"The Answer, in Short: The Gipper"

"Democratic leaders like Pelosi, Joe Biden, Steny Hoyer and Chuck Schumer were shaped by their traumatic political coming-of-age during the breakup of the New Deal coalition and the rise of Ronald Reagan—and the backlash that swept Democrats so thoroughly from power nearly 40 years ago. They've spent the rest of their lives flinching at the sight of voters. When these leaders plead for their party to stay in the middle, they're crouching into the defensive posture they've been used to since November 1980, afraid that if they come across as harebrained liberals, voters will turn them out again.
"The Ocasio-Cortezes of the world have witnessed the opposite: The way they see it, Democratic attempts to moderate and compromise have led to nothing but ruin. Republicans aren't the ones to be afraid of. 'The greatest threat to mankind is the cowardice of the Democratic Party,' Trent told me."

Ryan Grim at The Washington Post writes that "[t]he way the older and younger House members think about and engage with the Republican Party may be the starkest divide between them."

Alex Shephard at The New Republic adds to the discussion.