It's hard to imagine any serious political analyst, pollster, or strategist on the broad political left would urge the Democratic Party to go off the cliff and embrace socialism. It's also hard to believe most of the primary voters this year, in key races, have chosen the far left candidate, including the few socialist candidates, who have won elections, because they support the policies of the Democratic Socialists of America. They do not. But Democrats are registering their disapproval, if not disgust, with the their party under Trump 2.0. They haven’t seen a backbone, a working strategy, or an affirmative vision for the country now for 18 months. You can’t lead people without telling them where you’re going. Post-Trump what does your vision look like?
Anything is possible in politics. But the most likely way Democrats win elections —the singular goal of anyone serious running for office – is to put forth mainstream positions that appeal to the largest number of people. There's not enough evidence--far from it– that abandoning the basic math equation of elections is smart.
Socialism is having a moment. But despite its hype machine that is the New York Times, it's likely a moment in time, not a trend.