This week's focus has understandably been on the crowded Republican field, which is surely about to become less crowded. As the winnowing continues, it is very possible that the party will be represented next year by a moderate like Jeb Bush or John Kasich, or by a doctrinaire conservative such as Ted Cruz.
But there is no such diversity among Democrats, where the candidates range from very far left to even farther left. Moderate Democrats are so rare that they may soon be covered by the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Coincidentally, 1973 is about when the party veered off into the left lane. That's when the Supreme Court discovered that abortion on demand is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. Some Democrats objected to abortion, but they were slowly culled from leadership positions.
The party's extreme views were apparent again last week when the Senate took up a bill that could have led to the defunding of Planned Parenthood, America's leading abortionist.
This was not about "women's health" or banning abortion, merely a measure that would end the flow of a half-billion dollars to Planned Parenthood every year. Exactly two Democrats voted for the legislation. Two.
Planned Parenthood is an abortion factory and there is no question the group sells the body parts of dead babies or fetuses. A series of videos has proven that beyond doubt, but the Democratic Party does not care.
Liberals claim to believe in fairness for the underdog and helping the defenseless. But somehow unborn babies, even those who could survive outside the womb, do not count. Social justice, anyone?
On the immigration front, Democrats are also in lockstep on 'sanctuary city' policies that often protect violent felons who are in this country illegally. Despite rapes and killings by men who have been deported numerous times, Democrats defend the policy as justice for the downtrodden. But no one is more downtrodden, at least emotionally, than the family of the late Kate Steinle.
When it comes to economics, many Democrats embrace the Robin Hood philosophy. Except when it comes to their own wealth, of course, which they often shelter in foundations and tax dodges.
The "tax the rich" mantra dominates the party and its leadership. Take Debbie Wasserman Schultz, head of the Democratic National Committee. When pressed by Chris Matthews to delineate the difference between a Democrat and a Socialist, she did a commendable impression of Ralph Kramden being inteterrogated by Alice. Then, given a mulligan by Chuck Todd a couple of days later, Wasserman Schultz was again totally stymied.
The free market has lifted more people out of poverty than any economic system in the history of the world, but liberal Democrats (are there any other kind?) refuse to acknowledge that fact.
The human toll of liberalism is most evident in our major cities, which are uniformly run by left-wing Democrats. Murder rates are soaring in Milwaukee, Baltimore, Chicago, and other urban centers.
Progressives look away from the black-on-black carnage while chanting "Black Lives Matter" to anyone who will listen. And any Democrat who knows the score had better not utter the words "All Lives Matter." Just ask Martin O'Malley, who got slapped around when he used that seemingly innocuous phrase.
In Bill de Blasio's New York City, some homeless use public fountains as their personal bidets while squeegee guys extort money from fearful drivers. Gotham is once again becoming Hell on the Hudson, thanks to liberalism and its acolytes.
So it's almost irrelevant whether the Democratic nominee is Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O'Malley, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, or someone else. Don't expect to hear a discouraging word about Planned Parenthood, sanctuary cities, confiscatory taxation, family breakdown, or black crime. Criticism of those problems is simply off limits.
The survivor of the Republican free-for-all, whether moderate or conservative, will surely be a traditional American who deeply loves this country and sings its praises without hesitation or embarrassment. He or she will come up against a woman or man who espouses the liberal philosophy that has wreaked so much havoc.
If the facts matter, the election should not even be close. But facts are often trumped by emotion, even when it comes to electing the most powerful person in the world. Especially when it comes to electing the most powerful person in the world.