Ramesh Ponnuru, Columnist

Republicans Really Do Have Plenty to Celebrate

Maybe the anticipated red wave didn’t happen, but conservatives have done plenty to keep the Biden administration in check. 

Cheer up, Republicans.

Photographer: Samuel Corum/Getty Images 

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On election night, a lot of Republicans bypassed the champagne for brown-colored liquor, and they’re still feeling surly a few days later. But they shouldn’t wallow in disappointment. There’s plenty of basis for conservative cheer.

That starts with the record of the Biden administration — really. Yes, conservatives disagree with a great many of the Democrats’ policies, and think some the results, such as higher inflation, have been woeful. But consider all of the items on the Democratic agenda that didn’t pass in two years of unified party control of Congress and the White House. There’s no federal overhaul of voting laws, no expansion of taxpayer funding for abortion and no statutory changes to boost unions.