[{"slug":"agoa-vote-89-4-bipartisan-middle-holds","kind":"commentary","title":"An 89-4 vote nobody is talking about","summary":"An 89-4 Senate cloture vote on AGOA trade extension drew dissent only from Paul, Sanders, Warren, and Kaine — a small case study in how the middle actually governs.","tags":["congress","bipartisanship","trade","senate","roll-call-vote"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T22:10:12.0708296","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T22:10:12.0708296","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/agoa-vote-89-4-bipartisan-middle-holds"},{"slug":"fame-margaret-chase-smith-declaration-of-conscience","kind":"wall-of-fame","title":"The senator who stood up to her own party first","summary":"In 1950, freshman senator Margaret Chase Smith denounced McCarthyism on the Senate floor while most of her party stayed silent. It cost her; history vindicated her.","tags":["wall-of-fame","political-bravery","history"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T19:12:45.8355443","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T19:22:48.3754705","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/fame-margaret-chase-smith-declaration-of-conscience"},{"slug":"shame-joseph-mccarthy-censured","kind":"wall-of-shame","title":"The demagogue his own colleagues finally condemned","summary":"Joseph McCarthy built a career on evidence-free accusations that ruined lives — until the Senate censured him, 67–22, in 1954. He remains the template for partisanship without limits.","tags":["wall-of-shame","extreme-partisanship","history"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T19:10:45.8355443","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T19:22:48.8857658","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/shame-joseph-mccarthy-censured"},{"slug":"why-the-middle-gets-outspent","kind":"commentary","title":"Why the middle gets outspent","summary":"Most Americans hold mixed, moderate views. Almost none of the money in politics comes from them — and candidates notice.","tags":["campaign-finance","polarization","mission"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T17:38:15.8330745","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T18:25:54.4678358","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/why-the-middle-gets-outspent"},{"slug":"what-we-mean-by-the-middle","kind":"commentary","title":"What we mean by \"the middle\" (it isn't mush)","summary":"Centrism has a reputation for splitting the difference. That's not what representing the majority means.","tags":["mission","definitions"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T17:08:15.8330745","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T18:25:55.1816092","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/what-we-mean-by-the-middle"},{"slug":"alaska-showed-what-open-primaries-change","kind":"success-story","title":"Alaska showed what happens when candidates need everyone's vote","summary":"After Alaska adopted its top-four open primary with ranked-choice general elections, candidates had a reason to campaign beyond their base.","tags":["electoral-reform","ranked-choice","open-primaries","success-story"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T16:38:15.8330745","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T18:25:55.7011971","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/alaska-showed-what-open-primaries-change"},{"slug":"spotlight-problem-solvers-caucus","kind":"spotlight","title":"Spotlight: the Problem Solvers Caucus","summary":"Roughly sixty House members, split evenly between the parties, who agree to negotiate before they posture. It's harder than it sounds.","tags":["spotlight","congress","bipartisanship"],"authorName":"The Middle Desk","publishedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T16:08:15.8330745","updatedAtUtc":"2026-08-04T18:25:56.2173538","url":"https://www.themiddle.net/read/spotlight-problem-solvers-caucus"}]