Comment by NoGravitas

The DSA may be the 'zeitgeist' of the democratic party, but the party institutions are still firmly under the control of the party's most conservative faction, the neoliberals formerly of the DLC (Democratic Leadership Council), a group specifically founded to "exterminate the progressives" according to Clinton adviser Bill Curry. The DNC (Democratic National Committee) very visibly and explicitly ratfucked the progressive candidate in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, and barred pro-Palestinian delegates from their 2024 national convention. When a DSA-backed candidate defeats a DNC-backed candidate in a primary, it is a big upset and a high profile news story. But it is also extremely rare, and when DSA-backed candidates get into office, they often tack to the right in order to work with the existing power structures.