By Neil the Ethical Werewolf

Ramesh Ponnuru asks:

Last time around, it was 238-194. So while the Democrats picked up 30seats, embryonic stem-cell research funding picked up only 15 votes. Ifthe issue is so powerful, shouldn’t the second number be higher thanthe first?

What actually happened here is that a substantial portion of Democratic gains came from defeating moderate Republicans — for example, Rob Simmons, Jim Leach, Nancy Johnson, and the guys from New Hampshire — who were voting for stem cell research before. With Chris Shays as the last Republican from New England, we’re left with a much more polarized House.

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.