I can't come up with a convincing argument as to how any of the Dem alternative would beat Trump, but if the Dems loose it is also a matter of who they lost with. In a burgeoning dictatorship with the threat of civil war looming, you'd like the loosing part to at least have some confidence in the person that held the banner when they reached that point. Navalny had his flaws, but in opposition he at least came across with an air purpose and vitality that struck a contrast to the ageing Putin and his cronies.
I can't come up with a convincing argument as to how any of the Dem alternative would beat Trump, but if the Dems loose it is also a matter of who they lost with. In a burgeoning dictatorship with the threat of civil war looming, you'd like the loosing part to at least have some confidence in the person that held the banner when they reached that point. Navalny had his flaws, but in opposition he at least came across with an air purpose and vitality that struck a contrast to the ageing Putin and his cronies.