Combined with the 30 seats that the GOP lost in 2006, that would leave the party facing a 70-vote deficit against Democrats in the House — a state of powerlessness reminiscent of Republicans’ long wilderness years in the 1960s and ’70s.
We Republicans failed to hold our representatives feet to the fire. For 12 years House Republicans thought they had a mandate to shut down the government, to get a free ride from fat cat lobbyists, to drastically increase pork, and to take money from Jack
Abramoff. I remember when House Republicans defended their free rides on the planes of lobbyists on the grounds that it "saves the government money."
Republicans in the House claimed to have a monopoly on something they called "family values." When it started to come unraveled before the 06 elections, they trotted out their "American values agenda." Appealing to the masses for laws to prevent gay marriage, to prevent flag burning and other feel good stuff had always worked before, surely it would work in 06. Wrong!!!
Maybe this will be a wake up call for Republican politicians, just maybe.