"The image of the party is still forming. Voters are deciding whether the Republican Party is an obstacle to progress or standing up for its ideals," said Neil Newhouse, partner at Public Opinion Strategies, a Virginia-based Republican consulting firm.

The party line is that the GOP is banking on fealty to small-government principles to guide its response to a barrage of economic recovery measures _ including massive economic stimulus spending for 2009 and 2010, more financial rescue steps and heath care legislation _ in the next few months.

"Last week was a good start for the party," David Carney, President George H.W. Bush's political director, said in a reference to the vote on the $787.2 billion economic recovery package, which President Barack Obama plans to sign Tuesday in Denver. Every Republican in Congress except three GOP senators opposed the plan.

The risks to the emerging Republican image as naysayers _ or, perhaps, principled conservatives _ are legion. Obama's popularity remains high. Democrats, including the president, are painting the GOP as insensitive and cranky. And if the economy begins to rebound even slightly, Democrats will get the credit.

The GOP plan is to continue demonstrating its resolve with tough opposition to what it considers excessive government spending and government involvement in the economy and by offering its own solutions.

"Republicans have an opportunity, because of the contents of the stimulus bill, to really focus on wasteful spending," said Jim Greer, the Florida Republican Party chairman. "A lot of people are not as enthused about the stimulus bill as they were."

The House of Representatives next week is expected to debate an estimated $410 billion plan to keep much of the government running through the last seven months of this fiscal year. Republicans already are complaining that much of the measure not only is too expensive, but also is being written in secret and could contain too many special local projects, or earmarks.

Within the next few weeks, lawmakers also are likely to consider Obama's latest plans to help financial markets and another round of 2009 defense spending that will include war funding. By summer, Congress could be deliberating what to do about health care, renewable energy and climate change _ all likely to be very expensive.

Republican leaders warn that domestic spending is out of control and vow to look for cuts program by program.