Democrat breaks ranks. Suddenly, the party of women’s rights wants her to shut up.

I’ve spent a lot of years watching Democrats lecture America about respecting women, empowering women, listening to women, and believing women.

Apparently, there’s a little fine print.

All of that applies until a Democratic woman decides to think for herself.

On Monday’s Rush Hour, I watched the extraordinary spectacle surrounding Michigan Democrat Haley Stevens and her decision to endorse Republican Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate race. You would have thought she had personally canceled the Democratic Party.

The reaction was something to behold.

First came Anderson Cooper, interviewing Stevens on CNN. She tried to explain that her decision reflected a broader problem within her party.

Anderson wasn’t having it.

When she told him, “This is a broader point about what’s going on in our party,” he interrupted: “It’s actually not.”

Excuse me?

Here’s a woman explaining why she made a political decision, and the interviewer is telling her what her own decision is about!

Later, when Stevens tried to explain that her endorsement concerned Michigan, Cooper informed her, “It’s really just about you right now, and I’m asking you questions.”

I nearly fell out of my chair.

Where are the feminists? Where are the lectures about mansplaining? Where are the people who would have erupted if a conservative male interviewer had treated a Democratic woman this way?

Then came Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who apparently decided subtlety was overrated.

Asked about Stevens endorsing Rogers, Pritzker declared, “If you’re not on board and supporting Democrats taking over the United States Senate, you should just be quiet.”

There it is, ladies and gentlemen.

Just be quiet.

Stevens had her reasons. She had been critical of El-Sayed’s campaign, including his handling of a controversial advertisement and his treatment of her. Whether you agree with her endorsement or not, she’s entitled to explain those concerns.

But instead of debating her objections, some of her fellow Democrats seemed more interested in questioning her judgment, her emotional state, and her loyalty.

And I kept thinking: Imagine if Republicans spoke about a woman in their own party this way.

We would have three days of cable-news panels, a national conversation about misogyny, and somebody demanding an apology before the first commercial break.

The fascinating thing isn’t that a Democrat endorsed a Republican. Political defections happen.

It’s what happened when she refused to fall back into line.

For all the speeches about independent women and finding your voice, the message from some powerful Democrats was remarkably simple.

You can have an opinion.

You can even express it.

Just make sure it’s the opinion we gave you.

— Bo