They are SCARED and they will make the same mistakes as last time - emotion over practicality. The article also goes into what's wrong with each of the candidates.

Democrats have reason to worry after the last presidential debate
By Michael Starr Hopkins, opinion contributor — 10/16/19 07:00 PM EDT
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/466188-democrats-have-reason-to-worry-after-the-last-presidential-debate
https://archive.is/uHFlr

When the top three candidates are a self avowed socialist, a former vice president mired in scandal, and a quasi populist at war with Wall Street, it is fair to say that there is room for concern.

The party cannot afford another nominee like Michael Dukakis in 1988 or John Kerry in 2004. Democrats do not need to prove that they are smarter than Republicans or occupy some moral high ground. Democrats need to prove that they are listening to voters, that they share their pain, and that they will fight like hell to improve the lives of all Americans.

This is what scares me. The weakness of Dukakis and Kerry was not rooted in their policy proposals. It was rooted in their inability to connect with voters who had different life experiences. Whether it was a person of color or a blue collar voter, both Dukakis and Kerry failed to connect. The current field cannot afford to make the same mistake.

It has been a long time since a Democrat from Massachusetts ran a successful presidential campaign. Democrats should be worried that history may not be on their side. Despite the political landmines erupting at the White House, Democrats cannot simply rest on their laurels and expect Republicans to abandon a vulnerable president.

A lack of enthusiasm or support around one candidate risks dividing the party and depressing turnout, which is what happened to Clinton in 2016. A left versus center battle will exacerbate the factions that never truly coalesced around Clinton, leading to tepid support from the type of voters who were the foundation for Barack Obama.