In response to:
I agree with most of the analysis, but i disagree on a couple fundamental points.
Abortion is the law of the land, and is a hill the Democrats will defend with their lives, While social conservatives (and rational people) may abhor the practice, it is a political loser, and we would be well advised to adopt an attitude that while we personally disagree, it is the law and we will respect it. STOP saying we'll try to overturn it. That is not going to happen, but it is a club with which Democrats and the media will beat us daily.
While I am personally disgusted by the thought of gay marriage, I am also convinced that what two people do in the privacy of their own home is none of my business. The gay marriage issue is a LOSER for us because..
These are days of hindsight and second-guessing for Republicans, which is human nature after a trauma like this election loss.
There are million “why” theories out there, from the Hurricane Sandy effect to pernicious media bias. Wringing our hands over those factors gets us nowhere.
We can’t stop hurricanes, and media bias is always there. Reagan and Bush 43 won twice against waves of poisonous bias, so that is not an insurmountable obstacle.
What Republicans need is a slate of candidates that can energize the base while expanding the appeal of a conservative message.
Easy...
Fiscal conservatism is the winning issue. We need candidates not like Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock and Sharron Angle, but candidates who can articulate the message of small government.