The Freshmen: What Happened To The Republican Revolution?
(Linda Killian)
In November 1994, the Republican Party swept the United States midterm elections, taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, a majority of state Governorships, and a majority of state legislatures for the first time in decades. Journalist Linda Killian wrote her book, The Freshmen, in an attempt to understand this major event.The Freshmen gives an account of the 104th Congress (January 1995 to January 1997) from the point of view of the House Republican "freshmen," members elected to their first terms in 1994. Although it is from the point of view of the freshmen, Killian does an admirable job of remaining an objective narrator, describing and explaining events, rather than writing a manifesto for their ideology. Although she chronicles the entire 104th Congress, Killian focuses attention on one member, Van Hilleary of Tennessee, as a way of telling a coherent story, personalizing the story, and creating some depth of characterization. Some of the topics covered include the 1994 campaign, the Contract with America, the leadership of Speaker Newt Gingrich and other officers of the Republican Caucus, the Republicans' relationship with President Bill Clinton, the budget process, the infamous government shutdowns of 1995, the Welfare Reform Act and other major items of legislation, the scandals of the 104th Congress, and the 1996 campaign. Killian ends by asking what has become of the "Republican Revolution," trying to evaluate its historical significance and what directions the Republican majority might take in the subsequent years.All-in-all, this is a very significant work about a major moment in U.S. history.
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