House Speaker David Ralston still reviewing 'religious freedom' bill, Erick Erickson flips out

• Joeff Davis/CL File
• House Speaker David Ralston

A controversial Gold Dome bill that opponents fear could open the door to legalized discrimination has turned into a vicious war of words among two high-profile Republicans.

State Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, earlier this month pushed his "religious freedom" legislation through the Georgia Senate. If signed into law, he said the bill would bolster religious rights for Georgia residents. But opponents, ranging from the business community to LGBT people, argue the measure would give business owners a "license to discriminate" against potential customers based on religious grounds.

The bill must pass next through the Georgia House of Representatives. Based on House Speaker David Ralston's recent remarks, that could be a challenge. He says the "religious freedom" bill is still being considered, but wants to make sure the bill won't harm Georgians. He told the Atlanta Press Club during an event yesterday:

Some things in our legislative process, unfortunately, do take time to work out. Before we move forward, we have to understand what the impact of this legislation will be on the rule of law in this state. We need to know if this legislation opens the door to unintended consequences of any type, that some may try to exploit.

I take proponents of this measure at their word that discrimination toward anyone is not part of this effort. At the same time, I appreciate the concerns of those who have strong opposition to this legislation.

The good news is that Georgia is a global destination for people from all over the world who want to come visit and for businesses that want to come create jobs. And that is not going to change.

But closing the door to anyone is closing the door to all.

Without naming names, Ralston also said he would not rush the process to please bill supporters with "over-inflated egos or help grow someone’s bank account." He instead called for a thoughtful, slowed-down the process — a potential kiss of death in the minds of supporters.

"There always seems to be a few for whom honest, reasonable, and civil discussion is an alien concept that they are simply not acquainted with," he said. "These pundits-for-hire and self-professed thought leaders are not looking to protect anything, or anyone. They seek profit, relevance, and attention by preying on people’s worst fears through loud volume, lies and distortions."

WSB-TV radio pundit Erick Erickson, a fervent supporter of the proposal and the likely target of Ralston's remarks, wasn't exactly pleased that "religious freedom" bill could effectively be killed. Last night on his radio talk show, the Red State founder denied that he's been paid to advocate for the bill. Erickson subsequently declared "war" against the House Speaker, pointing to Ralston's campaign donations from corporations opposing the bill. He also made several homophobic and disparaging remarks. They included:

-"Poor old David. Ladies and gentlemen, I really want you guys to go to your local CVS or Walgreens and buy some Boudreaux's Butt Paste and send it to David Ralston. The poor guy is just so butt hurt. I would hate to have to deal with the hemorrhoids he's got right now."
-"The speaker's getting the money here. At least he's not a prostitute."
-"We are involuntarily being bent over by the Speaker of the House. It is BOHICA for us. For him, he is willing to spread eagle at the sight of a lot of cash in a heartbeat. I mean, you bring in some corporate donor and you'll have David Ralston in a tutu and tiara on top of a table singing show tunes."

Yikes. There's now less than two weeks left in the legislative session. Don't expect the mud slinging to go away anytime soon, especially on the issue of "religious freedom."