Voting for Senator

I think this is a worrisome fact of life in today's national politics.

There is a close race for Senate in your home state.  The Dem and GOP candidate are both moderates and acceptable, but one is a little better.  You want to vote for that one.  But the Senate is likely to split 50/50 nationally.  If that candidate gets in, it not only determines who sits in that seat, it also determines which party runs every committee - Budget, Armed Services, Judiciary, etc.  The committee chairs set priorities and markup Bills.  The balance of power might have more of an impact on the world than the particular Senator who gets elected from your state. 

And yet, the candidates for committee chairs are extremists on both sides. The GOP leaders are all right wing conservatives.  The Dem leaders are all liberal tax and spenders.  So it really doesn't matter which candidate you like better in your home state race.  You feel forced to vote for the candidate in the party whose leaders scare you the least. 

That sucks.