On Wednesday, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the surprise Democratic primary winner from New York’s 14th Congressional District, said, “[T]he Democratic Party is a big tent and there are so many ways to be a Democrat.” In this, she is correct. Democrats have been, sometimes uncomfortably, forced to find connections and common cause with those who are racially, religiously and culturally unlike themselves. Republicans, in comparison, do not have the same degree of practice.
It turns out that the Republican Party’s homogeneity has consequences that tie into our recent political firestorms over incivility and appropriate political behavior. Much has been said about the responsibility of Democrats to be the bearers of national civility. Unfortunately, civility cannot be restored by Democrats alone. Republicans will need to come along, and that might be a challenge, partly because the party’s own makeup ensures that its members are quicker to take offense. CONT.
Lilliana Mason (U. of Maryland), Washington Post