After last November's presidential and congressional elections, many in the Republican Party are turning to introspection. That's good. The party must do more than just lick its wounds.

Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, a Republican, told The Times last week of the questions she believes her party must ask.

"What did we do wrong?" Skillman said. "Did we not have the best candidate? Why didn't we encourage independent voters to swing our way?"

A recent Association Press-Gfk poll showed the Republican Party has an identity crisis. According to the poll, 46 percent of American adults identified themselves as Democrats and only 28 percent as Republicans. That's a seismic shift from two years ago, when 42 percent of Americans claimed to be Republicans.

What happened? More important, what must be done now?

The Republican Party in Lake County has been in the minority for decades. In many cases, winning the Democratic primary is tantamount to winning the general election.

The political problems in Lake County are worsened by the lack of a strong two-party system. If the Republicans had strong candidates in most races in Lake County, many of the problems would diminish if not disappear.

But building a healthy two-party system in Lake County requires a healthy national Republican Party.

It's important for the GOP to redefine itself so it can communicate these ideas through its candidates in future elections.

"We have got to return to the things that attracted people to the party, like being a watchdog on spending now that Obama has gone into deficit spending to a degree that is unfathomable," said Republican Dan Dumezich, a former state lawmaker who is now a major fundraiser for the party.

That's the kind of discussion that needs to take place soon at the national level, not just by the party leaders but by adherents as well.

A strong two-party system is vital to the nation's political health.