republicans have moved further to the right than democrats have to the left. the dynamic was playing out even before the big lie litmus test. the deeper problem, as pew research points out, is that house democrats have grown more liberal and republicans much more conservative. the middle, moderate to liberal republicans could sometimes find modern ground on contentious issues has vanished. it s no worder why so many moderates make up 37% of americans in gallup s 2021 poll can feel underrepresented. again, the problem is not that the far left has taken over our political institutions. in fact, congress has become more conservative over the past 50 years as this graph shows. that s why all americans overall have moved slightly to the left over the past two decades as the washington post points out, stating musk s illustration is simply wrong. how can something so wrong feel so right to so many folks? well, it s the old game of what aboutism in a political world