Republicans confused about why they won

Was it state or national issues driving voters?

“This result is an indication of the desire of the voters of North Carolina for a change in direction in state government,’’ said Berger, R-Rockingham. “We have broken a 112-year dry spell.’’

State Rep. Mark Hilton, a Republican representing Catawba County, said Tuesday night that North Carolina voters reflect the national mood.

If you're unsure why voters chose you, then how are you going to carry out their wishes?

And then there's the handy catch-all opinion of Taliban Stam:

House Minority Leader Paul Stam, R-Wake, said voters chose Republicans because they were tired of left-leaning policies coming out of Washington and Raleigh, when only a small percentage of voters actually consider themselves liberal.

The election's over, Skipper. You won't need to resurrect the fear of Socialism until next election, and you should probably pay close attention to another of your fellow Republicans, who apparently understands a little better what happened:

Blust, who won his re-election bid over a Libertarian candidate, added that Republicans shouldn’t read too much into their likely victories.

“Hopefully, we will be warned that we better do some things differently (from Democrats),” Blust said. He said the state results were more about voter frustration with Democrats in control of the government during a sour economy than a big shift in favor of Republican policies.

If the Republicans do what they usually do, which is pursue a mish-mash of outdated morality issues and debilitating fiscal policies, they're liable to find themselves facing another hundred years in the minority.