Jason, I’ve addressed this issue in Impromptus many times over the years, usually with humor (or attempted humor). There are some people who are loath to give up “Democrat” as an adjective. (There are people who are loath to say “loath,” instead of “loathe.”) I think the problem stems from the fact that “Republican” is both a noun and an adjective: “a Republican,” “the Republican party.” But “Democrat” works just one way, requiring “Democratic.”
Year after year, I hear from people who suspect that, in saying “Democratic,” Democrats are trying to pull a fast one. I respond, “No, Democratic policies are just as disastrous as Democrat ones, I promise.”
In any event, “Democrat” as an adjective has become part of our speech, part of our Republican lexicon. Has a Democrat ever used “Democrat” adjectivally? It’s pretty rare, I think. I know some Republican politicians who are essentially bilingual: saying “Democrat policies” when firing up the base and switching to “Democratic” when in polite or mixed company.
Of course, these are RINOs who have betrayed us with their Establishment “ic.”
Seriously, I have a fondness for “Democrat party,” “Democrat wars,” and so on as a cultural indicator. When you talk to someone who says “Democrat party,” you’re probably talking to someone who can be counted on to vote against it. I also like to use the name “pro-abort” sometimes, instead of “pro-choicer” — but that’s another post.