"But I come down far more on the former side. This is a crisis with many dimensions. One, a democracy can't function well if one of its two major parties is unhealthy, narrow and extreme. Two, any major party nomination going to an authoritarian-leaning vacuous blowhard is not good — stuff happens, and he could win. Three, the tribalism, reinforced by outside media and social media, makes bipartisan action on pressing problems, much less long-term ones, very difficult if not impossible. Four, having one party as a white party and the other made predominantly of minorities layers race on top of partisan tribalism, which is combustible. Fifth, the GOP, despite its slide to minority status, will continue to win state elections and do well in the House and Senate. In the House, the homogeneous nature of districts, reinforced by gerrymandering but even more by natural residential patterns, gives them an edge and also makes the House less responsive to national tides or desires. A Senate with immense leverage for small, rural states makes it less responsive to urban and minority needs. These are not formulas for representative democracy to work and have legitimacy."