They are part of the government and for two years will have to come up with more than "blame this or that", Obama and the Democrats or the Chinese or whatever demons they can dream up. Can they get their act together? No, but this will allow Obama to take the initiative more than before and push for middle-class tax cut, expansion of the stimulus package to create jobs in infrasructure re-building, energy and the new IT technologies, and do so from the national security position. One area that holds much promise is nuclear energy. He nust make this the center-piece and explain it in terms of America's vulnerability because of the billions it send to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and eleswhere, and how this dependwncy is a threat to ASmerica's security.
The Republicans and the Tea Party are either part of the solution or the problem. They cannot have it both ways. This electoral outcome is a boon for Obama...bring your enemy in from the cold, and hold their feet to the fire. What may seem like a victory will quickly become a nightmare, but only if Obama can talk the talk that America understand. His perceived coolness came across as arrogance and his eloquence was seen as elitist. Change the language and tone. Ronald Reagan in 1982 and Bill Clinton in 1994 did and won re-election easily.