Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party (GOP). The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the political spectrum, in contrast to the more "liberal" or "progressive" Democrats.

The Republican Party has the second most registered voters as of 2004 with 55 million, encompassing roughly one-third of the electorate.[1] As of September 2010[update], Republicans fill a minority of seats in both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, hold a minority of state governorships, and control a minority of state legislatures.

After the incredibly close 2000 election (which came down to a few hundred votes in Florida)[citation needed], the GOP scored a clean victory in 2004, then lost heavily in the 2006 and 2008 elections, giving up Congress and the White House. The worldwide economic recession of 2008-9 saw the nation's housing and mortgage markets crumble, the auto industry on the brink, and the financial system rescued by a bipartisan bailous of the banks. Congressional Republicans were almost unanimous in opposing the key elements of the Democrats' domestic policies, blaming Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.[citation needed] There was little debate over the nation's foreign policy in Afghanistan and Iraq. With the economy continuing to growth at disappointing rates in 2010, popular support for Obama and the Democrats in Congress fell sharply. Pollsters reported an angry electorate.[2] Neither party was popular, as Rasmussen polls show that about half the voters see Democrats as the party of big government and half see the Republicans as the party of big business.[3] Pundits predicted sweeping Republican gains in the 2010 midterm elections, pointing to an enthusiasm gap that has Republican voters much more fired up than Democrats.[4] Political analyst Dick Morris has argued that in a "fundamental change" evangelical or social issues do not dominate the Republican activists in 2010, because "economic and fiscal issues prevail. The Tea Party has made the Republican Party safe for libertarians."[5]


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