Brownstein on "Squeezing the Moderates"

Ron Brownstein's column in the LA Times today is outstanding; he really is able to capture the sentiments I've been hearing over and over again from moderates (from either party or none) about how difficult it has become to work across the political aisle and find common ground. He briefly profiles the difficult decisions that Chafee and other moderates have to make day in and day out, noting:

"This is a miserable moment for centrist senators. They are caught between a president pursuing an aggressive, even crusading, conservative agenda and a Democratic Party fighting ferociously to block it. That frequently leaves the centrists, like Chafee with Bolton, wishing for an alternative that isn't available."

Brownstein recognizes the breakdown of the traditional function of Senate moderates as "bridge-builders," noting that "on most issues, the two parties today are hurtling away from each other at high speed. 'It's hard to serve as a bridge when the two sides are so far apart,' notes Brown University political scientist Darrell West." Since the leadership of both sides seems to think it's more useful to play up the differences rather than the common ground, Brownstein compares the moderates [and I really like this comparison] to "diplomats counseling compromise to two countries that have already decided on war."

Of course everyone likes to shoot the messenger, and clearly things are no different in this case. The moderates from both parties, whether it be Linc Chafee or the Benator (D-NE) are the senators most in constant danger of losing their seats, perpetually needing to "satisfy activists in their party without alienating an electorate back home that generally prefers the other party." That's getting tougher and tougher in these days of outright partisan brinksmanship and talk of nuclear war.

Brownstein comes to the [rather obvious, but clear] conclusion that continued partisan gridlock will only serve to further decrease the number of centrists in Congress, these being the representative most often "with an inherent incentive to construct compromises and soothe partisan tensions. And that would fuel more polarization that increases the pressure on the remaining centrists. As the middle erodes, the politics of perpetual warfare is feeding on itself."

Not good news. But from the groundswell I've seen in the past few days, there are people out there who realize this trend isn't good - and together, I'm convinced we can do something about it.