On Wednesday, February 11, Political Science Professor and Chair Thomas Schaller will present the Social Sciences Forum “The Stronghold: How Republicans Captured Congress but Surrendered the White House,” at 4:30 p.m. in the University Center Room 310. Once the party of presidents, the GOP in recent elections has failed to pull together convincing national majorities. Republicans have lost four of the last six presidential races and lost the popular vote in five of the last six. Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” set in motion a vicious cycle, Schaller contends: as the GOP became more conservative, it became more Congress-centered, and …