In his inaugural address in 1801, President Jefferson famously said, "We are all republicans---we are all federalists." Historians will always wonder exactly what he meant and how serious he was, but I take him seriously that it was in some way an attempt from Jefferson to heal the bitter feuds of the 1790's.

If a president today said, "We are all Republicans---we are all Democrats," I would be one of the first to laugh derisively. Not going to happen.