After the 2008 election, Republicans in Congress were faced with an identity dilemma. President Barack Obama had been elected on wave of popularity. House Democrats added 24 seats, growing their majority to 257. With the resounding defeat of the McCain-Palin ticket, Republicans were rudderless, without a clear leader.

I was the spokesperson for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) at the time, who had just been named the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee — then considered a “C” committee. With little to no legislative jurisdiction over anything, there were few special interest groups lobbying the committee, meaning it isn’t a “money committee” like Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means or Appropriations.

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the Republican Leader at the time, told Darrell that we needed to change things, that the Republicans were no longer in the policymaking business, but in the communications business and we should........

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