In the case of JD Hayworth his district was changed around and he ended up in a liberal college district running against a popular former mayor who beat him up unmercifully about corruption (Abramoff and lobby $ to his wife) and stem cells. Kolbe retired and the GOP didn't support the GOP candidate running to take his seat beause that candidate was too conservative for the GOP... so perhaps the issue isn't so much congress as the GOP National Committee.
Carolyn, as a conservative, I can tell you that I certainly did not stay home. And I certainly did not vote D or 3rd party. But it took a lot of Maalox to stomach the garbage that my State party offered up. And not because they weren't "conservative enough" for me, but because on issues of principle, they were less than stellar. I won't assume to put thoughts in your head, but speaking for myself, principle is a very big deal.
I think that the Republicans lost the election this time around because Americans saw a party whose leadership protected unprincipled men and women, who responded to angry grassroots Republicans in a manner suggesting that they preferred privilege to honor, and whose key senatorial figures wetted themselves when confronted by a minority opposition who was fully committed to a fangs-out brawl.
I value honor. Nothing is more repugnant to me than moral cowardice. I don't care if a Republican candidate doesn't line up 100% with my personal beliefs. If he or she bats a thousand with the big things- personal integrity, and the moral courage to not only be beyond reproach him/herself but also to ruthlessly expose those who are on the take, even within the same party- then he/she will certainly have my vote.
I don't think that such a person is some pie-in-the-sky hope, like some Mister Smith Goes to Washington script. There are people out there within the party who have that quality. Why don't we just find them and get them up to the plate?
But please do not simply write the election debacle off by saying that conservatives are to blame. You're smarter than that.
I second that: the GOP will just have to (learn this lesson, over and over again I fear) that we should not be a moderate party, we shuld be the Conservative party and support conservatives. (ALA They should have let their distrust of Conservatives DIE once the Primary was OVER, but NO; just goes to show that "moderates" have true RR Conservatives and are willing to be vindictive to prove their hatred!