Republicans meeting in Savannah this morning got a pep talk from the party's national chairman. Michael Steele addressed about 1,500 delegates to the state party convention at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.
Steele addressed a state party confident in its message and ability to win at the polls. This stands in contrast to the national party, which seems in introspective mode following recent losses. Georgia Republicans have no such hand-ringing.
"When Georgia stayed red when the rest of the nation went blue, you were the ones who made that happen," said state party Chair Sue Everhart. "We were the last man standing and we did our job... We do not want to change."
Steele urged delegates not to water down their beliefs. "Where does the party go?" Steele asked. "Well, the first thing is that we stop trying to re-make, re-do, re-brand, re-build, re-anything... We're never too conservative for this country."
Steele was followed on-stage by former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, a former football star who used a sports story to convey his point. Watts said he heard of a team that lost big. The coach started out the next practice with, "This is a football."
"There was a time when you thought Republican, you thought 'less government, less spending,'" Watts said. "When we look no different than they look, people have a hard time figuring out who are the Republicans and the Democrats."
Yesterday, delegates heard similar messages from candidates for statewide office, including gubernatorial candidates John Oxendine, the state Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, and Eric Johnson, a Savannah State Senator.
"We need to make people realize that we are conservatives and we don't need to apologize for that," Oxendine said. "As long the Republicans are steady, the people will understand that and will come back to the GOP," Johnson said.
Georgia Republicans haven't had to confront the "should we change" debate with as much electoral consequence as the GOP elsewhere. The conservative message still wins in Georgia, with Democrats holding few statewide offices.
The Georgia Republican Convention is expected to conclude today with Everhart's re-election as party chair and addresses from Governor Sonny Perdue and both U.S. Senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isaakson.
Click below to hear national Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele's address the Georgia state convention delegates. This address has been edited to eliminate an audio glitch in the middle of it and to eliminate the thank you's at the beginning.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Steele urges Ga. GOP to stay the course
