Barnes, Deal wrangle over 1980s domestic violence legislateion

Democratic goveor hopeful Roy Baes has slammed Republican Nathan Deal for opposing domestic violence legislation in the 1980s.

The charges, leveled Monday in DeKalb County, continued Baes' attempts to discredit Deal with female voters.

On Friday, Baes began airing a TV ad blasting Deal for his 1991 bill on rape prosecutions - a measure Baes apparently didn't oppose at the time.

On Monday, his campaign reached deeper into the time capsule - to the days when former congressman Deal served in the state Senate.

It cited his 1981 vote against a proposal to let police arrest a spouse at home without a warrant in domestic violence cases.

The Gainesville Times said Deal objected that the measure would overburden judges and give police far-reaching arrest powers.

Baes' campaign also said Deal cast the only vote against a 1988 proposal to make it easier to petition courts for relief from family violence.

And it said he was the only opponent of another 1988 measure - authored by Baes - to broadened the definition of family violence.

"Time after time," said Anna Ruth Williams, a spokeswoman for the former goveor, " ... Deal voted in the interest of the criminal - not the female victim."

"Thankfully, other members of the legislature - like Roy Baes - fought Deal's attempts to hurt women. But if .... (Deal's) elected goveor, the safety of women could be jeopardized."

Deal spokesman Brian Robinson didn't dispute that his candidate voted against the bills, but called Baes "desperate."

"Roy Baes," Robinson said, "is obviously in pretty desperate shape if he has to go digging through state Senate votes from the 1980s."

He said Deal, a former prosecutor, has tried rapists and "put them in prison" and, while in Congress, voted to renew the Violence Against Women Act.

Then Robinson - as both campaigns often do - changed the subject.

"The voters of Georgia know Nathan Deal will put conservative judges on the bench who'll enforce the law and Roy Baes will appoint his liberal cronies. That's what people care about."

Emory University political science professor Merle Black said Baes' barbs are intended to lure female voters. Polls show Baes is far behind Deal among men, Black said, but does better among women. So he's trying to win more of them over and get more of them to vote, the professor said.

University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock agreed.

"Women already cast more votes," Bullock said. "This may be Baes only way to offset his huge disadvantage with male voters."

On Monday, both sides also continued to dispute the contentions of Baes' TV ad. It said a 1991 bill Deal sponsored would have made it harder to prosecute alleged rapists.

Deal denies that, but in 1991 amended out provisions of the bill that foes criticized.

Paul Milich, a Georgia State College of Law professor who drafted the measure, also disputed the Baes campaign's interpretation of the bill.

Milich said Baes sat on a committee of the Georgia State Bar that reviewed and signed off on the changes.

Baes acknowledged to the Associated Press Monday he was on the panel but said he was running for goveor and missed some meetings.

Baes had served eight terms in the Senate before running for goveor in 1990. He won on his second try in 1998.

"I'm sure I was at some of them," Baes told the AP of the meetings. "But whether I was there or not is really immaterial. On a lot of these committees there are lot of things discussed."

Asked whether that meant Baes was unaware of the bill, spokeswoman Williams answered indirectly.

"Roy," she said, "would never have supported a bill that gutted Georgia's rape shield law and strip women of their basic protections.

" ... He was not even in the legislature when ... Deal introduced and tried to pass it."

Milich, who said he attended all the meetings and that Baes never objected to the measure, did not retu a phone call late Monday.