TW: As you know we like Charlie Cook's political analysis as he is one of the most insightful and unbiased folks out there. He dissects the results briefly, I would argue his assessment strongly suggests the Republicans would do well to listen to the Tim Pawlenty's of their party and run as fast as possible from the Rush Limbaugh/Bill Kristol/Sarah Palin wing of the party.
From Cook/National Journal:
"...In general, in the higher-growth segments of our country, Republicans lost ground, prevailing only in small towns and rural areas. When Democrats win the suburbs, Republicans are in trouble...The question now is whether Republicans will quickly learn from their mistakes -- retooling and rebranding their party soon...
Those who write off the 2008 election by saying that Republican candidates weren't conservative enough are in denial. They are political ostriches, refusing to acknowledge that the country and the electorate are changing and that old recipes don't work any more.
Obama's message and agenda were a far cry from those of the Democratic Party of a generation or two ago, but the Republican Party's message and agenda haven't changed much other than becoming even more fixated on cultural issues and tax cuts. A top Republican pollster remarked privately to me after the election that he couldn't think of a single new idea generated on the Republican side during the 2008 campaign..."
http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/cr_20081115_6386.php
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