Over at WABE (90.1FM), those pledge-driving fools Denis O'Hayer and Rose Scott just pushed out a portion of a lengthy interview with Gov. Nathan Deal that O'Hayer conducted earlier this morning.
Listen to both clips here. The first focused on that looming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. A rough transcript:
Deal: "Yes, I do. The attorney general – just as I [have] – has taken an oath of office. And that oath includes that we will uphold the constitution of the state of Georgia, and that we will support and uphold the constitution of the United States.
"I think we understand that in our republican form of government, that federal, constitutional issues trump state constitutional issues. So we will abide by whatever the Supreme Court rules as an interpretation of the United States Constitution."
O'Hayer: "Other states have taken a different approach. Alabama, for instance, has made…the argument that states should regulate marriage. Why not take that approach here in Georgia?"
Deal: "Unfortunately, that question has already been decided, adversely to the position that Alabama took, or the position that personally I might take. I think we have an obligation, if we believe in our form of government, to support it.
"We have mechanisms for changing it. Normally, it is at the ballot box. It is also through constitutional amendments. …I don't think this rises to the level of attracting a national, constitutional amendment to overrule the Supreme Court or the federal courts on this issue."
O'Hayer: "So you would not urge ---"
Deal: "No, I would not. If we respect our form of government, then we have to respect it even if that form of government renders an opinion contrary to our own personal beliefs."
Then there was the related topic of the religious liberty bill now pending in the Legislature:
Deal: "What I want is to protect an individual's right of religious freedom without causing the kind of uproar that we saw occur in Indiana and in Arkansas."
O'Hayer: "How can we achieve that?"
Deal: "If you look at what those two states did – after they had taken action in one direction, they had to come back and reverse it. I think that's a little bit of an embarrassing situation for legislative bodies to put themselves in. That's why I think you should embrace any kind of language that would avoid that kind of conflict. Can you avoid it completely? No, I don't think you can…."
O'Hayer: "Yet in the judiciary committee hearing, the bill's supporters said you really can't do that without – and I believe these were the words of Sen. Josh McKoon, the sponsor – undercutting the purpose of the bill."
Deal: "Well, that's his opinion."
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