The Middle Is a Bad Place to Be

A group of neighbors have gathered on the patio of an elegant home in Greenwich, Conn., on a gorgeous late-summer evening. Standing at the crest of an emerald lawn that unfurls gracefully toward the Long Island Sound, they sip wine (white) and bubbly water (Perrier). They are mostly Republicans, but of a rarefied sort—wealthy, moderate, Northeastern—and they have a difficult decision to make: whether to toss out their longtime, moderate and estimable Republican Congressman Christopher Shays. To that end, they have come to Sue McCally's home to meet Diane Farrell, who is...