Good analysis.
We failed to promote leaders, and lost as a result.
A leader is a person who can convince people to do things that they might not otherwise do on their own. Ronald Reagan is a perfect example because he had to convince a Democratic majority in both Houses to follow his path. In contrast, our Congressional leaders were not even able keep our own party in-line and on-track let alone the Democrats. Leadership sometimes means twisting arms. It means telling people like Chaffee, Snow, Stevens, and others that "if you want to run as a Republican, you need to act as a Republican, otherwise, don't expect the party to support your re-election, don't expect the big corner office in the Senate office building, don't expect extra money for extra staff, don't expect the committee chairmanship that you have been drooling over for years, and don't expect your pet legislation to see the light of day. Get with the program, and if you don't like it, then elect someone else majority leader." Instead of putting up with losers like Tom the "pork farmer" Delay, the rank and file should have elected leaders who were more interested in promoting the interests of the party than handing out goodies to friends and wasting our hard earned tax dollars on home district projects that have nothing to do with the national interest and everything to do with buying votes.