ATLANTA - One year ago, state Rep. Tom Bordeaux, D-Savannah, was on the losing side of a vote in the Georgia House on whether to place a constitutional referendum banning gay marriage before voters.
The measure passed with 122 of the chamber's 180 members voting in favor and went on to be approved by 76 percent of the statewide voters who cast ballots last November.
Many political observers - and even a few lawmakers - said the opposition to the gay-marriage ban by Democratic leaders helped Republicans overtake the House on Election Day, officially sending Democrats into minority status after 135 years of controlling the chamber.
Still, on his return last week for the 2005 legislative session, Mr. Bordeaux said he is optimistic his party will continue to speak out against legislation it doesn't support and not shift in the wind just to win votes.
"I hope we will be, as we have always been, vocal for what we think is best for the people in this state," he said.
A slew of controversial topics are expected to come before lawmakers this year, including a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions and a constitutional amendment allowing state money to go to faith-based groups that do charity work.
The Republicans' new majority in the House and its beefed-up dominance in the Senate virtually guarantee that any legislation that emerges from the committee level will face easy approval if GOP leaders wish for it to happen.
For Democrats, this year's session will be a chance to begin feeling out how they will function as the minority party. So far, many seem unwilling to shy away from speaking their minds.
Rep. Keith Heard, D-Athens, said he expects his party to scrutinize GOP proposals, regardless of the topic, to ensure legislation isn't rubber-stamped by the majority without review.
When bills come up that he believes will negatively affect the state, Mr. Heard said, he will make his criticisms known.
"And it's not just disagreeing to disagree," he said. "It's to disagree on (positions) you feel your constituents have sent you up here to represent."
Mike Digby, a political science professor at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, said he isn't surprised to see Democrats refusing to sit quietly on the Capitol's back benches.
"The classic idea is the opposition party should oppose practically everything so that (legislation) will be explained and improved through their criticisms," he said. "And if it's not, the opposition party then has the basis of its platform for the next campaign."
However, Mr. Digby added that last year's vote over gay marriage was used by many Republicans to paint Democrats as being out of touch with the moral values of a majority of Georgians.
Mr. Digby said Democrats might be wise to more selectively choose their battles, especially when it comes to sensitive social issues such as abortion, religion and prayer.
"There would certainly be some reason for Democrats to be cautious about an issue they think is going to be broadly supported across the electorate," Mr. Digby said.
Republicans were fast this week to tout their takeover of the Capitol as a result, in part, of their connection with voters on moral issues.
"I think what you're seeing in our society now is a new era coming about where those types of issues are important to people," said freshman Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler. "The people have spoken ... and there is no question what they want."
Indeed, the election results were dramatic. In the 56-seat Senate, Republicans increased their totals from 30 to 34 seats. In the House, the GOP began Election Day with 76 of the chamber's 180 seats and ended the day with 96.
By the end of the next week, three conservative Democrats from south Georgia switched parties, bringing the Republican's House tally to 99 - a comfortable margin over the 91 votes needed to pass legislation.
Mr. Bordeaux said Democrats haven't lost the center of the Georgia political spectrum, noting his party was at the forefront of creating both the HOPE Scholarship and PeachCare for Kids, the state health-care plan for needy children.
"The majority of Georgians want to see things work," Mr. Bordeaux said. "If Republicans deliver, then they deserved to win. If Republicans don't deliver, then they deserved to lose. It's the same for either party."
Still, the Democratic Party was far from presenting a unified front last week.
On Monday, more than a dozen House members - both urban and rural - crossed party lines to vote for Glenn Richardson, R-Hiram, who became the first GOP House speaker in 135 years.
Later, even more Democrats supported a GOP bill to modify rules in the House, which gave Republicans the ability to restrict amendments to proposed legislation and fill committees with as many votes as needed to move bills forward.
Reach Brian Basinger at (404) 681-1701 or brian.basinger@morris.com.
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