The only possible good that can come of this wretched campaign is the ever-increasing likelihood that it will cause the Democratic Party to self-destruct. A lot of people are seriously worried about this, but I am not one of them. I have never been much of a Party Man myself. . . and the more I learn about the realities of national politics, the more I’m convinced that the Democratic Party is an atavistic endeavor – more an Obstacle than a Vehicle – and that there is really no hope of accomplishing anything genuinely new or different in American politics until the Democratic Party is done away with.
From Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
The lesson here is that we should never underestimate the resilience of the Democratic Party. It is one of the oldest political parties on the planet, clocking in at nearly 200 years old. It's survival strategy has been to stand for very little in terms of ideological consistency and absorb popular political movements that are gaining traction, and therefore has included in its big tent nearly every conceivable constituency under the sun at one point or another, including some that were diametrically opposed to the other.
It has always been a formidable ship of Theseus.