Three Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Attorney General Thurbert Baker, former governor Roy Barnes and House Minority Leader DuBose Porter, spoke very harshly about current Republican leadership in Georgia at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce forum on Tuesday.

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life that we’re not going to do stem cell research,” said Barnes about the Republican sponsored law.

The legislation Barnes was referring to bans at least one form of embryonic stem cell research used in juvenile diabetes studies. Georgia is also the only state in the country to have an embryo adoption law on the books, sponsored and passed by the GOP in 2009.

All three candidates made it sound like Georgia leadership is taking the state back to the stone ages with their immigration, healthcare and even road kill policies.

“I will keep you off the front page of the New York Times,” promised Barnes, pointing out stories about legislation allowing motorists to gather and eat road kill that was ridiculed nationally.

Of course the legislation passed with full Democratic support (just two nays in the House) and allows people to keep a bear or a deer killed on the road. Previously it had to be reported and the animal given to the Department of Natural Resources.

The candidates made arguments that the conservative legislators spent too much time on “crazy” legislation such as the one about road kill, and not enough time on transportation, jobs, water and education.

Democrats also maintained that with their outdated, unprogressive agenda, the GOP leadership is keeping businesses out of Georgia contributing to the state’s outrages unemployment numbers.

Porter pointed out the new Republican legislation that would make it mandatory to take driver-license test in English only as unfriendly to foreign businesses. He promised that as Governor he would push for more sensible immigration laws.

Baker added that if Atlanta is aspiring to be a “great international city” the lawmakers have to be sending the right message on issues such as stem cell research.

“In some cases we’re sending the wrong message,” said Baker. ”We’ve got to give them reasons to be here. We’ve got to stay away from all this crazy stuff that sends a bad message.”

Barnes has been leading in the polls significantly from the start, so it is not surprising he has focused on Republicans instead of trying to draw differences between himself and his Democratic opponents. In his newest ad he stays consistent with the message of Republicans embarrassing the state. “We can’t bring jobs to Georgia with the rest of the country laughing at us,” says Barnes in the ad.

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