Republicans have become the party of the angry, dissatisfied reactionaries who long for an imaginary historical past of the US that was promoted by 1950s 1960s TV shows that were white-family centered farces that had no real problems. This is the reality that they want but will never have and they are angry about it.
Even good Republican politicians get drowned out by the angry members of their party such as Limbaugh, Coulter, and Palin, and the Tea Party.
Like a commentator said on NPR this week, until the Republican party gets control and silences or rebukes these reactionaries, they are going to continue to be on the losing side.