No, Republicans were not "losers" before Donald Trump
It is not true that Republicans were "losers" when they ran on policy instead of mocking and taunting people.
One of the most consistent lies of Donald Trump's fan base is that Republicans were "losers" before Trump. This lie is often attached to defenses of nasty personal attacks, since a refusal to be personally nasty is "why we lose." With that in mind, let's examine some statistics:
♣ - In 2015, Republicans controlled 35 state senates and 33 state houses. Democrats had 14 and 16, respectively.
♣ - In 2015, Republicans controlled the US Senate, 54-44. Republicans only had 45 seats in 2014.
♣ - In 2013, Republicans controlled Congress 234-201. In 2015, Republicans controlled Congress 247-188. Barack Obama wiped out the Democratic Party in the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections.
♣ - There were 31 Republican governors in 2015, and 18 Democratic governors.
Politics has always been a blood sport. This is true. It is not true that Republicans were "losers" when they ran on policy instead of mocking and taunting people. One of the most effective political advertisements of my lifetime was the "Dukakis on crime" ad in 1988, when supporters of George H. W. Bush (not the Bush campaign) used the results of Michael Dukakis foolish and dangerous weekend furlough program to great effect. They did not call him "Ducuckis" or insult his bushy eyebrows. They simply pointed to the disastrous results of his policy.
Republicans do not need new nicknames to taunt Democrats. Republicans need to re-focus on policy, and campaigns that are focused and disciplined. Mockery and insults do not win elections. Professionalism and policy are what win elections. If we want to win, we need to return to the Republican party of 2014, not continue the self-destructive path of the last nine years.