I feel like if our voting system wasn't skewed so heavily toward Republicans (between the Electoral College, gerrymandering being legal, and a general "states can run their elections however they want" to allow Republican-controlled states to make whatever changes they want to favor themselves), we'd see a lot more progress. Instead, it's harder and harder for liberals to vote, the votes count for less and less, and we're barely scraping to just vote out fascists (if possible).

Fix the voting system, and we might get something worthwhile out of Democrats other than undoing some of their predecessors terrible actions and giving just enough to their supporters to whet their appetite without ever leaving them satisfied.

Democrats’ only real incentive is to be better than Republicans.

I disagree with that...their only incentive these days is to NOT be Republicans. They've taken up traditional right leaning republican policy at this point and are getting away with it. For example: The ACA is terrible, we NEED universal healthcare, however, the D's are content letting big health insurance continue to rape the US. The D's have also strongly backed off climate protections, and honestly, it's too late for climate change so that's maybe moot.

The point is, they don't have any incentive to actually push policy...they just need to point and say "Republicans are bad" and the donations roll in.