If Hilary gets the nomination, and loses the general, Democrats will just say "oh, she's not well liked." That isn't an excuse for Barack though. If he gets the nomination, and loses the general, Democrats would have to consider the idea that their ideas are simply not winning over the majority of the land. Perhaps a more likely scenario, Barack getting the nomination and winning the general, would mean that conservatives would actually have to regroup and agree on what the party is all about. Again, this is assuming rational thinking, which is always a big mistake. Whoever wins, the loser and the respective party will likely blame the results on something other than themselves or their beliefs.