That didn’t take long. Exactly a year ago, Republicans were triumphant. Donald Trump had won a decisive victory in the 2024 presidential election. Democrats were dazed, and it appeared at the time that they were going to be in the political wilderness for quite a while. There was a lot of soul-searching within the party to find out why things had gone so horribly wrong in the election.

After the Democratic sweep in last week’s off-year elections in New Jersey, Virginia, New York City and elsewhere in the country, now it is Republicans who are on the back foot and being forced to do some introspection. President Trump has blamed the Republican losses partly on the government shutdown, and the fact that he wasn’t on the ballot. But even some right-leaning pundits have said that the president needs to look in the mirror. They argue that his haphazard tariff policies, the heavy-handed immigration raids and mistreatment of America’s longstanding allies are among the things that alienated the independent voters who helped put him in office. Exit polls seemed to confirm the validity of those arguments.

As I observe our national politics, I am amazed by the extent to which both Republican and Democratic politicians constantly ignore the obvious fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans are politically moderate. That silent majority simply wants pragmatic solutions to basic problems. Moderate voters are not looking for revolutions. Unfortunately, the politicians they elect never seem to get that message. Instead, officeholders allow themselves to be hijacked by those on the extreme wings of their parties who want to “remake” America. Electoral winners frequently misinterpret their mandates and begin to do things that are either not on, or near the top of the list of moderate voter priorities.

In a televised Democratic Party debate during the 2020 presidential primaries, nearly all of the aspirants on stage, including Joe Biden, pledged to decriminalize illegal border crossings if elected. That was something they knew (or should have known) would be unacceptable to the silent majority. But they did anyway because they needed to appeal to the party’s base that heavily influences the outcomes of primary elections. Rather inexplicably, after winning the presidency, Biden “fulfilled” that promise by leaving the border open for much of his time in office. That, and the excessive spending on stimulus programs that triggered high inflation, were the major factors that doomed the Democrats in 2024.

Upon assuming office this January, President Trump acted swiftly to secure the southern border. It is one of his major accomplishments thus far. In June, I argued that he should declare victory on immigration and move on to other priorities. Even then, his administration could continue the campaign to deport illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes. Most Americans wouldn’t have a problem with that. What a lot of Americans really don’t like are the indiscriminate raids across the country in which hardworking immigrants, some whom have been here for decades and have contributed to our national economy, have been rounded up. There have been numerous reports that even American citizens have been swept up in the raids.

The stern approach that President Trump employed to get other NATO members to increase their defense spending is something that I came to support. History suggests that the status quo—overreliance on American funds and resources for collective defense—wouldn’t have changed without bringing the president’s force of personality to bear. But again, he is undoing much of that good work by his alienation of our allies through his other actions.

The president has applied tariffs indiscriminately, at times for highly dubious purposes. In the process, it has become difficult for longtime allies to know whether they are now considered friends or foes. America’s silent majority is well aware that we live in an increasingly dangerous world and thus wants to keep its friends close. Moderate voters don’t like the careless destruction of valuable relationships that have taken painstaking efforts to build over many decades.

The Republicans and Democrats seem to me like two football teams that adamantly refuse to correct their mistakes during games. It may be necessary for quarterbacks to throw the ball deep at times. But the risk in doing so can be quite high. More often than not, the ball either falls incomplete or is intercepted. That is why most teams take the patient approach by moving the ball a few yards—sometimes inches—at a time in pursuit of first downs. It is the best and safest way to get to the end zone.

There are instances where we should prefer bold action from our political leaders. Fighting a revolution to abolish slavery was one. Confronting Nazism was another. For most other things, progress should be sought incrementally using non-revolutionary means. There are many of us who, at some points in our lives, felt that we could get out there and change the world. But we often find out that the world is too big and too complex for any individual or country, even one as wealthy and powerful as America, to change in any major way. Making our individual small contributions in areas where we think we will be most useful is often the best course of action.

Too many of our Republican and Democratic leaders these days want to be seen as superheroes. They are like quarterbacks who seek instant glory by repeatedly throwing deep balls but failing to make progress on the field. We, the moderate voters, want them to keep the game simple. They should move the ball methodically, a few yards at a time.