Quote:

---

After being left for dead in the wake of the 2008 election, Republicans staged a stunning comeback over the past year.

Winning back the House and gaining a significant number of seats in the Senate in November gives them another stab at governing. The energized GOP, added to Americans' discontent with the way the country is headed, played a large factor in the midterm election wins.

The good

In January, Republicans will control the agenda in the House and the future of bills in the Senate.

It didn't hurt that they were able to win over an influential voting bloc -- the independents who make or break elections -- in rolling up impressive wins in November.

Any analyst will tell you that offense is key to winning a game, and that's what Republicans went for. They shined a spotlight on Democratic policies and were able to convince American voters that change was needed.

Mix in a bad economy and record high unemployment, a rough period during which they weren't the ones at the helm, and you have a recipe for success.

10 things Republicans must do in 10 weeks

According to midterm exit polls, 88 percent of voters found economic conditions to be not good or poor, and 86 percent said they were very worried or somewhat worried about the economy.

Republican wins, some say, came from a perception of the party as being a unified force, all on the same legislative page.

In a year when the economy was issue No. 1, observers argue, Republicans didn't need to focus campaigns on hot-button issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion, which normally rev up its base.

The GOP base was already energized and ready to spend whatever political capital it took to win back the hearts and minds of Americans struggling to make ends meet.

The bad

Simply put, the Republican sweep of Congress had less to do with support for the GOP and more with voters wanting change, polls found.

A CNN poll released in November indicated that only one in six people saw the election results as a mandate for the GOP.

"Republicans should not be taking a victory lap, and they should not be interpreting this as a mandate for all the Republican policies," Christie said. "It's just the American people wanting to but a brake on the Democrats and allow the Republicans an opportunity to limit the size and scope of government."

The number of Americans happy with the election results was 12 points lower than the six in 10 who felt the same after the 2006 midterm elections, when Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate.

The poll also found that Americans were divided on the Republicans' plans and policies for the future, with 41 percent approving and 37 percent saying they disapprove.

Obama and Democratic leaders consistently tried to paint Republicans as obstructionists -- "the party of 'no' " -- highlighting their frequent filibustering of bills in the Senate and general unwillingness to work in a bipartisan manner. Public opinion this year found a desire for both parties to work together to get things done.

But a lot changed as Congress entered its lame-duck session.

The tax cut extension bill brokered by Obama and key Republicans showed that the two parties could work together and find solutions. But not everyone was happy. Liberals within the Democratic ranks found themselves at odds with their leader and railed against what they saw as a bill that hurt the middle class while helping the rich get richer.

That legislative item, along with a $1.1 trillion spending bill, also showed the cracks beginning to develop between Republicans and Tea Party groups.

Groups like the Tea Party Express and Tea Party Patriots blasted both pieces of legislation, saying they were too expensive, were deficit-unfriendly and went against Republicans' fiscal conservative pledges.

Tea Party leaders were breathing fire in particular over the spending bill, which was filled with more than $8 billion in earmarks from members of both parties.

Christie said there is no doubt in his mind that if Republicans go back to their old ways, "which was bloated appropriations bills and far too much spending, I think the Tea Party folks would just be as inclined to throw the Republicans out."

The future

It is vital that Republicans demonstrate to the American people why they should be trusted with the "keys to the car," Christie added.

It is important, then, that the party outline new solutions and not just the mantra of "no."

Republicans "need to be the party of ideas," said Mark Preston, CNN senior political editor. "They just can't be the party of obstruction ... but to also offer solutions to some of the problems that are facing the nation."

Another issue that Republicans will need to look out for, observers say, is freshman members of Congress who face a learning curve.

"The first thing new members discover is how little they know about the complex issues they are going to be dealing with or the operating procedures of the House and Senate," Ed Rollins, a GOP strategist and CNN senior political contributor, wrote."What many don't realize is that what they offered as a sound-bite response in a campaign moment has become a commitment to untangle complex issues with no easy solutions."

---

Quote:

---

Now that MY generation is finally taking command? Now that we, who have seen the mistakes and the wrongs of the previous generation?

We just have the last hurdle of putting the Baby Boomer hippie generation to rest...

Then... freedom, and hope.

The real kind of course.

---