The View From Here . . .

In most ways this is the best of time for the Republican party and the conservative movement. But that does not mean that dangers do not lurk ahead.

Yes, the numbers are impressive. For the first time since 1952, a Republican president has been elected with a majority of the popular vote and control by his party of both houses of Congress. Moreover, the GOP Congressional majorities are solid, with 55 Republicans in the Senate and at least 231 party members in the 435-member House of Representatives, with two seats still to be decided.

Obviously, whether or not the November results are considered to be a mandate, the Republicans have an opportunity to enact programs that are compatible with their vision of the world. Certainly, for example, the president’s war on terror and attempt to make a more democratic Middle East will continue, and his tax cuts are likely to remain in effect.

But there are considerable pitfalls as well. When one party controls all of the reins of government, it is difficult to escape responsibility if things do not go well. This is especially true in a second term, when it becomes decreasingly plausible to blame a predecessor administration for any current troubles.

Perhaps the larger challenge is getting the balance right between actively leading the country and assuming that the country is behind every possible proposal of the party. Voters, and in particular a candidate’s core supporters, expect the victors in an election to pursue a vigorous program, but do not necessarily buy in to every plank of the candidate’s platform. For example, it is not clear how much sentiment exists for a total overhaul of the tax code or for a broad constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

There a number of cautionary precedents. Following his overwhelming victory in the 1936 election, Franklin D. Roosevelt, dissatisfied with Supreme Court decisions invalidating a number of his New Deal proposals, attempted to “pack” the Supreme Court by attempting to increase the number of justices on the Court and also tried to purge some conservative elements in his party. Although the trend of court decisions did turn in President Roosevelt’s direction, his efforts to change the number of justices were rebuffed and the Democrats lost numerous seats in the 1938 Congressional elections.

And more recently, Republicans led by Newt Gingrich won a historic victory in the 1994 Congressional elections, gaining control of both houses for the first time in 42 years. Unfortunately, while many elements of the Contract with America campaign platform were popular with voters, the Republicans overplayed their hand by insisting in cuts in welfare programs that were considered draconian and, more crucially, by threatening to shut down the federal government as a weapon in a budget war with President Bill Clinton. Mr. Clinton was reelected easily two years later.

The second Bush term can hold the prospect of a more peaceful world, economic growth based on lower taxes and enhanced private investment and the start of an “opportunity society” focusing on individual responsibility and ownership as well as a somewhat more conservative trend in the courts. But the Administration, and those on the right in general, should be very careful that they do not make the perfect the enemy of the good.