Metro Atlanta economy and reputation again at risk with new culture war battles (Religious Liberty, Abortion, etc) (Acworth: 2013, price)

[Atlwarrior]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

That's it right there. Many of the state's rural residents couldn't care less if Atlanta lost jobs and population if it meant the state would be even more conservative than it is now (of course that would ultimately hurt them but they either don't know or don't care) but the politicos know better, so they try to have it both ways but long-term, it's a losing strategy.

I think conservatives are banking on (conservative) businesses coming here regardless, but companies that would have automatically choosen Atlanta in the past are now choosing Nashville or Charlotte as well.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by citidata18

Does anyone know who was the 1 Democrat that voted for this bill, and the 2 Republicans that voted against it?

I forgot the name of the Democratic representative that voted for the bill, but I think that he was a conservative/moderate Democrat from a rural area.

The two Republican representatives that voted against the bill were Sharon Cooper, a moderately conservative Republican from Marietta/Cobb County, and Deborah Silcox, a pro-life Republican from Sandy Springs who said that she did not feel comfortable voting for such a bill on behalf of her moderate inner-suburban constituents.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by citidata18

Does anyone know who was the 1 Democrat that voted for this bill, and the 2 Republicans that voted against it?

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

I forgot the name of the Democratic representative that voted for the bill, but I think that he was a conservative/moderate Democrat from a rural area.

The two Republican representatives that voted against the bill were Sharon Cooper, a moderately conservative Republican from Marietta/Cobb County, and Deborah Silcox, a pro-life Republican from Sandy Springs who said that she did not feel comfortable voting for such a bill on behalf of her moderate inner-suburban constituents.

Here is some more detailed background on the lawmakers who crossed party lines to vote for and against the highly controversial 'Heartbeat bill' last week:
The 6 lawmakers who crossed party lines on final Ga. ‘heartbeat’ bill vote (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

[midgeorgiaman]

Well...I am not in favor of the bill personally, but I can say that thumbing ones nose at a Hollywood threat wins Republicans points here so I don't see it making a bit of difference. Just my 2 cents.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by midgeorgiaman

Well...I am not in favor of the bill personally, but I can say that thumbing ones nose at a Hollywood threat wins Republicans points here so I don't see it making a bit of difference. Just my 2 cents.

This bill probably more than likely will make a difference with college-educated female voters in the Atlanta suburbs.

Democrats (who already see the state of Georgia trending heavily in their direction in future electoral cycles and who made big gains in the 2018 elections in winning more than a dozen legislative seats in Atlanta suburban areas like Cobb, North Fulton, Gwinnett, DeKalb and Henry counties on the strength of minority and college-educated female suburban voters) most likely are going to make big hay (massive hay) out of this bill in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles.

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston (who has been politically weakened because of his own major ethics scandal revolving around his private criminal defense law practice in his rural North Georgia Mountains hometown of Blue Ridge) has expressed a great amount of worry that this abortion bill will lead to the wipeout of even more Republican state legislators in vulnerable metro Atlanta suburban districts in the 2020 and 2022 cycles.

Many conservative male legislators see these severe abortion restrictions as protecting life. But many female voters (particularly in suburban areas; and many of whom might have had major issues and challenges with miscarriages and past pregnancies) can often see these severe abortion restrictions as an act of political war against their healthcare.

Passing and signing into law such a highly controversial bill on a social issue that is a point of massive contention for so many (abortion) in hopes that it will generate an extended court challenge that will eventually ending up overturning Roe vs. Wade in the U.S. Supreme Court is no small thing.

In creating such a major controversy around such a highly contentious and emotional issue like abortion, Georgia Republicans have just handed a massive arsenal of political ammunition to the Democrats for them to relentlessly attack them with heading into the 2020 and 2022 election cycles.

Like Georgia, Virginia (a now-Democratic controlled state where Republicans have an opening to regain some power after a series of weird race and sex scandals amongst the state's top three Democratic state government officials) was once a deep-red (but heavily Democratic-trending) Southeastern state dominated by conservative Republicans... That is until those conservative Republicans decided to antagonize college-educated female suburban voters with a (comparatively less controversial) series of anti-abortion bills in the early 2000's during the administration of embattled Republican Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.

Republicans have had increasing difficulty winning statewide elections in recent years in Virginia, largely because they drove head-first into a divisive and emotion issue that alienated and antagonized the state's large bloc of socially-moderate/progressive (but historically Republican-supporting) college-educated female voters in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.... Once Republican-dominated Northern Virginia D.C. suburbs that continue to trend increasingly Democratic because of Republican demagoguery on highly contentious social issues like abortion in a purple and blue-trending historically deep-red state like Virginia.

Georgia Republicans would do well to heed the lessons of Virginia Republicans who basically handed over that state's large and dominant voting bloc of college-educated suburban voters (particularly female college-educated suburban voters) to Democrats by needlessly antagonizing them with a highly-charged social issue like abortion.

Georgia Republicans would also do well to heed the lessons of Republicans in neighboring GOP-dominated North Carolina who ended up with a Democratic governor after starting a strange national social controversy over gender identity in public restrooms (the costly 'Bathroom Bill' controversy in 2016).

Starting this massive social controversy at this time (as the state already appears to be trending heavily towards increased Democratic competitiveness in the not-too-distant future) is just completely ill-advised (stupid) on so many levels for Georgia Republicans, who seriously appear to be aiming for Democratic control of the Governor's Mansion and the Legislature after the 2020 and 2022 election cycles.

This exceedingly ill-advised abortion controversy has literally given Democrats an opportunity to take a purple/blue-trending red state like Georgia (and her 16 electoral votes, 2 U.S. senate seats and 14 congressional seats) away from the Republicans and put it in the Democratic column is future presidential and congressional elections.

This abortion controversy plays directly into the hands of Democrats who are chomping at the bit for an opportunity to permanently flip Georgia from a red state to a blue state in national elections as the state's demographics continue to trend heavily in the Democrats' direction.

Democratic 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial Runner-up Stacey Abrams (who is being pressured to run against Georgia U.S. Senator David Perdue in 2020) is reportedly thinking about running for governor again in 2022 against Brian Kemp (potentially after a publicity-generating run for president in 2020) because of the potential massive electoral impact of this highly-controversial 'Heartbeat bill.'

[midgeorgiaman]

Born: Good points. I agree with most of them. I just wonder if GA Democrats can keep the anger level high enough long enough to have an impact in 2020.

[Huntsville_secede]

Alyssa Milano, Georgia film workers demand Kemp veto ‘heartbeat’ bill


Actress Alyssa Milano and about 30 Georgia film workers traveled to the Georgia Capitol on Tuesday to hand deliver a letter urging Gov. Brian Kemp to veto restrictive anti-abortion legislation.

Milano, who films her Netflix dark pageant comedy “Insatiable” in Atlanta, has publicly opposed House Bill 481, which would outlaw most abortions in Georgia as soon as a doctor detects a “heartbeat.”

“We are going to do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for women if HB 481 becomes law,” Milano said.

https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regi...gIfBfE05ucdwtg

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

This bill probably more than likely will make a difference with college-educated female voters in the Atlanta suburbs.

Democrats (who already see the state of Georgia trending heavily in their direction in future electoral cycles and who made big gains in the 2018 elections in winning more than a dozen legislative seats in Atlanta suburban areas like Cobb, North Fulton, Gwinnett, DeKalb and Henry counties on the strength of minority and college-educated female suburban voters) most likely are going to make big hay (massive hay) out of this bill in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles.


Many conservative male legislators see these severe abortion restrictions as protecting life. But many female voters (particularly in suburban areas; and many of whom might have had major issues and challenges with miscarriages and past pregnancies) can often see these severe abortion restrictions as an act of political war against their healthcare.

'

Yeah they are totally going to alienate a lot of college education professional women. Only a room full of men would make a decision like this.


Torpy at Large: It’s a Man’s World in the GOP at the Georgia Capitol

https://www.ajc.com/news/local/torpy...KbluFpIfS3QxI/

[FitBXgal]

This is a shame. I am from NYC and now in the Raleigh area. I wanted to move to Atlanta for family, a larger city and even though rents have gone up what you get for your $$ is way better than NYC. However Kemp may keep me from making the move since NC is cleaning up from the McCrory massacre..

[FitBXgal]

Does anyone who "Has their ear to the ground" know about businesses besides entertainment having second thoughts about Atlanta?