No, they weren't perfect. Far from it. They were terrible choices put forth by one of the most powerful political machines on this planet, chosen to be just palatable enough to try and eek out a win from a further and further disconnected and disenfranchised populace. The DNC gambled and lost.

Skirting the primaries and forcing Kamala Harris onto voters was a massive folly that bypassed the people's right to play a part in picking the candidate.

Are they preferable? Sure. I'd rather you attack me with a hack saw than a chain saw.

It's hard to completely blame the nonvoters, though. They're just doing what they were taught in civics classes, voting for the candidates that best represented their interests. There weren't any candidates they believed would actually address their issues. And there weren't. And there won't be. Americans were taught to participate in democracy in good faith but unfortunately only the electorate plays that way, the politicians and parties do not.

At some point, the onus must fall on the DNC to actually do their job and pick likable candidates and not just the voters to just fall in line with whoever the party says they will vote for. What's wanted isn't a mystery. It isn't hidden. The DNC elects to avoid trying to actually help Americans and instead continues to cater to the wealthy just as the RNC does. But with a little different flavor.