The New Republic has a story--which I can't link to at the moment--about House Minority Leader John Boehner's success in retaining cohesion among Republicans in the House despite their disillusion following the election of 2006.
Republicans in the House are noted for their ability to be cohesive, to vote together. It explains their success in passing legislation though they never enjoyed huge leads over Democrats while in the majority from 1994 - 2006. The election tested this unity since they could no longer dominate the legislative process. Some suggested that each individual Republican had to fend for themselves, act as free agents. Early votes showed that solid handfuls of Republicans were voting with the Democrats, which raised the possibility that a veto proof coalition could emerge and shut down any chance that President Bush could remain relevant.
Enter John Boehner.
He rallied the party prior to the vote earlier this year on the nonbinding resolution opposing the surge in Iraq, which gradually built up the party's confidence. He has encouraged party members to take a confrontational stance with Democrats and turned conference meetings into pep rallies. This sets back any chance that Democrats could take control of the public policy process.
Whether this helps House Republicans in the 2008 elections remains to be seen. They could end up further tying themselves to policies that could continue to be unpopular, but the camaraderie can't hurt.
