic Party apparatus, namely an inability and unwillingness to turnout its base vote to remain competitive enough to have a legit shot at winning statewide elections.

Another major weakness during much of the last 15-16 years that Georgia Democrats have struggled to be competitive in statewide contests is that the party apparatus often has failed to execute other basis functions like raising even minimal amounts of money.

Back in the earlier part of this decade, the Democratic Party of Georgia reached a point (in about 2011-2012) where it only had about $13,000 in the bank because of pretty much no fundraising attempts whatsoever.

The party headquarters was basically only days from having all of the utilities shut off during a period when the state's demographics were trending heavily towards increased Democratic competitiveness in statewide electoral competition.

Georgia Democrats have since started to raise more money to attempt to become more competitive in statewide contests, but the current party leadership still seems to have problems adequately comprehending the concept of turning out Democratic and progressive base voters in statewide elections.

The current Georgia Democratic party leadership (which is a vast improvement over the previous party apparatus of the early-2010's which at one point was led by a convicted felon with absolutely no fundraising ability) still seems to want to appeal to deeply-conservative outer-suburban, exurban and rural white voters who no longer vote Democrat as they might have before the year 2000.

The Democratic Party of Georgia seems to have trouble comprehending that they will need to register, turnout and drive their base of progressive voters to adequately compete in statewide elections... And until Georgia Democrats recognize that reality, they likely will continue to struggle even in a state where the demographics seem to be very advantageous for them to be much more competitive in statewide elections.

With Georgia's favorable demographics (where racial and ethnic minorities make up at least about 46.6% of the state's population in a demographic scenario where Georgia appears to be moving towards becoming a 'majority-minority' state where racial and ethnic minorities are likely to make up the majority of the state's population in the not-too-distant future), Democrats should at least be as competitive in statewide contests in Georgia as they seem to be in nearby Southeastern purple/swing states like Florida, North Carolina and Virginia

Though, the demographics seem to indicate that Democrats potentially could be as competitive in electoral contests at all levels on a statewide basis as they are in a reliably bluish-purple state like Maryland which is a state with a Republican governor where Democrats dominate at the state legislative and congressional levels.

[CaliDreaming01]

^^^Wow. I did not realize how dysfunctional the state Democratic party is.

[demonta4]

Originally Posted by CaliDreaming01

^^^Wow. I did not realize how dysfunctional the state Democratic party is.

Isn't it everywhere? I mean look at who they lost the white house to. The Democratic Party needs to focus on their actual base and stop pandering to republicans.

[Atlwarrior]

Religious hypocrisy is a big problem not only in Georgia, but in the Nation. What sad is a particularly sect of the traditional religious community mainly white evangelicals using man made laws to try control people and not love and true spiritual influences which Christ demonstrated. The very height of hypocrisy and witchcraft.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by demonta4

Isn't it everywhere? I mean look at who they lost the white house to. The Democratic Party needs to focus on their actual base and stop pandering to republicans.

I also think the Dems should do everything they can to crush the GOP the next time they are in power.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by markjames68

And that democrat will destroy the state's economy, film industry and future. GA does NOT want to become a state like NY or CA.

Past and current evidence does not seem to indicate that a Democrat would destroy the state's economy if elected governor.

Like Republicans generally have been during their current run of dominance in Georgia politics when they are not pursuing controversial and potentially damaging business-averse social issues (like Religious Liberty), Georgia Democrats have a very strong reputation and long history of being extremely friendly to business and corporate interests.

Recent former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed is a Democrat who is considered one of the most business and corporate-friendly political figures in Georgia's history.

Most past Atlanta mayors (including Maynard Jackson, Andrew Young, Sam Massell, Ivan Allen Jr, and William Hartsfield), all of whom have been Democrats, also have a history of being some of the absolute most business and corporate-friendly political figures in Georgia's history.

Before the current era of Republican dominance started with the election of Governor Sonny Perdue in 2001, all of Georgia's past Democratic governors dating back to at least the Carl Sanders administration (1963-1967) also have generally been business-friendly figures.

If a Democrat were to be elected governor of Georgia, the evidence seems to indicate that Democrat likely would continue to be just as business-friendly as their past and current Democratic and Republican peers.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by Gulch

I also think the Dems should do everything they can to crush the GOP the next time they are in power.

What they need to do is formulate a message that resonates with voters, instead of spending 100% of their facetime attacking the Republican platform. Their position on most any issue seems muddled, vague and confusing and feels at times like it's deliberate...the old bait and switch. In trying to cast as wide a net as possible for potential voters, sincerity and focus are abandoned.