"Victories by moderates in competitive or Republican-leaning states and districts paved the way for large new Democratic majorities likely to be shaped by their priorities."

That's the subheadline for a NYT article titled "Moderate Democrats Increase Their Numbers, and Their Clout."

[T]he path to Democrats’ sweeping victory this week... was paved overwhelmingly by moderates who had spent months persuading voters in Republican-leaning states and competitive congressional districts that they could be trusted to govern and would deliver dissatisfied voters a practical alternative to President Trump.

Their success has fundamentally altered the balance of power among Democrats in Congress, handing Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the presumptive next speaker, and Senator Chuck Schumer, the would-be majority leader — both New York moderates viewed with disdain by the left — majorities built around lawmakers who campaigned not as left-wing heroes but as pragmatic populists. They promised to lower costs, improve health care and restore trust in government, not necessarily to deliver the sweeping transformations championed by the party’s ascendant liberals.

For Mr. Jeffries, himself a centrist who has long balanced competing factions of his caucus, the arrival of more moderate Democrats could strengthen his hand in setting an agenda focused on economic relief and achievable legislative victories. But it also sets up a potential confrontation with progressives who helped energize the party’s base and now expect their own priorities to be reflected in the new majority’s agenda.... 

And given the scope of Democrats’ majority in the House, the relatively smaller bloc of left-wing members may be limited in its ability to insist that its priorities be met....

There was a blue wave — a tsunami — that's a lot of water. To stick with the metaphor: Dilution has occurred. Good! I hope the Democrats are sensible, moderate, pragmatic, and reasonable and not extreme or crazy.

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