Moderates Vs. Extremists: Who's Got The Power?

     The democrats kept control of the senate and the republicans gained the house. Both are incredibly slim majorities for the next two years. I keep reading that this puts MAGA republicans in the house in control. This is where I shake my head. Have these political journalists learned nothing from the last two years?

    We have had tight majorities in the house and senate for the last two years. Progressives, the democrat version of extremists, have loudly tried to push their agenda. Time and time again moderates have pushed back, and moderate laws are what President Biden has signed. Last fall Senator Manchin was villainized by progressives. Some voted against the infrastructure bill out of childish spite! But that bill was signed into law anyway. Thanks to moderate republicans in the senate and the house who worked on it and supported it. 

    All progressives did there was show voters that there are too many progressives, and it was affecting the legislature being worked on. Who saved the party? Moderates! Who lost democrats control of the house? Progressives who acted ridiculously last fall when the build back better bill was separated from the infrastructure bill. 

    The MAGA wing of the republican party. AKA the infamous "Freedom Caucus" will investigate a lot of things important to 30% of voters. They will refuse to tamp down extreme requests on every bill on the floor. They won't be able to hide their true selves in general elections anymore. They also will find the senate to be where bills die, and voters will be relieved the senate democrats rescued the nation from truly evil laws! Democrats become the heroes making our chances in 2024 a lot better!

    If Kevin McCarthy and the republicans want to show voters, they can get things done, it will be with the power of moderate republicans. We call McCarthy stupid but, in reality, he has been in the house long enough to know that if they want something to pass the senate, it's going to have to be written in a bipartisan way and supported by people from both parties. No democrat, no matter how moderate, will support the MAGA version of anything. But moderate republicans are more likely to water down MAGA ideas enough to negotiate something that has a fighting chance. 

    The house moderate republicans are about to find their own Simena and Manchin. Let's see if the MAGA republicans handle the negotiations as well of progressives did. Because while some progressives acted like children who didn't get their way, most did support the infrastructure bill in the end. Out of 90 progressives, 6 voted against it. The 13 republicans who did vote for the infrastructure bill now really have the power. MAGAs have the microphone, moderates have the power. The media needs to remember that.