For years, the Republicans who now run Congress have suffered from subpoena envy.

"If the Republicans suffer losses, it is a negative verdict on competence rather than ideology," he continued.

Republicans, increasingly, have suffered a reputation as being dominated by males who are not interested in issues like education and health care.

The Republicans are already suffering growing pains, evidenced in an internal struggle that led to the firing of the party's executive director after the election.

The Republicans had suffered 20,000-22,000 casualties, among them 7,000 prisoners.

And young Republicans in particular have suffered from a very severe image problem.

In some respects, Republicans are suffering from their own past success.

But he said it was not clear that Republicans would suffer from being seen as denying the elderly a new benefit.

Republicans can only suffer from taking positions of the sort that caused the gender gap in the first place.

This year, Republicans could suffer the same sort of unintended consequences.