Republican leadership in the Senate is trying to crack down on moderate members of their own party. They intend to punish those who don't toe the party line.
What prompted this thinking is the trouble Republicans are having as they try to pass a budget. Arizona Sen. John McCain, for example, has said he wants to see the Republican Party adhere to fiscal discipline. Rather than compromising, conservatives prefer to dig in their heels and change the system. There's talk, for example, of assigning committee seats not by seniority but by having Frist award positions.
The quotation above is from a short article in American Prospect. Click here to read the rest.