Indeed. One of the less discussed aspects of the Tea Partys rise is that while they were patting themselves on the back for slaughtering Blue Dogs in red states, they were also removing all the same moderate Dems most inclined to break with the party and vote with Republicans on fiscal and/or social issues. Most Dems left in Congress are pretty liberal now, as unwilling as Republicans to agree with opponents on ANYTHING, but they are mostly confined to equally liberal states where they are safe. The Tea Party really has done a magnificent job of purging moderates from BOTH parties.


Yeah, ever moreso each day. The thing is, most smart people can fake open-mindedness with relative ease, but the knowledge and ability to discuss all sides of every issues only makes on informed, not necessarily open-minded. Ultimately, writing/voting on legislation is the only thing that matters anyway, and that is a lot easier to fake, because there is a record of all of it. Look at Rolands response to Ghav saying Brown was "OK for a Republican" because so moderate: He talks a good game, but voted with his party against "radical" things like Obamas jobs bill, and his re-election could have made Mitch McConnell Senate Majority Leader.