In one corner was “a single individual to cause a disturbance and gain notoriety in the press.” In the other was the good of the order.
What transpired was an embarrassing show, politics at its worst and part of the reason so many people are disgusted with politics.
It wasn’t an MMA fight. It was the latest installment of the Georgia General Assembly.
AT ISSUE: Last week, the Georgia House kept state Sen. Colton Moore of Trenton from attending a joint session for Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address. Moore and security engaged in a kerfuffle, and Moore went to the ground.
THE BACKSTORY: The House previously banned Moore from the floor following remarks he made about former House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge. In September 2023, Georgia Senate Republicans indefinitely suspended Moore after accusations that he publicly made false statements against caucus members.
ONE PERSPECTIVE: “It was not only legally appropriate to admit him to today’s proceedings — it was simply the right thing to do,” Josh McKoon, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, said in a statement. “Our focus should be on the excellent agenda being outlined by Governor Kemp today to continue to make Georgia the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family — not internal conflicts.”
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE: “While the Senator’s actions were despicable and hurtful to all who knew, respected and loved former Speaker David Ralston—we know that Speaker Ralston’s first priority was always to serve the people of our great state, and he wouldn’t want that important work to be hindered,” House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, said in a statement. “For this reason, the Ralston family has expressed to their family here in the House that they desire for our Chamber to resume business as normal—with all members of the General Assembly present—for any future joint sessions with or without the apology they and the House deserve.”
THE OUTCOME: Moore can attend future joint sessions, making the fight “all hat and no cattle,” as the saying goes.
Kemp’s PR team did not respond to a request for comment.
“Whatever personal differences Senator Moore has with others, he is a member of the body over which I preside,” Lt. Governor Burt Jones said in a statement. “All elected 56 senators and 180 representatives deserve the opportunity to fulfill their responsibility to attend joint sessions of the General Assembly. There is real work to be done this session and the focus should be on delivering for the people of Georgia instead of personal grievances and egos.”
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: Political arguments that escalate to violence of duels are not foreign to American politics. Dare we mention Aaron Burr, sir? Further, political violence is no stranger to Georgia politics.
In early September 1848, Francis H. Cone stabbed future Confederate States of America Vice President Alexander H. Stephens six times on the Atlanta Hotel’s piazza during a political argument.
Of course, duels have erupted out of state legislative work.
In 1889, two railroad executives — Patrick Calhoun and John D. Williamson — fought a duel in Cedar Bluff, Alabama, a brouhaha known as the last duel in Georgia. The disagreement began during a hearing of the Georgia House of Representatives Railroad Committee.
Long story short, shots were fired, but no one was hurt, and it ended in a draw. Since it happened in a pre-cell phone era, it’s not as well remembered.
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