So what exactly is the GOP and where are its roots?
GOP stands for Grand Old Party and is a term synonymous with the Republican Party. According to historycental.com the name GOP was first used in 1880-this makes sense post Lincoln and Civil War. The phrase GOP is slightly misleading because the Democrats-formerly the Democratic-Republicans- are in fact the older party.

How did the Republican Party come about?
Abraham Lincoln-elected in 1860- was our first Republican president and the 16th president of the United States. The Republican Party was derived from a faction of the Whig Party. Its place of creation: Ripon, Wisconsin in 1854. The collapse of the Whig party was a result of intra-party disputes over the Kansas-Nebraska Act- an act allowing Kansas and Nebraska to decide on their own if they would be free or slave states, it also sought to repeal the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited slavery north of the 36°30’ line.

Initially the Republican Party focused on preventing the spread of slavery to western states, and was closely associated with freeing slaves and winning the Civil War-these memories kept southerners out of the GOP for roughly a century and now the GOP has a stronghold on southern politics.

60 Years of GOP Domination
Republican, Ulysses S. Grant, held the presidency from 1868 to 1876. Side note- this is also when the elephant was first used as a symbol for the GOP. A cartoonist named Thomas Nast designed it to symbolize fear within the Republican Party that Grant would run for several terms and declare himself dictator, “like Caesar”- the image stuck the issue didn’t. The Republicans maintained a stronghold on the Presidency for about 60 years with the exception of FDR’s term overlapping with World War I.

During those 60 years the GOP became tantamount with laissez-faire style economics- Adam Smith’s idea that government should not be involved- and held the position of anti-immigration. These associations remain true today.

During the Great Depression and World War II government intervention was seen as a necessity, propelling Democrats into power. The GOP hit rock bottom in 1936, when there were only 89 representatives in Congress, 17 senators, and a Democratic president.

Republicans regained control of congress when Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president in 1952 after the conclusion of World War II. Side note- this was the same time when Joe McCarthy was leading the anti-communist binge and fighting the alleged “dangers” of communism on his House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Disappointments of Eisenhower’s job performance lead to conflict resulting in a short period of Democratic rule- John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Nixon could arguably fall under this category as well, because his election was based on the hope he would end American involvement in Vietnam, not so much on his Republican values.

Nixon’s resignation seriously damaged the GOP resulting in the election of Jimmy Carter in 1976. Carter received a lot of flack for his poor handling of foreign affairs, and the recession our economy suffered. In 1980 the conservative faction of the Republican Party held strong anti-Communist beliefs, saw a necessity to intervene in foreign disputes, and believed economic policies should essentially eradicate bits and pieces remaining from the New Deal, so they elected Ronald Regan. The 1980’s saw great economic growth, leading to re-election for Regan and the first George Bush presidency. The economic decline of the 90’s was considered a fiasco caused by the Republican Party.

Economic woes helped Democratic candidate, Bill Clinton, win in 1992. Side Note- When the Soviet Union became a capitalist society the GOP lost useable anti-Communist rhetoric, which was a blow to the party.

GOP Today
For years the GOP has been struggling with how to define itself. This uncertainty within the party has most defiantly lead to McCain’s success in this election cycle. You can see the pattern of events that lead to a Republican or Democratic controlled government. Wartime exemplifies the factions in this country. Eventually, when support for a war dwindles, the country looks for a new direction and the obvious way to change course is by a reversal of party dominance.

Clearly economic woes also influence and direct politics. When the economy is strong people are benefiting and they are happy, there is a low unemployment rate, and decreased poverty levels. When the economy dwindles people get scared and don’t spend their money making the effects even more dramatic.

This election should be interesting, with McCain as the presumptive GOP nominee. Will the Republican Party keep the White House even with all that’s happened in the last eight years? Or will the pattern of discontent, leading to a change in party dominance, continue?