I would submit that every presidential election since 1980 and every congressional election since 1994 has been "about the Republicans".
If they governed well -- and conservatively -- they won. If they governed poorly, they got defeated.
For example, in 2006, the Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the Democrats didn't win; Trent Lott and Denny Hastert and the Republicans lost. The GOP had proved itself unworthy of governing.
Examine every election after the above start points and tell me otherwise.
Your points are well-made and I do not refute them other than to say there is a difference between getting elected and doing good for the country. I’m not questioning the election successes of the Republican Party; I’ve been quite happy with some of them. I helped elect some of those members of the RP.
If you read what I wrote in that post with the assurance that I speak as a conservative American loyalist and not as a Republican Party member, past or present, then you can see that I’m more interested in what’s Constitutionally good for the USA, that builds up and maintains the foundations of our Nation, than in just one Party winning elections for power, prestige, money, and show.