The Factions

I found this analysis by the 538 staff of the present political alignment of the House of Representatives interesting. They identify eight different “types”, three Democratic and five Republican, of representatives based on how they voted:

• Progressive Democrats
• Core Democrats
• Moderate Democrats
• Moderate Republicans
• Compromise Conservatives
• Old Guard Republicans
• Far-Right Establishment
• Far-Right Obstructionists

I found it hard to disagree with their breakdown or with their methodology. I did find this passage amusing:

Another surprise: while many members of this cluster [Ed.: Progressive Democrats have made headlines for unseating long-serving representatives in primaries over the last several years, this cluster is actually one of the longest-tenured in the House, having been elected to an average of 6.3 terms. That’s due to the presence of progressive stalwarts like Rep. Maxine Waters of California, the longest-serving member of this cluster, who has been elected to 17 terms.

It’s completely unsurprising. Those long-tenured progressives are the very reason that progressives have more clout in the Democratic caucus than their actual numbers would suggest. Look at the substantial overlap between the House Progressive Caucus and the Democratic leadership.

A few comments. First, their findings completely support a point I’ve made before—progressives have more clout than their numbers warrant. Also, note the relatively low numbers of moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans as well as how distant they are from the Congressional leadership. That’s what makes compromise so difficult.

Finally, I find the authoritarian bent of both major parties troubling. If you’ve listened to the members of Congress who are retiring one of the main complaints is that the leadership is much more in control than used to be the case. That’s not democracy. It’s authoritarian oligarchy by another name.