ATLANTA - Gubernatorial hopefuls Roy Barnes and Nathan Deal clashed on Saturday over embryonic stem cell research, tort reform and tax returns in their first face-to-face meeting since winning their respective party's nominations for governor.
The two, along with Libertarian John Monds, squared off in a forum Saturday sponsored by the Medical Association of Georgia.
The one-hour session focused heavily on healthcare issues and Deal moved quickly to link Barnes with the Democratic-sponsored health law as well as President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"These are people that Mr. Barnes supports," Deal, the Republican nominee, said.
The former congressman from Gainesville said skyrocketing Medicaid costs will only grow worse under the new health law, which will further harm already cash-strapped states like Georgia.
Barnes said the state needs to boost its reimbursement rates for doctors or they will stop treating poor patients on Medicaid.
"If I were a physician I don't know that I'd be accepting Medicaid right now because the reimbursement is so low," the former governor from Marietta said.
Barnes said that Deal would harm economic development in the state by moving to restrict embryonic stem cell research.
"I don't oppose embryonic stem cell research," Deal replied. "I oppose creating life for the purpose of taking that life."
The Barnes camp fired back after the forum by listing several votes Deal had taken in Congress opposing the research.
Barnes hammered Deal again on the issue later in the forum saying that if the state moved to halt the creation of embryos for scientific research it would bring cutting edge embryonic stem cell research "to a screeching halt." in the state.
"Are we going to be a modern state or are we going to go backward?" Barnes asked.
Deal said he backs the use of cord blood which he said could serve the same scientific end. He said the state should move to support research that is "scientifically appropriate as well as morally appropriate."
Barnes and Deal also differed Saturday over whether the state should amend its constitution to cap medical malpractice jury awards in the wake of a Georgia Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that struck down a state law placing a $350,000 limit on jury awards for pain and suffering.
Barnes - a lawyer who's tried medical malpractice cases - said he thinks jurors can generally be trusted to make good decisions, but said he'd support a mechanism that would allow judges to strike down frivolous jury awards.
"I do not like to monkey with the constitution," Barnes said.
"I find it somewhat ironic that we say jurors, drawn from registered voter rolls, don't have enough sense to decide a case of damages but they do have enough sense to say who's president and who's governor."
But Deal said he supports a constitutional amendment to again institute limits and thinks voters would overwhelmingly support such a move.
"Because they understand the practical consequences of it," Deal said.
Barnes has released 25 years of tax returns and has been calling on Deal to do the same. He managed to get in a dig Saturday, noting that so far Deal has refused to let voters get a look at his taxes.
"I'm not going to let Mr. Barnes dictate how I run my campaign," Deal fired back.
The two also sparred Saturday over the state's water woes. Deal criticized Barnes for failing to negotiate a compromise during his four years as governor. Barnes assailed Deal for not sponsoring a bill to change Lake Lanier's water use designation during his 18 years in the U.S. House.
Asked about how to lure jobs to the state, Deal said the state must create a competitive tax environment. Barnes said education was key since companies were looking for a skilled workforce,
Monds stuck to a message of limited government, arguing that government is best when it stays out of the way
"When you look at an issue, government isn't the answer," Monds said. "What we need is less government, less taxes and more opportunity for everybody."
Wednesday
July 16th, 2025
2:49AM
