DomeLight by Jim Zachary

Georgia Republicans have a unique opportunity in 2024.

Republicans in our state can show the rest of the country what it really means to be a Republican.

Georgia Republicans can be the standard bearers for real conservatism.

The GOP can be so much more than the party of grievance.

Notable Georgia Republicans have, in fact distinguished themselves by not being drawn into grievance politics. It is refreshing to see a few Georgia politicians leading the way on that front.

The party should embrace them. Follow them. They have have proven themselves to be winners, not election losers.

The Republican Party could, simply by reclaiming its rich traditions and high standards, become the party of the future and not the party of the past seven years.

It is not too late.

Women and men who have been proud Republicans for a few decades can well remember when the Grand Old Party was the party of hope and aspiration.

The Republican Party once rallied around its view of America: “a shining city on a hill.”

The GOP once stood for something rather than just standing opposed to everything.

Those tried and true conservatives who inspired a nation with positivity and hope were not weak, did not compromise their principles and most certainly were not Republicans in Name Only.

In fact, they defined, more clearly that at any time in our nation’s history, exactly what it meant to be a Republican.

They stood firm for smaller government, state’s rights, lower taxes and a strong national defense.

They were respected, even by their political opponents (you know, the Democrats), because they treated people with whom they disagreed with respect, rather than name-calling, vilifying and demonizing.

Republicans were champions of the U.S. Constitution, including the First Amendment. GOP leaders were often the darlings of the press rather than its sworn enemies.

The good ole’ days for the Grand Old Party were full of hope, not anger, aspiration not desperation, and preferred ideation over litigation.

Re-litigating the past with false, unsubstantiated, angry claims is not a good look for the party – it is not a winning strategy.

In order to meet this important moment in our history, Republicans do not have to reinvent themselves, they simply have to be, once again, what Republicans always were, viz., true conservatives — not Conservatives In Name Only.

Jim Zachary is editor of The Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI’s director of newsroom training and development and president emeritus of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.