The past year marked a massive change for the Republican party. For the first year in over a decade, the GOP found itself the minority party in both houses of Congress. Since the midterm elections of 1994, the Republican Party retained constant control of the legislative branch. Coupled with the two elections of President George W. Bush, The Grand Old Party was in firm control of Washington. For many Republicans in Congress, this is their first time in the minority. These lawmakers began their legislative careers in the 1994 elections or the subsequent elections that kept Congress in similar alignment. Considering the lack of experience in this matter, and the force leveled against the GOP by the Democratic leadership, the Republicans have a great deal to be proud of. Not only did they prove to be a formidable opposition, they were able to achieve significant victories.

rom a legislative stand point, the GOP was able to successfully oppose several major pieces of legislation that the Democratic leadership of Congress wished to ram through Congress without minority consideration. The largest of these successes came when the so-called immigration-reform bill was banished from the senate floor. The bill was sponsored by Ted Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, and was supported by a significant majority of the Democratic Party. Unfortunately, the bill was also supported by some well-known Republicans including President Bush and John McCain. The support of a fraction of the Republican party made blocking the bill all the more difficult, but it was accomplished through the diligent work of some influential Republicans. This was the new minority’s first major battle, and it proved to be a victory that sent a message to the liberal leadership in the Senate.

Another legislative victory came for the Republicans when it blocked the passage of a children’s healthcare bill, which would have increased government spending to an inappropriate level and also would have allowed families of middle-class income to receive government benefits. The defeat of the legislation was precarious at best, due to the fact that blocking a children’s healthcare bill rarely, if ever, receives good press. Blocking such a bill threatened to bring chatter among the liberal press about the Republican party being the party of the rich. Nevertheless, the party stood strong for fiscal restraint and common sense legislation and kept the bill from becoming law.

The minority’s largest head ache came from the Democrats on funding of the war. Dozens of times the Democratic leadership held votes meant to stall or stop the military actions in Iraq. The Democrats regularly threatened to block spending measures intended to keep the troops on the ground safe and with working equipment. The Democratic brain eventually realized such actions would be politically dangerous because the party could be portrayed as abandoning the troops and leaving them vulnerable. This realization did not stop the foolish political games played by top Senate leaders, however, including an all-night affair that allowed the Democrats hours to incessantly talk about their opposition to the war. The all-night idea was a political embarrassment for the Democrats, and the republicans were wise to let them use their own rope.

Over all, from a minority’s prospective, the year was a success for the GOP. The next year will not be easy. Several Republican-held seats in Congress will be vacated due to retirement. It will be difficult to ensure that the seats will remain in the hands of the GOP. All is not lost. Polls have shown that the American people are less pleased with the Democratically-controlled congress than they are with the Bush administration. This is mainly due to the fact that for most of the year the Democratic leadership proved incapable of producing significant legislation. Instead, Harry Reed and company obsessed over the war and failed to do much of anything else, including pass a budget. In the upcoming elections, the Republicans could find themselves the beneficiaries of the people’s displeasure in this Congress. For the meantime, however, the Republicans have proven to be just as capable in the minority as they were while in the majority, if not more so.