In a few short weeks, the Georgia Republican Party will meet to elect leaders, pass resolutions, and adopt rules. For the average Georgian, it is a matter of little consequence or moment. There will be some speeches, and then some more speeches, and finally, more speeches. Most of the party faithful could give the speeches now. Most Georgians could not care less.
But, the 2007 convention is of consequence. Former chairs of the Georgia Republican Party have gone on to do some pretty impressive things. In 1980, former GOP chair Mack Mattingly defeated Senator Herman Talmadge. In 1992, former GOP chair Paul Coverdell defeated Senator Wyche Fowler. More importantly, GOP chairs have signaled the strength and vulnerabilities of Georgia Republicans for decades. This year will be no different.
Certainly, the mood of the "risk averse" governing party of today is very different from that of the "bomb throwing" minority party from many, many years ago. Undoubtedly, delegates to GOP conventions in the future will look back on the 2007 convention (as well as the conventions of the last few years) and call them - the good old days.
With a Republican governor and control of both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly, things are pretty good for Georgia Republicans. While there have been occasional skirmishes between the Republican leaders, there have not been the kind of open and brutal divisions that have sunk party hopes in the past.
There are battles, intense political battles, that still get fought. The most recent fight over the Georgia budget is a good example. These political fights do inflict wounds and leave scars. The leaders who wage these battles, and legislators who fight them, believe intensely in their positions and causes. Each victory won, large or small, carries with it a political price tag that must be paid somewhere down the road. But, these fights do not compare to the self-inflicted wounds that once plagued Georgia Republicans.
For a decade, Georgia Republicans waged war on themselves with contentious party proceedings that even made their way into court. There were lockouts and filibusters and procedural maneuvers that would test even Mr. Roberts in the application of his own Rules of Order.
Party chairman's races were an open invitation for divisions that remained long after conventions closed. Some of the wounds and divisions from those conventions, over a decade old, remain even today.
The result of these divisive internal political contests was the complete inability to sustain any momentum toward control of state government. Long after the rest of the south had gone red, Georgia remained in firm control of Georgia Democrats until 2002. Republicans largely had no one to blame but themselves.
Now, all of that is ancient (in political time) history. Next month, Georgia Republicans will meet to coalesce around a new state Chair and celebrate once again their victories from recent elections. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich will come home to address the Victory Dinner.
And then, almost instantaneously, all eyes will turn toward the Republican Presidential Preference Primary. With no clear frontrunner, and the Republican leadership divvied up, Republican Presidential campaign committees will rev up their efforts to capture the energy and resources of every single Republican activist.
The 2007 convention will undoubtedly be a brief moment of unity followed by an intense period of intra-party competition as Georgia Republicans set out to do their part in helping determine the next GOP nominee for President. It is democracy in action.