In fact, the study found, America is populated by a number of groups or tribes that defy neat red/blue distinctions. These different groups run from “progressive activists” on the far left to “devoted conservatives” on the far right. These “wings” represent a mere 14 percent of the population (33 percent when combined with less intense “traditional conservatives”), yet they dominate American political discourse.

Between them exists the “exhausted majority.” They’re not all moderates. They’re the two-thirds of Americans on the right, left, and center who are described as fed up with polarization, feel forgotten in public discourse, and are flexible enough in their views that they’re willing to compromise.

This is the group that has the potential to save America from escalating animosity and polarization. It has the numbers and the latent power to transform American politics. But so long as it remains “exhausted” or perhaps “intimidated,” then the wings will reign.

In fact, the voices of this group have already been heard in different places and different contexts. Indeed, Joe Biden’s primary victory in 2020 was a repudiation of more radical Democratic voices. So was Eric Adams’s victory in the 2021 New York mayoral contest. Far-left concepts like “defunding the police” are rapidly receding from American discourse.