the democrats were smart. their timing is good, very good. consider this. some of the benefits of this health care reform bill go into effect only weeks before the midterm elections. a lot of them being the most popular and least costly to implement. also voters must be left with a bad taste in their mouths from the way some republicans behaved at the end of this debate, including shouting insults in the house chamber, encouraging outbursts from the galleries, et cetera. there's hope for the republicans. they were very effective last summer, you'll recall, controlling the message with tea parties and town hall meetings. polls show that republicans are among some of the most motivated voters going into the midterms. but it's definitely time, most experts think, for the gop to step up and prove that they are more than what the democrats have successfully tagged them as being, the party of no. here's the question. where do republicans go from here? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile to post a comment on my blog.