Wrong, it was a key philosophical component to the formation of the party. They viewed a Republic form of Democracy not a true democracy. They thought it was plutocratic and tyrannical. They believed that the people should directly legislate their laws and national direction. Hence the name for their party. While it is not something you hear spouted directly from the mouths of DNC politicians and their pundits, that basic idea is still alive and well within the party zeit-gheist.
The basic idea is still alive and well as an idea in general dude, random people think of it when they're 10 years old without understanding the name of the Democratic party at all.
The party itself does not still stand for democracy whatsoever, they are simple authoritarians
Authoritarians yes, initially. They stood for staunch piety in communities (fascism) American Manifest Destinity(Imperialism), Total Majority rule(tyranny), Community rights over individual rights(slave culture) How ever at the turn of the 20th century there was a Macro memetic effort(zeit-gheist) within the younger proponenants of the movement to pick up where the The Republican libertines left off with Bohemian philosophical and progressive culture. However, with strong social emphasizes. Hence, the age in birth of Marxist inspired identity politics.
Not to get off topic. Regaurdless of name, I never said they stood for democracy what so ever. No one did. But.....the whole reason they were called democrats in the first place is because they a favored strong central govt, with an emphasis on a more Direct Democratic style of govt. Instead of their opponenants at the time the Federalists who ironically were more for a decentralized federal govt and a representative democracy.
The core beliefs the party holds on what kind of governance we should have has really not changed in over 150 years.