Editor's note: Bradley Blankenship is a Prague-based American journalist, political analyst and freelance reporter. The article reflects the author's opinions, not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicked off on August 17 with mixed reactions from pundits and laypeople alike. The first night's top speakers – former first lady Michelle Obama, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders and former Republican Ohio governor John Kasich – were an amalgamation of public figures who share very little in common except for being opposed to President Donald Trump. 

Despite this, the convention is being billed under the theme of unity – something highly unlikely to persist among this ragtag coalition past November.

Many believe that Democrats are poised to win big, maybe even reclaiming the White House, Senate and holding onto the House of Representatives.

But the latest Democratic primaries tell a different story about Democratic Party unity as huge upset wins by progressives Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Mondaire Jones and others showed. The fact is that the party's base is turning to a new direction – one more egalitarian and led by younger people with a much different perspective.

None of these newcomers are being included in the convention; only Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – a figurehead for the progressive movement – was given a one minute, pre-recorded slot at the convention. Ocasio-Cortez is one of the Democratic Party's young leaders, one of three Latino speakers and one of two speakers under the age of 50. For all her effort and energy, she's been given less speaking time than a former Republican presidential candidate who the DNC attacked in 2016.

Senator Sanders, the lone progressive to have any serious time, was merely given a small token for his hard work put in for the party, i.e. building his movement up only to corral them to former vice president Joe Biden's camp in the end.

This is only indicative of the attitude Democratic leadership has had toward progressives in their ranks since 2015 when senator Sanders had his first attempt at the party's nomination that electrified young Americans. Sanders – and the movement he built – was conspired against by the DNC along with the campaign of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in 2016, and again by the Democratic establishment in 2020.

Progressives such as Representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that followed in Sanders' footsteps have been publicly fouled by leaders in their own party.

All of this bitterness against progressives comes in reaction to their fundamental demands – universal access to health care, universal access to education, a "Green New Deal," a livable wage and other no-brainer solutions to the country's mounting problems that disproportionately affect younger people.

But, for all their hatred against the youth, the Democratic establishment has cozied up nicely with reactionaries as was shown through Kasich's speech. By embracing right-wing ghouls such as John Bolton, Bill Kristol, David Frum and even former president George W. Bush, the Biden-Harris era of the party will only detach itself further from its young and increasingly diverse base.

"I never thought I'd pray for the day that you were president again," Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once even lamented in 2017 on ABC's "This Week" when referring to George W. Bush.

However, in 2008, in an interview with CNN, Pelosi said that Bush is "a total failure, losing all credibility with the American people on the economy, on the war, on energy, you name the subject."

How is one supposed to interpret this change of heart? It surely couldn't be seen as unity unless budding up to a "total failure" with no credibility is somehow an exercise in unity. Despite this obvious hypocrisy, somehow some veteran Democrats are elated over the convention – singing the party's praises as it pushes its internal conflicts to the margins.

"As Democrats convene for one of the most important political conventions in history, they are as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar, as noble as the ideals of Mount Rushmore, and as united as previous generations of Democrats who nominated the great Democratic presidents of American history," Brent Budowsky, a seasoned Democratic Party operative and opinion contributor to The Hill, said about the convention.

Without litigating Budowsky's terrible references in this quote, his sentiment is simply wrong. Democrats aren't united – they are more divided than ever, but simply squashed together at the ballot box in November because of the absolutely absurd situation in the country.

Over 170,000 Americans are dead because of the Trump administration's botched COVID-19 response and tens of millions are jobless or facing eviction – even both. Without this situation, just looking at relevant polls from before the crisis began, a 2020 ticket with Joe Biden at the head probably wouldn't stand a chance.

The question the Democratic Party should ask themselves is whether they simply want to be the anti-Trump party or have an enduring future. Do they want to listen to the energized young people trying to transform the party or hold true to a failed political strategy? The answer that will come out loud and clear this week is the latter.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)