Activists helping to pull both parties to the fringe

CITIZENS often decry excessive partisanship in Congress. Meanwhile, activists in both parties think there’s too much comity.

Rifts within the Republican coalition have received the most attention, as some activists seek to oust “establishment” Republicans in favor of more populist candidates. Steve Bannon, one-time adviser to President Trump, is now recruiting candidates against incumbent Republicans.

Yet Karl Rove, a campaign consultant and longtime adviser to former President George W. Bush, noted in a recent column that most Senate incumbents being targeted have supported Trump more than 90 percent of the time in recorded votes. And the challengers recruited have often-severe flaws that limit their ability to win a general election.

Rove notes the challengers backed by Bannon include former Rep. Michael Grimm, who was just released from prison for tax fraud; former Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, a harsh critic of immigration who once accepted a speaking invitation from a white-nationalist group; and Kelli Ward, an Arizona state senator who once held a town hall to discuss conspiracy theories alleging the government sprayed chemicals on the general population as part of a mind-control scheme.

For many Republicans this is reminiscent of 2010, when activists succeeded in getting their preferred candidate the nomination, only to see those weak candidates lose to Democrats in very winnable races.

Yet there are signs Democratic activists are adopting similar tactics. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a staunch liberal by most standards, is running for re-election next year and has already drawn a primary opponent, state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles.

Bill Whalen, a Hoover Institution research fellow, writes, “In past election cycles, de Leon would be deemed a Democratic pariah for taking on Feinstein.” Not so this year. Instead, Democratic activists appear eager to oust one of their longest-serving Democratic officeholders. State Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat representing the Silicon Valley area, has publicly proclaimed Feinstein is “out of touch with the grassroots” and proof that “D.C. insiders continue to privilege protecting one of their own over voters’ concerns.”

At the same time, Democrats are now embracing increasingly radical policies with little appeal beyond their base. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the avowed socialist from Vermont, has filed legislation to make the federal government the sole insurer for all Americans (“single payer”). One-third of Democratic senators have signed on, including several eyeing presidential bids.

But excessive costs have derailed single-payer efforts in Vermont and California. In California, lawmakers determined the program would cost $400 billion annually, more than double the current state budget.

The broken “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” promise regarding Obamacare has fueled many Democratic losses. Yet Democrats now act as though Americans are clamoring for a system in which

everyone loses their existing insurance.

While many are unhappy with the lack of progress in Washington, there’s reason to fear the situation is only going to get worse.