@gshevlin 100%. Ironic, but the fact is, when you look at how effectively the Trumpists have used, well, small-d democratic means (as well as armed intimidation, to be fair) to take over the party at the local level, it stands in stark contrast to the kind of top-down Party level control the Democrats can exert. Like the DWS situation you cite, or running consummate DNC insider McAuliffe in Virginia, Sherrod Brown taking down Col. Hackett in Ohio in 2006, etc.
@formica At local level, the Democratic Party seems to be less democratic than the GOP.
I watched the chicanery in FL as the Democrats circled the wagons and stacked the deck twice to deny Tim Canova a fair run at Debbie Wasserman Schultz in primaries. In NC, they refused to fund Moe Davis even though he was running within a few percentage points of an inept asshole candidate whose main funding source was the Club For Growth.