at livestream.com
State Rep. David Stover was best known this legislative session as the Republican who disavowed the transportation funding plan because he viewed it as a tax hike.
Until now.
The Newnan Republican strode to the well of the House on Friday morning to describe Gov. Nathan Deal as an authoritarian who "drives every decision" at the statehouse. You can see for yourself at the above video, starting around the 47-minute mark.
Here's how our AJC colleague Aaron Gould Sheinin summed it up:
Stover said lawmakers have lost their way.
"The executive drives every decision under the Gold Dome," he said. "We worry what will happen if we vote against the governor's bill or the lieutenant governor's bill. The answer is quite simply punish those who disagree with these bills."
Stover told Sheinin he was angered by remarks Deal made at a GOP fundraiser Thursday night. We're told by several attendees that the governor used his speech at the event to criticize state Sen. Mike Crane, the lone Republican in the Senate to vote against his bid to give the state sweeping new powers over struggling schools.
Crane may have some company in the state House. Already, state Rep. Tommy Benton has signaled there would be Republican opposition to the plan in the House by calling it "another bureaucracy."
After Stover's speech, state Rep. Christian Coomer took the podium to defend the governor. Coomer, one of Deal's floor leaders, said the governor welcomes the chance to have one-on-one talks and urged lawmakers to "be careful who you listen to and think about your own experiences."
Here's a partial transcript of Stover's remarks:
The executive drives every decision under the Gold Dome. We worry what will happen if we vote against the governor's bill or the lieutenant governor's bill. The answer is quite simply, punish those who disagree with these bills. Gone are the days of passing bills and overriding the governor's veto. Gone are the days of telling the governor,'I appreciate what you're trying to accomplish, we want to work on these bills and make them better to pass the bill.'
Instead we've replaced our branches of government with a single branch. The legislative process works to pass the governor's bill, no matter how good or bad the bill. ... The right of conscience is paramount to voting our principles."
About the Author
