On April 7, the New York Times displayed a photograph of the ten veterans among the 67 person freshman Democratic Members of Congress. This photo was a counterpart to an iconic, staged photograph of newly elected women of color published around when the new Members were sworn in.
In the ten veterans photograph, they walking. They are seen in a black and white news photo. This is not staged. These are the moderate Democrats. The Times story is about how these veterans work with and support each other.
Look at the ten veterans of the military and the intelligence services. Five are men. Five are women. That half of this group is women is stunning.
1) Gil Cisneros CA 39, 2) Jason Crow CO 06 3) Jared Golden ME 02, 4) Conor Lamb PA 17, 5) Max Rose NY 11.
1) Chrissy Houlahan PA 06, 2) Elaine Luria VA 02, Mikie Sherrill NJ 11, Elaine Slotkin, MI 08, Abigail Spanberger, VA 07.
Look at the geographical distribution. Two are from the south. Half are from the northeast – Maine, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Unexpected and stunning.
One more striking figure. Three of the nine are Jews. Jews from the military. Rose, Luria, and Slotkin – New York, Virginia, and Michigan. Who would have thought?
Diversity.
Democrats don’t compare to the Republicans. Twelve of their 44 new members are veterans. Twelve men. One is from the Northeast. None are Jews.
Homogeneity.