title:  Republicans Punish Georgia Governor For Refusing To Legalize Anti-LGBT Bigotry
text: Georgia conservatives really wanted to enshrine their hate and bigotry into law under the guise of religious liberty, and because their governor refused to do so they are punishing him.Unlike the Republican governors of North Carolina and Mississippi, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal refused to sign the anti-LGBT bill passed by the GOP-controlled legislature. Deal mulled over the bill while witnessing the economic backlash similar bills are causing other states.In North Carolina alone, corporations are threatening to leave or have cancelled plans to expand into the state, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and money that could have sparked economic growth. Furthermore, the state also faces the loss of federal dollars. Mississippi is facing the same backlash and South Carolina has also suffered the loss of a corporate headquarters for just introducing the bill.Georgia certainly faced the same consequences. Disney and Marvel threatened to stop filming movies in the state and other corporations and businesses urged the governor to veto the bill.Realizing that the economic backlash was not worth it, Governor Deal vetoed HB 757. He angered conservatives but saved the economy of his state from ruin.But those conservatives were looking forward to being able to use their Bibles as a shield so they can discriminate against anyone they please.And so, they decided to send a message to Republicans and any Republican who sits in the governor s mansion in the future that not doing what they want is unacceptable and will be punished.Despite being urged not to do so, conservatives of the Georgia Third District voted overwhelmingly to censure Deal. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution: Though it is purely symbolic, it s a startling sign of the conservative backlash to Deal s decision to reject the legislation   and another reminder that the debate over the measure never really ended. A censure is a formal statement of severe disapproval, which means Republicans literally just punished Deal publicly for refusing to support a bigoted policy supported by conservatives in his state.It s basically a warning shot to other Republicans that they better not veto future efforts to legalize discrimination in Georgia or they too could be censured or worse.This is why Republicans made a huge mistake by letting extremists have a mainstream seat at the party table. Because now they are beholden to do as the extremists desire or else.Featured image via  YouTube