And in Obama, the party fielded a nominee this time who was, for all his lack of experience, vastly more compelling than his most recent predecessors on the ticket.
Democrats failed to field a viable candidate in 2016, with the nominee receiving just $600 in campaign donations.
The evolution of thinking inside the party is coming into view as Republicans begin sorting through their field of candidates to select a nominee to challenge President Obama, who faces a decision this summer about a troop withdrawal in Afghanistan.
It is unclear if Putin is even aware of the award which was chosen by an obscure cultural organisation, the China International Peace Research Centre, from a field of nominees including Bill Gates, Angela Merkel, Kofi Annan, Jacob Zuma and a Tibetan Panchen Lama imposed by Beijing.
Glenn Close, 61, walked away with Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her role in Damages, beating a field of nominees who were all over 40 - Kyra Sedgwick, Sally Field, Mariska Hargitay and Holly Hunter.
The AMA winners are selected by a national sampling of 20,000 record buyers, who choose from a field of nominees determined by radio play and record sales.
But, moments later, as the giant tank rumbled across a dusty field, the Democratic nominee for President suddenly popped up with a Snoopy-like helmet with earphones on his head and a nervous smile on his face.
Mr. Spota, a former county prosecutor who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic party nomination four years ago, won out over a field of potential nominees that included David Kelley, a federal prosecutor in the World Trade Center bombing case.
