re: Viable Moderate Parties

Indeed, I had really wished to see more come out of that very sensibly "Gang of 14" decision than a simple quieting down of the firey "nuclear option" rhetoric which was being spewed around the Hill. For the most part, these folks are all highly electable in their home states, regardless of their party. It is his own personal charisma and voting record that keeps a guy like Chafee in his Senate seat for a "deep-blue" state like Rhode Island, certainly not his party affliation. Only 2 states had higher margins of victory for Kerry in 2004.

The power of such a moderate block could not be denied, and I believe you would see much of the vitriolic 2-party rhetoric on the Hill vanish, as both sides tried to mellow their messages to play to the center.