Did 2014 Create A More Moderate Version Of Congressional Republicans?

Monday there was a big buzz over Alex Isenstadt's Obama Republicans? post in Politico. The premise is that the new Congress will include 26 Members from districts that Obama won in 2012 and another 47 from districts Obama nearly won, many of which are absolutely Hillary Clinton territory. Isenstadt makes the point that the Republicans in these seats-- if they behave rationally (and, of course, there is no reason whatsoever to assume they all will)-- may be less likely to go the way of the crackpot teabaggers and neo-fascists and stick to a more moderate mainstream conservative line. "The rise of swing-district Republicans," he wrote, "could strengthen the hand of Speaker John Boehner against hard-line conservatives and create a new incentive for compromise with Democrats on issues with centrist appeal." Yeah, good luck.

Isenstadt contrasts Obama district freshmen Carlos Curbelo (R-FL, where Obama won 53-46%) and Cresent Hardy (R-NV, where Obama won 54-44%) with hard right ideologues in safe districts, Steve King (R-IA, where Romney won 53-45%) and Louie Gohmert (R-TX, where Romney won 72-28%). Freshmen like Curbelo, Hardy-- as well as Northeast and Midwest freshmen in swing districts like Lee Zeldin (R-NY), John Katko (R-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Robert Dold (R-IL), Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), Ryan Costello (R-PA), Rod Blum (R-IA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Mike Bishop (R-MI)-- may be nervous about reelection already but some of these Republicans, even in blue-leaning districts, made their reputations as crazy extremists and I don't see fringe insane people like Frank Guinta (R-NH), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Mike Bost (R-IL) or Bruce Poliquin (R-ME), abandoning the Hate Talk Radio crowd that propelled them into Congress in the first place.

Worth noting that yesterday, Steve King tweeted out a message (above) to his followers that Boehner and McConnell are screwing right-wing extremists out of the best committee assignments. Far right propagandist Gaston Mooney at the Conservative Review:

Squeezing out conservatives on committee assignments is a tried and true strategy of the establishment. Boehner has threatened and successfully kicked conservative “troublemakers” off of committees for standing up for their principles. In the Senate McConnell even had to recruit Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) for the Senate Finance Committee to jam then Senator DeMint. Even recently, conservative Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was pushed out of the chair at House Oversight because he wanted to aggressively go after the Obama administration.

It is happening again. Conservative Review was the first conservative media outlet to detail how Senator Enzi was challenging Senator Sessions for the Budget gavel and then laid out how McConnell has the ability to stop or sway the contest.

Seniority plays a large role in Senators’ committee assignments and is traditionally used by the establishment as the reason for withholding key positions from conservatives. However, in the case with Senator Sessions (R-AL) he is the more senior (and more conservative) member.

Senators Enzi and Sessions were both elected in 1997, but because Alabama is a bigger state than Wyoming, Sessions is a notch above Enzi on the seniority ladder. However, for committee assignment purposes tiebreakers on seniority are done by lottery, literally luck of the draw.

Given the fact that Senator Sessions has done a superb job serving as the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, why bench your all-star for a walk on?

...As things are shaping up, Senator Sessions will be the longest serving Senator without a full committee gavel in the new Congress. Just remember, this won’t be by coincidence but by design.

Enough to keep the Republicans from impeaching Obama or shutting down the government? We're about to find out.

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, extremist asshole