Dick Yarbrough
Some thoughts on why the Religious Freedom bill failed
Before you get your shorts in a wad, the following observations in no way indicate my preference for or opposition to the recent Religious Freedom bill vetoed by Gov. Nathan Deal. My personal opinions are irrelevant to this discussion. Rather, this is a refresher course in Politics 101.
In a democracy, there are only two ways a political decision can be made: The application of pressure or the lack thereof. In other words, you either apply pressure on those who are making the decision or you keep the pressure off so they can come to the conclusion you desire.
It was obvious that in the case of the Religious Freedom bill, there was more pressure put on the governor to veto the bill than there was pressure to sign it. Most major companies in the state, along with chambers of commerce, the entertainment industry, the Atlanta professional sports franchises, the National Football League and a number of ministers strongly opposed the religious freedom bill and were vocal in predicting dire consequences if it was signed by the governor.
Having spent most of my life in a large corporation, I can tell you that the last thing a company wants is controversy. Management doesn’t like it and, most importantly, shareholders don’t like it. Big companies are an easy target for special interest groups and it was obvious that many of the corporations had heard from those opposed to the bill and not as many who were in favor.
That leads me to communications. The opponents of the bill were clear and succinct in stating the reasons why the bill should be defeated and if it passed the Legislature, why it should be vetoed.
In my opinion, proponents of the religious freedom bill did a poor job of communicating their case. They stayed on the defensive through much of the debate and seemed unable to clearly articulate the need for such a law.
Had the proponents asked me, I would have suggested they find a better spokesperson for their cause than State Sen. John McKoon (R-Columbus), a publicity hound of the first magnitude and a man with little influence among his colleagues. Also, the Baptist spokesman who likened our state government to Nazi Germany didn’t exactly help things. He may have thought that overstatement would energize his base but I doubt that it added many converts. It was a stupid thing to say.
For the complete column pick up your copy of The Baxley News-Banner on newsstands today or CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE.
It was obvious that in the case of the Religious Freedom bill, there was more pressure put on the governor to veto the bill than there was pressure to sign it. Most major companies in the state, along with chambers of commerce, the entertainment industry, the Atlanta professional sports franchises, the National Football League and a number of ministers strongly opposed the religious freedom bill and were vocal in predicting dire consequences if it was signed by the governor.
Having spent most of my life in a large corporation, I can tell you that the last thing a company wants is controversy. Management doesn’t like it and, most importantly, shareholders don’t like it. Big companies are an easy target for special interest groups and it was obvious that many of the corporations had heard from those opposed to the bill and not as many who were in favor.
That leads me to communications. The opponents of the bill were clear and succinct in stating the reasons why the bill should be defeated and if it passed the Legislature, why it should be vetoed.
In my opinion, proponents of the religious freedom bill did a poor job of communicating their case. They stayed on the defensive through much of the debate and seemed unable to clearly articulate the need for such a law.
Had the proponents asked me, I would have suggested they find a better spokesperson for their cause than State Sen. John McKoon (R-Columbus), a publicity hound of the first magnitude and a man with little influence among his colleagues. Also, the Baptist spokesman who likened our state government to Nazi Germany didn’t exactly help things. He may have thought that overstatement would energize his base but I doubt that it added many converts. It was a stupid thing to say.
For the complete column pick up your copy of The Baxley News-Banner on newsstands today or CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE.
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