It was the sober struggle to keep the party going.
Outside the House he kept the party together by his great social gifts.
"We thought to keep the welcoming party small, this first time."
He kept the party moving with a determined urgency, as if it were to be his last performance.
No one discovered a compromise that would keep the party united.
"The governor is spending a lot of time trying to keep the party in line, and that's something that he'd rather not be doing."
"He's trying to take care of the right wing, and keep the party together going into the elections next year."
"A lot of people just want to keep the party going," she said.
Republicans also face difficulties keeping the party united on taxes.
He said the Robertson forces wanted to "keep the party on a very narrow road."