empathy politics often then gets reduced to identity politics. you're black, you'll understand the black experience. if you're a woman, you'll understand what women are going through. but i am reminded that probably our greatest anti-poverty president other than lbj was a patrician. it was the great, extremely wealthy fdr. experience isn't required to generate empathy, and yet, it does feel to me like the relative identity diversity within the democratic party, more women, more people of color, more people who are less likely to be millionaires, does give potentially democrats some ability to see the world from different perspectives. >> some advantage, but as you talked about fdr, you need a consciousness. you don't necessarily have to have walked in my shoes, but you have to have a consciousness to understand that. you know, we've got to understand -- the gop went on recess and said, merry christmas to folks. knowing that on december the 28th, 103 million americans were not going to have their unemployment benefits.