For conservatives, 2009 was a tough year.
From the moment President Barack Obama was inaugurated in January until the Senate passed a middle-of-the-night health care reform bill in December, conservatives fought uphill battles all the way to the bitter end.
But it also has been a year of coalescence. For the first time, conservatives had to take a long hard look at the Republican Party and question its commitment to them. While the party worked hard to appease social conservatives, its drift toward the center on financial matters left many fiscal conservatives feeling alienated. Out of this alienation, the Tea Party movement was born, and it served as a refuge for conservatives of all types. While there is still a long way to go to bridge the divide between Republicans and Tea Party members, the speed at which the liberal agenda was pushed by Obama and his Democratic allies in 2009 forced them to work together. Conservatives and Republicans must continue to coalesce in 2010, if the liberal agenda is to be overcome.
If it were not for the sad condition of the US economy in 2009, the Tea Party movement probably would have been the year's top conservative story. Beyond the frightening direction the country he took the country, Obama's first year in office was relatively positive for the conservative movement. For the first time in many years, rank-and-file conservative Americans once again got involved in the political process.
Aside from the bleak and painful economic stagnation in 2009, the year did have its bright spots. Conservatives saw the re-emergence of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a powerful political voice; the vociferous defense of the Bush administration from its chief architect, former Vice President Dick Cheney; victories for conservative gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia and finally, a much-anticipated and desperately-needed troop surge in Afghanistan (albeit after an unconscionably long wait by President Obama).
There were many conservative stories over the past year, and it's impossible to list them all. Check out our list of the Top Conservative Stories of 2009, and see if you agree. If not, tell us what we missed by using the "Readers Respond" link at the bottom of the page.
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