Will the GOP, if it wins, repeat the mistakes of its past majorities?
My impression, not based on much analysis, is that the group elected in 1994 largely kept their word as set forth in the Contract with America. But over time, those who had pledged to serve for a limited time kept their word and we were left with opportunists and promise breakers and people who put partisan advantage ahead of ethics.

But the GOP took 12 years to squander its gains and lose Congress again. The Dems may have done it in 4.

The GOP is still under a burden of proof, however, with independents and its conservative and libertarian base. It should focus on economic issues, spending, taxes, deficits and debt, and reforming/reducing government. Forget about abortion, gay marriage, etc. Forget about trying to appeal to compassion. "Compassionate government" is what is bankrupting our nation. What Obama's victory has shown us is how reckless so-called progressives can be. Our Founding Fathers knew from their own experience and knowledge of history how dangerous and evil government power can be, they tried to fashion a system that would limit the accumulation of power, but the 'progressive' movement undercut their plan, and persuaded a fearful populace that the only salvation was stronger government. We should have learned by now, that our economic prosperity comes from free enterprise and hard work with minimal government bleed off of resources.

We should remember with humility that our long era of prosperity was in part due to the fact that the economies of Europe and the Far East were demolished by warfare, while ours was left standing. We have spent much of the past 50 years gradually disarming ourselves economically through 'progressive' programs to make us dependent on foreign nations for resources we could be providing for ourselves. The USSR destroyed itself trying to compete with us, but India and China are not so foolish as to follow the more radical demands of environmental 'progressives.' They will eat our lunch if we don't get over this "save the earth" nonsense. The earth doesn't need us to save it. We should preserve clean air and water and help save animal species because they are part of our stewardship as the most intelligent species on the planet, but we won't be doing much of any of those things if we can't continue to be as productive as we have in the past. Government subsidies and meddling in the markets don't enhance productivity. They eliminate the need for it.

We need a new politics of common sense and basic American virtues. We really don't have time or resources to waste on racism and class warfare. We can't force people to be ethical by passing laws. All that does is make the crooks more inventive. I don't like greedy fat cats any more than anybody else, but I recognize that they tend to appear most frequently in centers of power, whether financial or governmental. We can limit the financial ones, including fat cat labor leaders, by letting them fail when they deserve to. We can limit the governmental fat cats by voting out those who vote for more entitlements, more programs, more pork and earmarks and demanding real transparency such as Obama promised but never delivered. I don't know if he really thought he could pursue his agenda while putting the legislative process on C-Span, but he should know by now, if he's honest with himself, that the way his major initiatives were passed was anything but open and democratic. We tell ourselves that ours is a system of government by the people and for the people, but unless we get serious, that will become nothing more than a quaint trope. Unless we insist on responsible and honest government, we're headed for a depression that will leave a shambles for our children and a curse upon our heads. Let that not be so.