As we come to the end of the first month of the new year, the effects of the November elections are becoming more evident in the form of a changing political landscape. President Obama was feeling flush with success during the lame duck session of Congress, in which defeated Democrats and a few retiring Republicans felt free to defy the will of the people since they no longer had to answer to their constituents, passing an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts in exchange for a further extension of unemployment benefits, passing a bill ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the military, and a ratification of the New START treaty with Russia. However, now that the new Republican House majority has been seated, Obama is finding it a bit tougher to ram his agenda down the throats of Americans. To use a phrase from Obama himself, Republicans are still sitting at the back of the bus, but at least now they have their hand on the emergency brake.

One of the first acts of the new House of Representatives was to read the U.S. Constitution from the floor of the House. Like holy water on a vampire, the reading of the Constitution elicited howls of outrage among many Democrats, who reviled it as a propaganda stunt, meaningless, a ritualistic reading of a sacred text, and even racist. It would seem that these Democrats have forgotten that this Constitution of which a reading offends them so greatly is the same Constitution that each and every one of them, before any other work takes place in a new session of Congress, take an oath to protect and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

It should come as no surprise that the Constitution offends them. It is the single largest obstacle to passing their leftist utopian agenda. This is why Democrats defeated a bill by Republicans that would require every new bill introduced in Congress to begin by stating the section of the Constitution which authorizes the Congress to enact it. If every bill previously passed were subject to such an authorization proof, easily 90% of all the federal government currently does would be invalidated. It is my hope that Republicans continue to bring this bill up for a vote, if for no other reason than to show every American the disdain Democrats have for the Constitution and the limits it places upon government.

The next two years will be fascinating to watch. The Republicans, a minority in the Senate and with an opposition president in the White House, can do very little on their own. They have already passed a repeal of ObamaCare, yet that will not likely be taken up by the Senate, and certainly not signed by the president. They can, however, block funding for the implementation of ObamaCare and defund the nearly 200 programs and agencies created by the passage of the law. Then they must work to expand their House majority and regain the Senate and presidency in 2012. We should also not underestimate the ability of Obama to stage a political comeback. His approval rating in some major polls has edged back over 50% after his compromise on the Bush tax cuts, and his bipartisan speech in Tuscon in the aftermath of the shooting of Democrat rep Gabrielle Giffords and the deaths of innocent bystanders.

In short, we must remain vigilant for the next two years, supporting our Republican representatives in their efforts to restore limited, Constitutional government, and chastising them if they stray from conservative principles. They must know that we are watching always, that we are informed and involved and ready to act as necessary to protect our republic. We have a strong group of freshman Republicans that should be encouraged in their efforts to shun pressure from the Washington establishment to co-opt the big government philosophy. They should know we support them absolutely as they act to rein in the federal government. We must remain active if we are to achieve this.