Every election in Europe these days seems to pit a moderate politician advocating mostly sensible ideas against a rabble-rousing populist with a bombastic dislike of migrants, gays and the European Union. The centrist usually wins, but the margins are dwindling. Is Europe thus destined to drift into reactionary dysfunction, one electoral setback at a time? Not so fast. Powerful as they may seem, Europe’s firebrand nationalists—even when they seize high office—are merely the meat in a liberal sandwich. Above them are EU wallahs, always on hand to police budget deficits and adhesion to the rule of law. Below the populists is a layer of pragmatic politicos who keep the day-to-day machinery of government on the road (and the roads free of potholes). Europe’s mayors, particularly those of big cities, are the unsung moderating force of the continent’s politics. Free of patriotic bombast and focused on getting buses running on time, they are the bulwark of moderate governance in a continent that needs it badly.