Extremism is the wrong way to go if you really want change.

For some reason it seems that Republican politicians are going out of their way to show just how conservative they are. They do this by pandering to extremes of the Republican party. The problem is if you actually want things to change putting in extremist doesn't get the job done.

I would argue that currently the Republicans that are in office are already pushing way right of center and all they have done is water down a couple bills and paint themselves as obstructionist. They wouldn't have even been able to water down any bills if it weren't Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman. The Michele Bachmann's of the world have done little to nothing to actually generate policy so by putting one of these extremists in power all you have really done is limited the effectiveness of your own voice.

Additionally, while the fringes of the party my like these candidates and get them through the primaries, in general there are more independents than Democrats or Republicans. They are independents because they fall somewhere in between not because the fall to far left or right. This means that your extremist will have a difficult time when it comes to the general election and by pushing too far to your wing, you will have made the path easier for the other party to win the seat you are hoping to occupy.

In the end legislation happens in the middle not the edge, so if you actually want change look to the moderates who build coalitions not to the extremist who divide.