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After six weeks in session and 139 roll call votes in a House and Senate that feature some of the largest Republican majorities in generations, one of the most telling statistics from the new Congress is this: President Obama's veto threats outnumber the bills Congress has been able to send him.

When Republicans swept into power last November, they promised a new era of productivity and discipline that would break four years of gridlock. "America's New Congress," they called it.

But far from striking a bold contrast with the last two terms of stalemate, congressional Republicans have quickly run into familiar obstacles, including partisan paralysis and party infighting.

Friday, as members of Congress rushed to leave town on a bitterly cold morning, Republicans celebrated their most visible accomplishment to date: sending the Keystone XL pipeline bill to Obama's desk for his expected veto.

"To the president I would say this: Do the right thing, sign this bill and help us create more jobs," House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio said in brief remarks before affixing his signature to the legislation.

But as members of Congress go home for their first extended break since Republicans took control Jan. 6, they have few other achievements.

Only two bills have become law one a leftover from last year that funds a terrorism insurance program important to real estate developers, the other a noncontroversial measure to address mental health problems among veterans.

That compares with six new laws at this point in 2007, when Democrats came to power in both chambers for the final two years of President George W. Bush's tenure.

The new Republican majority, said one lawmaker granted anonymity to speak openly about their work, is like the dog that caught the car still figuring out what to do next. Rather than begin the year with an agreed-upon strategy or comprehensive agenda for the party in power, the 114th Congress opened last month with a loosely defined set of legislative priorities.

Even the Keystone bill was passed only after an exhaustive process in the Senate. During the course of the debate, more amendments were discussed and dispensed with than in the entire previous year when Democrats were in charge.

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Republican majorities struggle to get Congress working

Despite Texas reputation as a Republican bulwark and a stronghold for conservatism, the states electorate doesnt lean as hard to the right youd think. Not by a long shot.

Data from Gallup Daily tracking interviews in 2014 which interviewed more than 177,000 U.S. adults showed that Wyoming and Utah are the top two most Republican states again. Wyoming (Republican advantage: 35.5 percent) and Utah (33.1 percent) have topped the list every year since 2008.

The poll asked respondents to identify as Democratic or Republican Party members. Independents were asked in which direction they leaned. Nationwide, respondents identified as Democrats by a 3 percent margin. Massachusetts and Maryland were the most Democratic states, and the only two blue states with a party gap greater than 20 percent.

The 10 most Republican states all hold advantages over the Democratic Party by more than 10 percent. But Texas is not among these solid Republican states nor the leaning Republican states (states where the party gap is between 5 and 10 percent). Instead Texas is among the 18 competitive states, with Republicans holding a 3.9 percent advantage over Democrats.

That small percent still means a more than 1 million voter-advantage for Texas Republicans. Still, with the states changing demographics, analysts expect that gap to dwindle even further. However it could be at least a decade before Texas realistically has a shot of becoming a purple state.

See our slideshow for a look at the most Republican and most conservative states Texas numbers will surprise you.

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Texas is not among the most Republican states as demographics shift

California has stood as a bright-blue bulwark against conservative political surges for years now, blocking at its border a series of national Republican sweeps and giving President Obama historically huge victories.

So it was with no little optimism that Republicans here gathered Saturday under the slogan Bringing the conservative wave to California. Their faith was rewarded by a rarity multiple presidential hopefuls in California prospecting for actual votes, not money.

It was not exactly the first string, though former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina all delivered spirited denunciations of Obama, of liberals and occasionally of California, as they labored mightily to heighten their profiles.

They accused Obama of cowering in the face of international threats and gazing elsewhere as the nations middle class suffered in the backwash of the fiscal crisis he inherited. They castigated his former secretary of State and leading Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton as like-minded.

After a decade of discontent a period that included part of the last Republican presidents tenure the American people are looking for a new direction, Perry declared as he co-opted Obamas 2008 slogan: They want real hope, real change and real leadership.

Fiorina took aim at the dominance of Californias Democrats, blaming them for the states economic woes and the gap between its billionaires and the poverty-stricken.

California is the test case; it is the proof positive of what happens when liberals are in charge for too long, she said.

The daylong event at the historic Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside drew more than 850 attendees, and was formed by two components: a drive by conservative groups to coalesce their strength, and the faint hope that with a huge and fluctuating Republican field, the 2016 race could be undecided as the campaign roars into the states late primary.

California could become the kingmaker on the Republican side in June of 2016, and the people here are going to remember who came and asked for their vote instead of treating the state like an ATM, said John Berry, statewide co-coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots group.

Although Berry acknowledged that the chance of California going Republican in a general election is a long shot, he said conservative groups were working to influence elections large and small. The Unite Inland Empire coalition that sponsored the conservative gathering represented two dozen groups that previously operated separately.

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A rare sighting: Republican presidential prospects come to California

Iran #39;s republican guard blows up replica U.S. carrier in #39;Great Prophet 9 #39; military drills
Iran #39;s Revolutionary Guard used a mock U.S. aircraft carrier in its live-fire defense drills for the first time Wednesday, destroying the replica carrier nea...

By: TomoNews US

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Iran's republican guard blows up replica U.S. carrier in 'Great Prophet 9' military drills - Video

Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee CPAC 2015

By: The ACU

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Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee CPAC 2015 - Video