Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
Time will tell if this was conservatism's last stand, a new awakening or just a momentary blip on the political landscape.
For now, the faithful in the state of Georgia came out to draw a line in the sand Tuesday by re-electing Saxby Chambliss to the U.S. Senate and temporarily turning back the Democratic tide of 2008.
Motivated by images of an Obama administration with a 60-vote Democratic majority in the Senate -- which can run roughshod over the remaining 40 senators by voting to end debate on a bill and proceed to a vote -- Georgia voters told the nation they wouldn't allow that for now.
It's doubtful either congressional Democrats or the president-elect will consider Chambliss' 58-42 win as any kind of rebuke. Georgia was considered a Republican state anyway, and Democrats have still had a wildly successful year.
But neither should Chambliss get a big head about it.
Fact is, this election wasn't really about him. It was about conservatism holding on for dear life in Washington.
Moreover, Chambliss isn't the most popular elected official among conservatives. Some may never forgive him for his support of the infamous "comprehensive" immigration reform bill, which most of us considered to be amnesty.
Chambliss and others -- including GOP presidential nominee John McCain -- switched their positions after the majority of Americans made clear their objections to the bill. They should be given credit for that.
We support and very much admire Sen. Chambliss. He's a good man and an up-and-coming leader on the national stage. But he needs to view this election not as an endorsement of past positions, but as a new covenant with conservatives.
We don't need just a man with an "R" for his party affiliation. More than ever, we need a true conservative who will stand up to the liberal headwind now blowing through Washington and vote to uphold constitutional values of limited government, strict interpretation of laws and freedom from tyrannies, large and small.
Chambliss has mostly been there in his first six years, but stumbled badly on illegal immigration -- a no-brainer for a constitutionalist.
With the numbers heavily favoring Democrats next year, we'll need full-time conservatives on that wall.
Rather than being emboldened by his win, Saxby Chambliss should be humbled by it. He was given a new lease on life Tuesday.
He needs to act like it.
