The democrats didn't have to play by trump's rules, but they had to dismantle the foundations he had put in place during his term. I mean, they didn't even strengthen rules to avoid another Jan 6th. Didn't protect the freedom of the press. Didn't strengthen campaign finance laws. Didn't approach voting reform. Didn't ban gerrymandering. Nothing. Democratic politicians (as opposed to Democrat Party politicians) seem to think you defeat the other side by winning elections, but it's impossible to win all the elections. At some point you lose, and all you've got left is your systematic safeguards to keep your democracy. You must bolster the safeguards while you can, even if it might work against you in the short term.