The Republican Party was once a popular and successful party known as the defender of smaller government, individual liberties and free markets.

Believe it or not, I liked the old Republican Party. Because of their willingness to compromise and work on behalf of the American people in conjunction with the Democrats, the United States of America accomplished great things.

But due to the rise of the Tea Party movement, candidates for public office, on both the state and federal levels, have displayed stronger right wing ideologies that have showcased their unwillingness to cooperate with President Barack Obama and the Democrats. They stray away from what used to be core Republican values.

For example, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell signed a bill into law that made it mandatory for a woman to have a transvaginal ultrasound before legally getting an abortion. And Senator Dick Lugar, R-IN, known for his willingness to reach across the aisle, was defeated in the 2010 Republican Primaries by Tea Party candidate Richard Mourdock, the man who infamously said that rape is, “something God intended.”

While establishment Republicans have been slowly showing progress on marriage equality — evident by support from U.S. Senators Rob Portman, R-OH, and Mark Kirk, R-IL, as well as President George H.W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney — members of the Tea Party seem content being on, what I consider, the wrong side of history by continuing their support for the “traditional family.” But that wasn’t always the case.

After the 1952 elections, Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected to be the 34th President of the United States. Along with the 83rd Congress, which held a slight Republican majority in both houses, the country experienced a relative amount of peace and domestic growth.

Eisenhower, a Republican, expanded Social Security, worked on creating one of our country’s largest and most successful infrastructure projects, the interstate highway system, and refused to cut taxes until there was a balanced budget.

Another Republican who worked with the other side of the aisle to pass effective legislation was Richard Nixon. Although his legacy is clouded by scandal, it’s important to remember his successes while in office. In 1972, he laid the groundwork in normalizing relations with the People’s Republic of China.

He was an advocate for environmental concerns which can be seen by the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He also signed the Clean Air Act of 1970 and the National Environmental Policy Act, which both had goals to enhance the environment — all which was done with Democrats holding the House and the Senate.

But since 2010, our country has been experiencing an unparalleled and unprecedented amount of dysfunction, mostly due to the shift in ideals seen in the Republican Party. It’s not like Democrats and Republicans working together is completely unheard of!

The Tea Party movement was a strong factor to this change. It started as a political movement to reduce the government debt and deficit while reigning in government spending and lowering taxes but was later taken over by corporate interests.

Political actions committees like Americans For Prosperity, FreedomWorks and Crossroads Grassroots Political Strategies started challenging moderate Republicans all across the country because they weren’t conservative enough.

In this upcoming election, the Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, is facing strong opposition from Tea Party activists. McConnell helped craft the budget deal that opened the federal government and left Obamacare untouched. Since then, his opponent, Matt Bevin, received a major endorsement from the Senate Conservative Fund, a political action committee who works to get Tea Party-allied Republicans elected to the United States Senate.

The recent influx of elected officials aligned with the Tea Party has created a dysfunctional government. A system that once thrived on the principle of two moderate ideologies working for a common cause has been reduced to a gridlocked system plagued by an extreme ideology who’s determined to prevent Obama and the Democrats from carrying out their legislative agenda.

Instead of finding compromise, they have resorted to obstructionist ways. We have come to be a nation capable of governing only in moments of crisis, which can be seen by budget standoffs in 2011 and 2012 and most recently with the government shutdown and once looming debt ceiling crisis. The most recent GOP approval ratings from the American public plummeted 10 points from September to 28 percent in October.

Unless Tea Party Republicans start working with moderate Republicans in finding common ground with the Democrats, there will be serious consequences.

The United States is a country that has been drowned by a small but loud minority. I hope the GOP establishment can pull the party back closer to the center, because their fringe has been a poison to our political system.

Matt is a sophomore in LAS. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewPasquini.