"What's in a name? Would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?"
I thought just dropping the -ic suffix from "Democratic" was rather odd, but this is inexplicable. When you give something a name, it gives you power over it. It's like something out of "Dune", or "Lord of the Rings", or Carlos Castanedas.
I would think something a little stronger might work much better, like "Asshole Democrat(ic) Party". But I guess "Socialist" Trumps "Asshole" every time.
Still, to be fair, it should be noted some Republicans thought it was a waste of effort.