Gone in a matter of months was a years-long effort to build a permanent majority through an alliance with lobby firms and trade groups, which supplied high-paid employment to Republicans. Those lobbyists in turn made lavish campaign donations to the party to help keep it in power.
Instead, as soon as the Republicans lost control of Congress, even as they retained the presidency, lobby shops shook off the vestiges of what was known as the "K Street Project,"' after the Washington boulevard where many firms are located. One of the highest-profile Republican hires was replaced by a Democrat. One trade group brought in a Democrat - himself a project target - to replace its Republican president.
"To coin a phrase, the K Street Project has been consigned to the dustbin of history,'' said Craig Shirley, a Republican consultant.
More likely, the K Street Project has been replaced by K Street Project 2.0, a Democratic version designed to reverse Republican gains and replace them with Democratic gains.
At any rate, I'm not shedding any tears over the demise of the Republican version. It didn't lead to a permanent majority, nor was its demise was not caused by the end of the Republican congressional majority. It did itself in.
The K Street Project accelerated the demise of the Republican congressional majority because it lead the the GOP congressional caucus largely to forget who sent it there - Joe and Jane on Main Street - and cater instead to lobbyists it thought could keep it there.
The K Street Project killed the Republican majority. Only a Main Street Project will revive it.
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