By J. Randolph Evans Column No. 1051 (1/14/11)

Governing Georgia will be a lot tougher than it looks over the next couple of years. Georgia Republicans will now have to deliver without excuses on some of the toughest problems in the history of the State.
It is the price of success. With complete control of every Constitutional office and both chambers in the Georgia General Assembly, Georgians have given Republicans all of the power to fix whatever is wrong. The problem is that it is never that easy.

In the Georgia House of Representatives, Republicans now hold 112 of the 180 seats (or over 61% of the votes). Democrats are left with just 66 seats. This 46-vote margin certainly raises expectations. Just 8 votes shy of the two-thirds vote necessary to override vetoes and pass constitutional amendments, Georgia House Republicans have the numbers and clout to accomplish a lot.

The problem is that every constituency will now believe that the Georgia House should move on their particular issue. That cannot happen. Out of 112 House members, there are some distinct groups. These include suburban Republicans, rural Republicans, party-switchers, and Tea Party candidates. While all agree on who the Speaker should be, they do not agree on many of the core issues for each of their constituencies. There is a good reason why. Each Representative represents folks with very different interests and concerns.

There are similar problems in the Georgia Senate. Georgia Republicans have 35 of the 56 seats in the Georgia Senate (or over 61% of the votes as well.) Georgia Democrats are left with just 21 seats. Georgia Republicans are just 2 votes shy of the two-thirds vote in the Georgia Senate.

Now combine the 60%+ control in both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly with a Republican Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and all of the other Constitutional officers. Voters have every right to expect political peace, harmony, and solutions – lots of solutions. Yet, therein lies the problem – what solutions?

While there will undoubtedly be much agreement on core principles like lower taxes, smaller government, and better education, there will be much disagreement on exactly how to get there. So, once everyone agrees to lower taxes, the next question is which taxes?

Some will argue for elimination of the state income tax in favor of a higher sales tax. Others will argue for a transition from taxing earnings to taxing consumption. Others will insist on property tax relief. Still others will argue that any tax relief should be deferred until state revenues stabilize.

There will be similar disagreements about everything from state transportation to the right fix for saving HOPE. The intra-party squabbles will only get magnified as a whole new set of political personalities take center stage under the Gold Dome. New Constitutional officers will feel the need to protect their turf. New legislative leaders will feel the need to flex some political muscle. And, Georgia’s 2011 political power brokers will skirmish over the smallest details.

Unfortunately, this is the nature of the system that the founding fathers intended. The system of checks and balances among the various branches of government was intended to prevent the concentration of power in any one person, or any one office. This is especially true when there are so many new people in state government.

In the end, it only takes 91 votes in the Georgia House and 29 votes in the Georgia Senate to pass a bill or a budget. In raw political terms, this means 91 Republican ‘yes’ votes in the House will allow a bill to pass. This also means up to 21 Republican ‘no’ votes in the House will not deter passage of a bill. In the Senate, that means 29 Republican ‘yes’ votes will allow a bill to pass, and up to 6 Republican ‘no’ votes will not deter passage of a bill.

Now, most votes will not be that close. But some will. And there will be some Republican ‘no’ votes on important things.

Meanwhile, not every newly elected Republican constitutional officer will get everything they want in personnel, power and budgets. Somewhere along the line, the governor, or the legislature will have to say ‘no.’ It will not be pretty. Statewide elected officeholders are not accustomed to being told ‘no,’ especially when they have just taken office.

Of course, all of this will take place against the backdrop of a contested race for the Chair of the Georgia Republican Party. If history is any indication, such races can be tough.

So let it be said now, before it all starts. Healthy debate and real disagreements are good things. It is the stifling of dissent and concentration of power that Georgians should fear.