The election battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and the civil war in the Republican Party are dominating almost all of the the attention this election season.
As a result, little is noted about the Democrats and whether they have recovered from their own insular strife that played out in the primary contest between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Has time healed all wounds?
Democratic strategist Dane Strother says for the most part the Democrats unified as never before.
"The raw primary between Sanders and Clinton created some wounds but the stitches arrived in the name of Donald Trump," Strother said of the controversial Republican nominee.
He points to Green Party nominee Dr. Jill Stein's 2- to 3-point place in the contest as proof that progressives are following Sanders advice that now is no time to cast a protest vote.
"Indeed this is the time in the past three election cycles when Democratic election professionals usually pinged each other asking how the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is such a train wreck yet again," he said of the House arm of the Democratic Party constantly losing to the House Republicans in congressional elections.
"This year rather than shake heads all are working to blow wind into the DCCC's sails," he said.
Democrats have lost significant down-ballot seats in the past 8 years; 913 state legislative seats, 69 congressional seats and the majorities in state chambers and governor's offices across the country. Some pundits have suggested that the House majority is in play because of the fractions between Trump and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
"In any other year Democrats would have the luxury of throwing elbows at each other but everyone is cognizant of the crystal clear disaster that a Trump presidency would be for progressives and America," said Strother.
The Democratic Party is definitely experiencing its own share of strife, which seems to be going largely simmering under the radar said Jeff Brauer, political science professor at Keystone College.
Brauer said while you see high profile surrogates such as First Lady Michelle, President Barack Obama, vice president Joe Biden, former vice-president Al Gore hitting the stump for Clinton's campaign giving an appearance of party unity, "Under the surface, there are profound chasms that have been developing for some time."
Most notably is the continued distrust of Clinton's conduct and policies by Bernie Sanders supporters said Brauer, "While many have reluctantly come to Clinton's side out of the fear of a Trump presidency, they have no real loyalty to Clinton," he said.
Recently leaked emails have only served to confirm their suspicions about Clinton's ethics and progressive credentials. Even if they do get themselves to vote for Clinton in the general election, they will remain as adversarial watchdogs during a Clinton presidency.
"Many certainly don't see themselves as party stalwarts and can't be depended upon by Democratic Party leaders," said Brauer.
Perhaps the most troublesome rift in the Democratic Party is the exodus of numerous white working and middle class families. They see themselves as hard working and doing the right things but not able to get ahead.
"They were especially hit hard during the great recession and haven't been able to recover," said Brauer.
While they have roots in the Democratic party, they no longer believe the party's policies are helping them, he said, "They believe the party has been usurped by metropolitan elites and their interests; they feel frustrated and abandoned and are seeking alternatives."
That's why many have turned to Trump.
Even Vice President Biden repeatedly admits that his party has not sufficiently addressed these families and their needs. For generations this demographic has been the backbone of the Democratic Party.
"With their ongoing departure, the Democratic Party is not only losing key supporters, it's losing its soul," he said.
The other problem for the Democrats are their minority and millennial voters; they are unenthused by Clinton and feel their progressive attitudes outlined so passionately by Obama and Sanders and being unfilled by Clinton.
They may not be voting for Stein or Clinton, in short they may not be voting at all.
The emergence of some of the splits within the party among the Democrats Strother said will likely come if Clinton is elected president and the posturing and positioning for how progressive her cabinet will be. "That is when the real food fight happens, but that is to be expected."
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