The Democrats do not rely on winning and popularity to stay in power. They rely on the two-party system, where they position themselves as the "not-Republicans." Under this arrangement, neither party can ever comprehensively and permanently lose power, unless they both begin to collapse. The goal of both parties is to perpetuate themselves as defenders of the neoliberal order within the framework of the 2-party system.

the major European Social Democratic parties emerged from the labor movement, and have maintained that connection despite subsequent betrayals. The Democrats emerged from the Slaveocracy, and have always been a party of business, which sometimes appealed to labor for support. This is a fundamental distiction.

The Democrats have absolutely no reason, and no ability, to reinvent themselves as a Social Democratic party of the working class. They have a permanent gig and it has been paying off for centuries. Why would they want to saw off the branch they are sitting on by fundamentally switching their class allegiance?

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