OVER THE PAST DECADE, Republicans have ridden a wave of success that has carried them to a powerful position in a remarkably short period of time. While post-World War II America split White House time fairly equally between Republicans and Democrats, the Congress spent most of that period under the firm control of the Democratic party, especially after the mid-1950s. Even Ronald Reagan could not shake that grip, enjoying only a brief GOP majority in the Senate during his term in office.
In 1994 a new generation of Republicans, inspired by Reagan, but given an opening by Bill Clinton and his overreaching effort to nationalize healthcare, finally took control of Congress and started implementing the conservative agenda. Republicans achieved this massive success by focusing on the few hot issues that provided unity among the disparate interests of the conservatives, moderates, and libertarians who comprised the bulk of the party.
