If you're referring to the 1994 takeover, I think the stage for that was set during the Republican National Convention in '92. Speaker after speaker made some very rousing and articulate defenses of conservative ideology, and I bet it influenced a lot of people. I know that it influenced me, who was still kind of on the fence at the time.
I also think Perot's candidacy helped with that as well. It seems that "Get in there and clean out the barn!" was advice that a lot of voters took to heart. And I would bet that the GOP wouldn't have taken such a strong pro-conservative stance if it wasn't for the electoral challenge that Buchanan and later Perot forced on them.
What you say may very well be true, but Clinton also did not see himself as being part of a Party-he was the Party!
Nixon had this same view also.
I think each branch of gov't should respect the others Constitutional bounderies.
And on the political level, each should try to help the other two remain under control of its own Party.
I think alot of the House/Senate Republican public criticism of Bush over certain issues that have nothing to do with them has not helped our Party.