The role of the minority party I do not think should be taken lightly. If you look at how minority parties are they are usually pretty fiesty. They usually take the opposite stance on most issues from the majority (hence minority), but they also show up to debate with the majority everyday because they know that at some point they won't be the minority anymore. All these representatives in some way are still campaigning even though they are the minority because in order to make sure that they don't lose their seats they have to stick to their guns and take side with the party and people that voted them into that seat. I happen to think that people in the minority party are under even more pressure to keep their seat because in essence they have to stop the bleeding and try to make it possible for their party to gain some momentum and hopefully by the next election gain some seats so that they aren't the minority anymore.
There is no doubt that over time house members and senators seem to be getting more liberal and more conservative, creating an even bigger gap in middle. Does it make it harder to negotiate? Yes, of course. Just because you are the minority though doesn't mean that you don't have a say. Being able to persuade and having a good relationship with certain folk in the majority might be able to help you get your point across. What goes around comes around I think. Being a member of the minority is kind of like having President Obama's same message about hope and all that stuff he talked about in the fall while he was campaigning. Bi-partisanship is hard to grasp when noone can agree with eachother, but for the most part you hope that it creates some sort of deterrent before you vote on every issue just because your party voted that way. Being able to create deals with other senators could be a good way in order to try to pass a bill or bring up an issue with the majority. The key thing though with all this is though that one day the minority will be the majority, so you better play your cards right so when you are on the wrong end of the deal you don't get totally shorted.
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Yes, the responsibilities of a house member don't really change just because they are in the minority party. While there are limited policy making opportunities, there is still much to attend to. A congressman, especially one at the beginning of his career, needs to toe the party line while proving themselves to the leadership. In addition, there is always the prerequisite fundraising and of course the needs and desires of their constituency at home.
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