Status quo invites GOP voter revolt

Republican voters in Georgia expected that when the Republican Party took control of the state House, Republican legislators would act as Republican conservatives, and the old business as usual mentality under the Gold Dome would be a thing of the past.

That is why the recent salacious scandals that have been dominating the news have angered Republican voters more than anyone else. Republican voters expected that when they elected their legislators, they would govern as they campaigned — as reformers and as true conservatives.

Yet once in power, it has been for some Republican legislators anything but conservative reform; rather, it has been business as usual.

As a result, Republican voters are fuming. Most Republican voters could care less about the salacious rumors that are swirling around regarding who slept with who under the Gold Dome.

Rather, Republican voters want to know that their legislators understand their anger and are going to correct what is wrong.

What is happening in Georgia is also happening in other states, where Republicans who promised to govern as conservatives and change the old ways have betrayed the trust of their voters.

Today, House Republican members in Georgia have the only chance to demonstrate to Republican voters and everyone else that they understand the anger and the hold sacred the trust the voters have given them.

They must do this by electing an entire new slate of leaders with no ties to the past. Indeed, the vote for the new speaker will probably be the most difficult vote that these House members will ever cast.

The temptation to go along with the status quo and the current type of leadership will be immense. In many ways, careers may be made and broken by the vote.

But in the end, the House members must hold true to conservative ideals and vote in new untainted leadership.

The first thing the new speaker should do is state clearly there is zero tolerance for the type of behavior that has been going on in the state House and then enforce his or her statements.

The second thing the new House leadership should do is pledge that a reformist ethics package that has real teeth and will be enforced will be their top priority this session.

Thirdly, and most importantly to the angry and dissatisfied Republican voters, the new leadership must pledge and then demonstrate that they will govern as the type of Republican conservatives that voters thought they were electing — small government, less taxes and regulations and reformists.

Today will be the only chance that the House members will have to demonstrate these principles and make an impact with their statement, rather than a hollow echo.

If they fail to do this, then Republicans in Georgia (as we are seeing in other states) will heed the words of Ronald Reagan in 1975 who, when the national Republican Party seemed dominated by liberal Republicans and was suffering from the Watergate scandal, called upon Republicans to take back their party.

A grassroots revolt if the House Republican leadership elects a status quo leadership team is a certainty.

We can expect primary challenges across Georgia. These challenges will not be token challenges or those of perennial candidates but rather of small business owners, local elected officials and others who feel betrayed by the actions of their elected leaders and want the Republican Party and its leaders once more to stand on conservative principles.