Among Democrats, some said they relished seeing Republicans on the hot seat for a change, no longer able merely to sling arrows.

But each side sees Republicans, especially freshmen, as widely damaged by labor's advertisements on Medicare and education.

I don't see Republicans in Washington understanding this yet.

"At a time like this, you would expect to see Republicans pulling in different directions."

"I don't see Republicans jumping to get on that bandwagon."

"It might indicate that voters of the South see Republicans as the party of the future in state and local politics."

Protesters have been keen to stress that they see both Republicans and Democrats as in thrall to big business.

Leading up to that, we saw prominent Republicans financing a politically motivated lawsuit that exposed the president's personal life.

I find it very disheartening to see Republicans going after each other like this.

Mr. King warns that the party's base becomes "very disillusioned" when they see Republicans not fighting back.