Jason Carter opened a faith forum Wednesday by joking that mixing religion and politics is like combining manure and ice cream: It doesn't hurt the manure, but ruins the ice cream.
You could say a new dessert flavor emerged tonight.
Clergy members pressed Carter, a Democratic state senator, and Gov. Nathan Deal with questions on Georgia's gun rights expansion, the state's illegal immigration crackdown and healthcare policy. It was a risky venue for the candidates with the election less than two weeks away, and both largely stuck to safe talking points.
Still, the clergy members took particular interest in their support for the new law that vastly expands the list of places where Georgia gun owners can carry their firearms. Houses of worship had the option to "opt in" to the law, but many clergy members took an extra step by announcing their sanctuaries would ban all weapons.
Carter told the audience, which included dozens of religious leaders, that he voted for the legislation partly so he could help ensure that religious congregations had the option to ban guns from their buildings. Previous versions of the legislation would have put the onus on religious leaders to "opt out" of the law.
"What I did was to bring people together from all sides of the issue to ensure that houses of worship had real choices," said Carter.
Deal, speaking later, said he told legislators he would only sign the legislation into law if churches had a say over whether to allow firearms into their congregations. He said he would have been hard-pressed to convince leaders of his Baptist church in Gainesville to "opt in."
"I do not anticipate that there will be many churches, if any, that decide they want to open their doors to firearms," he said.
Each candidate was also pressed on Georgia's 2011 immigration crackdown, which also deeply divided Georgia's religious community. Some leaders complained that the law backfired by forcing out migrant workers that agricultural industries depend upon.
Deal and Carter both stressed that they would rather leave immigration up to Washington, but Carter said Georgia's crackdown tarnished the state's image.
"I would press for and make sure we get comprehensive immigration reform in Washington, and while we are waiting for it, would make sure that we don't do anything that would be considered extreme in Georgia," said Carter, who voted against the measure.
Their answers contrasted the most, though, on questions involving the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Deal says that move would be too costly for Georgia's coffers, while Carter wants to explore ways to expand the program, including an Arkansas-style "private option" to use federal Medicaid funds to purchase insurance for the poor.
"To stand in the way of that doesn't sit with my moral compass," said Carter. "We owe it to people to maximize their potential."
The governor, who called his opponent's healthcare vision "CarterCare," said the state spent more than $351 million this year complying with the healthcare law, while the federal government underwrites the program by increasing the debt.
"If we're ever going to get a handle on the federal budget, we can't continue expanding federal entitlement programs," said Deal.
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