Democrats present the only real threat to free market capitalism as Republicans are fully onboard with it ideologically. This enabled the corruption of the party and its neoliberal establishment and the illusion that the party has no actual power against Republicans. Republicans never seem to face the same gelding when they regain power in Congress.

The new role of Democrats in our society is now placing themselves between the fascist Republicans and any progressive opposition they might face. Their fund raising ability is always greater than that of Republicans because they have to be well paid to continually obstruct the real change a majority of people want in their government. They only have to be a bit less obnoxious and corrupt than Republicans to position themselves thusly.

This ability to write their own bribery checks is too powerful a motivator to ever be defeated from within the party structure, in spite of rhetoric from Bernie and other progressive Dems. Progressives will need a candidate with extreme charisma and very deep pockets to overcome the disadvantage of fundraising and establishment interference and any challenge to those will have to be launched from outside the party.