"The damage was among independents..."

Aderholt glad only 17 in GOP jumped ship on surge vote
By CHRIS WELCH
...Of the 17 party votes in the House, Aderholt added, "I think this is just a way for Republicans to send the president a message."
Aderholt touched on a number of issues Saturday, but focused on why the Republicans lost control of the Congress 233-202 after the Nov. 6 election. They had previously controlled Congress by the same number. The party commissioned a study of why things went so badly and got the results a month ago. ....The bottom line, he said, is "the damage was among independents, the voters in the middle; the election was more than just Iraq and the images and brand of the GOP took a hit." ... (Huntsville Times)