Just when you thought it could not get any dumber, politics in the US has found new depths of stupid in 2023.

Despite big defeats in 2022, and Fox News text messages and e-mails proving the propaganda artists didn’t even believe their own lies about election fraud. Election liars and deniers keep popping up like so many furry heads on the whack-a-mole board.

Kevin McCarthy proudly kowtows to the craziest of the far-right crazies giving more and more power to the “begging for pardons” crowd and threatening the world economy unless we cut spending to punish the poor.

Meanwhile Democrats pat themselves on the back for “hanging together” and getting nothing done.

Democrats could have offered to back a different Republican for house speaker and undercut the “Freedom Fascist Caucus.” Either allowing McCarthy to be more of a centrist, or picked a different Republican who would.

Democrats could have pushed out Diane Feinstein earlier, when it became clear she was not fit to remain in the Senate. That would have shown they are willing to do what’s right for the country rather than just their party.

I don’t have space to list all the things “my” Republican Party should do for their country by bucking their party (keep Liz Cheney, not support Trump, support background checks and waiting periods for guns…)

The point being the middle is missing.

What most Americans want, politicians won’t give. Most Americans favor some sort of abortion compromise. They favor background checks on gun purchases. They favor taxing the rich. They want something done about immigration.

All of that takes compromise. It’s not one side knows all.

But that’s not what Republicans want. It’s not what Democrats want. They want the fight. The fight gets media attention. The fight makes them famous. The fight drives donations (and other grift). The fight wins the primary, and that keeps the vast majority of them in office.

So nothing is going to happen.

• Most blame the political parties. They have both become “extreme.”
• Many blame gerrymandering. Almost all are in “safe” districts, so the race is won in the primary.
• Many blame the money. Corporate and billionaire bucks. Dark money, bright money — too much money, corrupts too much.
• Some blame the courts. Allowing gerrymandered maps, voter restrictions, throwing out limits on money, and making political decisions from the bench (overturning abortion and such).
• Everybody blames the media. The hapless whipping boys people of politics, who pray for clicks and start talking about the next election before we even finished counting the votes from the last election.

Don’t blame others; look in the mirror

It’s all of the above. But the best (and perhaps only) solution is “the voters”. We get who we vote for (so far).

Most of the political commercials, messages from politicians and party platforms are all the about “the fight”. We “fight for you”, we will fight to “save our country,” we “fight” for freedom. (whatever that means in a world of book banning/forced birth/illogical shutdowns and mask mandates…).

If you vote for a “fighter”, you are going to get the fight. No solutions.

As voters we need to insist on compromise. Not the kind of bullshit bipartisanism shown by Kirsten Sinema or Joe Manchin, which only furthers the obstruction of their own party. But a real support of politicians who actually get things passed.

Let’s ignore the score from the National Rifle Association or the legions of environmental groups and look at who is trying to make a deal.

• Who is willing to spend on a stupid wall as long as we get increased legal immigration, a path to citizenship and will spend money to help failed states recover (so they don’t flood us with their refugees)?
• Who will pass background checks, fund mental health resources and increase funding for police to deter gun crimes?
• Who will fund the government, cut spending and increase taxes on the rich?
• Who will hold politicians, judges, and even Supreme Court justices accountable for their crimes (or other failures) no matter their party?

How do we do this?

Demand politicians compromise. Complete every political survey that comes in your email or phone and say you support whoever will compromise. In the comments section, say you support compromise.

• Write you politicos and say you support them only if they compromise.
• Vote only for people who have or say they will compromise.
• Vote in the primary for the candidates closest to the middle (even if it is a little off your own values). You can do it, I held my nose and voted for that vampire Ted Cruz just to help slow down the Trump train.
• Read, like, share and comment on news stories that are about compromise and when government works (they are out there occasionally). Ignore the stories about “the fight” or the polls…

If we all did most of these things, the middle would no longer be missing. People in the middle would be in charge, and we would all be better for it.