STATE lawmakers have much to learn from recent polls showing Americans cooling to the tea party — even in places once considered tea-party friendly.

The compelling lesson — and lawmakers should know this instinctively, without polls — is the public quickly tires of politicians who view the world in extremes. Most Americans find their politics lie somewhere in the thoughtful middle.

Analysis by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center finds the number of Americans who disagree with tea-party ideology increased significantly since midterm elections swept many Republicans, including tea-partyers, into office. Last summer's stunning debacle on deficit reduction was a sour moment for moderate voters.

In our state, the anti-government-reformers are just as wrongheaded as the never-raise-a-tax crowd.

This page recommends something state Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, dubs the "Grand Bargain," which calls for out-of-body experiences for legislators in both parties.

How about Democrats adopt a more modern attitude toward a list of reforms in education and health care and declare the emergency required to reopen and rejigger employee contracts to reflect a new economic normal?

What if Republican legislators set aside their never-increase-a-tax philosophy?

Something is off-kilter when politicians at both the state and federal level believe, wrongly, voters want them to be hard-left or hard-right.

In Olympia, where lawmakers are in special session, presumably not wasting taxpayer money by accomplishing too little, extreme politics drive politicians in both parties.

Republicans need to be open to discussions about raising some new revenues.

Similarly, Democrats need to stop seeing a potential tax increase as a panacea and immediately get on board with long-term reforms that put the state on solid footing for the undeniable reset of continued reduced revenue.