One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If the early whispers from some in the Connecticut Republican Party - and the rumors attributed to them - are true, the state's GOP needs a checkup from the neck up.

Already talk show hosts and Republican insiders are saying that Senate hopeful Linda McMahon is "not done." And that gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley should eye the 2012 Senate race. Consultants are already busy trolling for the next hedge-fund millionaire in Fairfield County who is bored and wants to hear, "Senator, your table is ready."

In the most Republican year since Hoover, that is almost before electricity but not quite, the pachyderm party rolled to victory across the country but got skunked here is the Nutmeg State. In the Land of Steady habits the Republican Party is becoming adroit at one habit, losing.

Much of the blame is being directed toward party Chairman Chris Healy. No question Healy must accept his share of the blame. After all, had things gone the other way he would have rightly claimed victory was largely due to his leadership.

Unlike the current Republican governor, Healy has remained ever present, supporting Foley campaign efforts at counting every vote and not shying away from media who ask, "What happened?" The top elected leader of the state Republican Party, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, is running out the clock.

The problem for the state GOP is not its chairman. It is a strategy, developed long ago, that mimics the all-time strike-out leader in baseball, Reggie Jackson. Always swinging for the fences. Except "Mr. October" delivered when it counted. Republicans here generally swing and miss.

In the last decade self-funded candidates across the country have lost 90 percent of the time. They keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

A path to victory is at hand for the Republicans if they choose a "cloth-coat" Republican strategy. Less slick and no flash. Adherence to a basic campaign strategy of, "tell the voters who you are, what you have done and what you will do." The last part is key. Specific attainable goals and objectives need to be delineated and advocated.

For the Republican Party to gain traction it needs to develop and encourage candidates at the local level to run for higher office. The current bench of potential candidates is thinner than Kate Moss on a good day.

Republicans must support candidates who have won campaigns. Any Republican who wins in Connecticut is winning (with minor exceptions) in districts where Republicans are the minority. Those individuals get it. They need to be encouraged to move to higher office.

The party should develop an aggressive campaign to bring more women into the tent. The Center for Women's Business Research reports that the number of women-owned businesses is expanding at twice the rate of businesses in general, and has been doing so for two decades. These entrepreneurs should find a home in the GOP. Concurrently, the party needs to place social issues on the back burner.

In the last 20 years, in addition to an influx of Hispanic citizens, Connecticut has seen a rise in citizens from the Far East and Eastern Europe. Republicans need to reach out to these communities and begin a dialogue on issues such as education, immigration and health care.

The African-American community has been and remains a Democratic stronghold. Still the Republican message should be delivered and a regular dialogue with state representatives of the NAACP and National Urban League, as well as other community leaders, should occur.

Implementing a comprehensive strategy will require patience, money and discipline. Or the party of Lincoln can go find someone else, like Linda McMahon, to spend $50 million and get 43 percent of the vote.

Ben Davol is a veteran of numerous local, state and federal political campaigns. Once a Republican organizer, he is now registered as unaffiliated.