Inspired a bit by this thread.
Republicans have had control over Congress for the past six year or so, right? And Senate for the past two. But for the life of me, I can’t remember a thing they’ve accomplished other than say “NO” to anything Obama or the Democrats try to do.
Now, I suppose it could be argued that they were elected to do just that. But surely that’s not a good answer, is it?
They built the interstate highway, started the EPA, appointed Earl Warren to the Supreme Court, normalized relations with China, and sent troops to forcibly desegregate a southern school. Oops, those were actual Republicans, not the Plutocrats that pass for Republicans these days :p. My bad :smack:
Good enough for the people that elected them.
When you start from the perspective that all government except the DoD is evil, then doing nothing (except attacking other countries) is the way of least evilness.
They weren’t sent to Congress to enable the Democratic agenda.
Well, clearly, but they question is what agenda WERE they elected to achieve and has that agenda come to pass?
Just denying the other side isn’t really an accomplishment of which one should be proud.
Wasn’t it Johnson who sent the troops in?
Since they ended slavery? Umm, give me a minute …
The contemporary Rebuplican party has as much to do with Lincoln as Jim Bakker has to do with Jesus.
They seem pretty pleased about watering down the Affordable Care Act to nearly useless proportions… or maybe not since they’re still trying to repeal it.
They’ve managed to prevent pretty much any progressive legislation for the past 7 years and arguably the eight (or even 16) years before that as well. A notable exception would be marriage equality.
They’ve managed to shut down or nearly shut down the government a number of times.
Until the late (un)lamented Justice Scalia died, they had a majority on the Supreme Court and were able to implement the Citizens United decision among others.
And they’ve wasted untold amounts of taxpayer dollars hosting I don’t even know how many Congressional investigations of random bullshit.
And that’s just off the top of my not that well informed head.
They have much to be proud of. 
The Party of Lincoln hasn’t existed at all since the 1876 deal to end Reconstruction (and elect Hayes), and even the Lincoln “Let 'em up easy” faction was overpowered by the Radical Republicans roughly the day after his death.
Funny how you never hear them claim to be the Party of the Southern Strategy. There was a GOP talking head on CNN on Super Tuesday claiming the Klan was liberal and Democratic, however.
Oh, and just so we’re clear, I mean in the past six or eight years. I really should have made that more clear in the OP.
They’re claiming to be The Party of Lincoln even today. If they could point to a significant accomplishment in the last six or eight years, they would - but remember, to their base, resisting Obama is an accomplishment itself.
They’ve made a significant amount of money for themselves.
They spend a lot of time worshipping the constitution, only to line up and cheer for a guy who’s willing to throw it out the window and close Mosques, out of fear.
They love him because he “talks straight talk”! But when the moderator, at the debate, dared to inject truth he was booed!
They are convinced he can “get things done!”, after the party spent 8 yrs making sure nothing could get done!
They don’t want Hilary because she might be beholding to a big money donor. So instead they’ve embraced a big money donor? She’s only the most qualified person that has ever run for the office!
I don’t think they know what they want! Or know what they are doing! And maybe Donald’s antics will destroy the party and they’ll have to rebuild? I’m not sure they can see a firm future for their own party.
One of *HER *big money donors. 
Let’s not get carried away. Herbert Hoover and GHW Bush may hold the record there.
Don’t forget Cruz and his “religious liberty” crap and wanting to neuter the Supreme Court.
Eh, they’re in the opposition. Our system gives the President a 2/3rds veto, they’re largely limited to blocking things and pushing legislation that has a degree of bipartisan support. It’s likely when the TPP is eventually voted on the Republicans will be a big bloc of support for it in the Senate, for example.
To some minds the sequester is a major achievement because it’s forced the deficit down.
Eisenhower, the last good Republican president, IMO.
H.W. Bush was good, Reagan was more mixed but I don’t think he was bad–just mixed results, Nixon was good in a ton of really important ways but also ethically corrupt beyond belief. W. Bush was misguided and largely a failure. I’m a Republican by the way, so I obviously have a different baseline than Democratic voters. But I think guys like Reagan and H.W. Bush while not perfect, had a pretty balanced approach to government. Reagan’s flaw was he bought too much in to voodoo economics (a term actually coined by H.W. in a primary debate against Reagan in the 1980 primaries), I was and am broadly in favor with not having marginal rates as high as they were pre-Reagan, but he cut income taxes too much. But he also was willing to raise taxes at times when it was necessary, helped strengthen social security. He also ignored the AIDs crisis, the whole Iran-Contra thing, so that’s why I view Reagan as a mixed bag.
I think H.W. Bush was a pretty good President, moderate, good manager, fiscally responsible, no major scandals, utilized the U.N. for exactly what it was intended when Hussein invaded Kuwait–to prevent and deter wars of aggression. He built a coalition fully backed by the international community and pushed the Iraqis out of Kuwait. He was just unfortunate to be up for reelection at a time of economic malaise, and he campaigned weakly in 1992 against a very likable and energetic Bill Clinton.