And even as both groups flounder, most said they believed that the rest of the nation, and politicians in Washington, have moved on.

Scientists, investors, business leaders, and politicians moved the agenda from whether climate change was occurring to what should be done about it.

Other basically conservative politicians have also moved to take strong new positions on the issue.

I think we should ask the opposite question: why are Conservative politicians moving in to target the pensions of public sector workers at this time?

But these politicians have somehow moved in exactly the wrong direction.

Every generation or so, some politician moved to put in an elevator.

"Until now, we have been proud that politicians could move around here freely," he said.

"So I was going to be the great sort of social activist - a person that makes politicians move toward social justice."

In recent decades, Republican politicians and activists have moved considerably to the right.

His National Front party has lost supporters as other politicians have moved more to the right on immigration and other issues.