Return of the Republicans: Guerilla Tactics

Slate Magazine

The Republican resurgence in the 2010 midterms was no accident. Even before President Obama’s inauguration, House Republican leaders were already planning how to transform their battered minority into a battle-ready majority, reports the New York Times. During the January 2009 meeting in Annapolis, Md., Reps. John Boehner of Ohio and Eric Cantor of Virginia told their fellow Republicans to stop worrying and start plotting. They noted the weakness of the Democratic majority, and then focused on forcing Republican incumbents to fundraise and finding new recruits to challenge Democrats in districts they had held for decades. The Boehner plan also advocated humiliating «guerrilla tactics» such as pursuing Democrats with video cameras to get them on to YouTube and out of office. The Republican sweep on Wednesday wasn’t all down to planning, of course. The Tea Party, campaign cash from outside interest groups, and an aggrieved electorate all influenced the outcome of the election. The Republicans’ strength, however, lay in their fundamental faith that they could once again seize power.