The Democrats don’t have lousy Presidential nominee candidates merely because the good ones were keeping their powder dry. A Black Swan candidate of 2008 is appreciably responsible for it, and no one seemed to notice. When Sarah Palin became the focus of the hopes of committed conservatives, the swamp did everything in its power to destroy her. Venal Republican operatives were so beset with personal jealousy, they were willing to crash the ship on the rocks to ensure against her ascendancy.

They won their battle, sadly. But, a single line -- just one -- provided the foundation for conservatives. Mrs. Palin told America “Do you know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick!”

In one succinct line she captured the commitment and determination of conservatives seeking to protect something they love.

Fast forward a year, and those same conservatives saw Obama trying to destroy that which they love and without hesitation, these conservatives jumped into a new political movement. Bolstered by their belief that Sarah Palin was an everyday somebody like them, and infuriated by her maltreatment, they populated the ranks of the Tea Party. They were determined to protect America. Within months, they were activists.

Then in 2010, the Tea Party revolt wiped out the budding careers of a huge number of Democrats -- about 1000 existing Democrat officeholders were sent packing, as were a large number of what the Democrats thought were viable challengers. It was not just a loss; it was the creation of a schism in the Democrat Party, one that has gotten worse in the nine years since.

This one election left them without a pool of sane people at the party’s center. The old guard in ultrasafe districts continued their careers, but had no one to mentor. The modestly experienced Democrats were gone, and the highest priority for the party was recruiting replacements. In this, they made the only choice they could; they went for youthful rookies. And over the last four election cycles they continued the strategy, building on its limited success. They forgot or never recognized the risk -- that the new youth party was opposed to their system.

Too much of a good thing is a lesson taught by such experiences as eating green apples, but no one in Democrat leadership ever thought such a thing was possible. Thus, the election of a cadre of young socialists and now Muslims has split their party into two distinct factions. These two factions are the old entrenched officeholders and the super radicals following the path of a non-Democrat Bernie Sanders -- loyal to their delusions, not their party. Neither faction excites the other, and both alienate conservatives and many independent voters.

Out of this divided party we see candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination struggling to distinguish their candidacies because they all lack gravitas, magnetic personalities, and records of leadership. This despite the fact that the candidates the Democrats have fielded are the creme de la creme in their party.

We conservatives are all a bit paranoid, so we see a lot of speculation that the Democrats will field a star player at just the right moment. Michelle, Hillary, or some unknowable superstar are supposed to be on the sidelines. This is unlikely. Losing is easy enough without turning to another false hope, and an intraparty war would result from anyone trying to seize the nomination. No one need think about a new messiah figure suddenly appearing. The Democrats don’t have one.

For the nomination, the candidates must appeal to one or the other of these bifurcated wings of a now divided party. Each must assess which wing will actually control the nomination, and the passivity of the old guard has led the candidates to believe in the ascendant wing of radical neophytes. Only one candidate made an effort to straddle the divide, and she, Tulsi Gabbard, was immediately spanked for her disloyalty and threatened with exile from any further debates. Neither faction is invested in compromisers, so the forced choice of factions is the only route to the top.

Biden is the old guard faction’s leading candidate, followed by none of the others. (It will not end well for Joe.) The balance of the candidates are not even trying to appeal to the old guard, since Joe had crowded them out, instead, they all are looking for the biggest slice of the remainder of the pie.

The schism which has done this has roots in the Tea Party, and one of their great inspirations, the candidacy of Sarah Palin. She’ll never be credited. But, when the loony leftists finally choose their loony candidate, Sarah will be a large factor in the evolution, which brought the Democrat Party so low.

Gordon Wysong is an Engineer and Entrepreneur, who has served as a County Commissioner in Cobb County, Ga.