When i say "the party" i mean the privately ran organization who is legally allowed to choose whoever their canidate is, and doesn't have to legally hold a fair primary election or any election at all.

Sure the president gets a temporary seat at the table, but the other DNC leaders do not want them to be in control.

The fact that Obama tried to push free healthcare made the DNC leadership furious, because that isn't what he told them before the primaries. But because they were stuck with him they instead had other loyalist dems try to help Republicans block his policies and then enjoyed the popularity Obama was bringing to the party.