Even before Republicans' Election Day triumph, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell was cautioning members of his party in Congress not to repeat the mistakes they made after their historic midterm landslide in 1994.

The "single most important thing we want to achieve," McConnell has said, "is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

That got us thinking about what happened after 1994: An activist Republican Congress enacted legislation signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton. The federal deficit melted into a surplus as the economy expanded in ways that produced widespread prosperity.

To McConnell that sounds like a mistake to avoid repeating?

Here's hoping McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, doesn't think that two years of gridlock is the best strategy for Republicans to regain control of the White House and Senate. Because gridlock's not what's best for the country.

To read the complete editorial, visit www.kentucky.com.