What does this recession mean for the republicans, and can the democrats ultimately benefit?

Basically I am curious what you guys think. It seems to me that as much as the republicans try the blame the dems, it ultimately falls back on the previous administration, at least this seems the be the consensus. What do you think this means for the republicans, especially while they claim doing nothing and lowering taxes is the best solution while the deficit is spiraling out of control?
And do you think the dems will benefit from this, or will the fact that a democrat is in office right now ultimately put the blame on the dems and will the republicans benefit in the long run.