My original point is that "the Democratic Party" is not some uber-ideological construct, so "it" is nothing until activists apply pressure by voting in the primaries. It's a coalition of political viewpoints. And the presence of civil rights activists means that only politicians like Kerry, who support civil rights laws, get the nomination for the party.
And the GOP, which once represented some civil rights activists, no longer does, so there are few pro-civil rights politicians within it.
What is shocking about that statement? Parties go where there voters want them to. Subtract the voters and their pressure, subtract the policies.
Nathan Newman