This decision by the DNC to withhold the release regarding its internal autopsy report concerning the last presidential race appears shocking but not surprising. Opposed to frank assessments, the DNC operates closer to a publicity machine than an electoral entity committed to cultivating a volunteer base to secure victories.
A Culture of Conformity
Unwilling to break with the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the DNC has stayed within the Biden-Harris shadow all through this past year. Publishing an official autopsy could have demonstrated whether party leaders truly desire to encourage open debate about the missteps that paved the way for the former president to win re-election. However, the committee is acting under the pretense that there are no lessons to glean following the tragic debacle from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from our fundamental goal," an explanation that has been offered to justify concealing the document.
Major Failures a Report Would Have Explored
Any valuable post-mortem worth its salt would confront a series of difficult topics. These include:
- Voter Disengagement: The loss among millions of voters that backed the Democratic ticket in 2020 became a critical factor in the close recent race.
- A Decision to Run: The determined decision by the incumbent to run again, alongside a last-minute step-aside, has been criticized as robbing Democratic voters the chance for a genuine choice.
- Abandoning the Working-Class Base: During a time of inflation, the electoral effort is criticized for ceding to corporate donors' interests while failing to confront the role of big business.
- The Gaza Impact: An unwillingness to reconsider a stance concerning a major international conflict reportedly led to losing significant blocs, particularly with young people, Arab-Americans, Muslim voters.
- Losing Youth Allegiance: Polling data indicates a significant decrease of votes for the candidate among the youth electorate.
A Record Avoiding Accountability
This refusal aligns with a pattern to avoid uncomfortable facts. It echoes an episode in which virtually every elected Democrat in Washington went along with an incumbent's determination to running for re-election right up until a catastrophic campaign event led to a reversal.
Meanwhile, overwhelming numbers of the electorate were repeatedly informing surveyors that they did not want the incumbent to seek re-election.
Financial Questions
A substantive report could investigate matters about financial allocations, such as the amounts flowed to high-priced advisors and ad buyers during an electoral effort which expended a colossal amount in a short period.
The Broader Problem
Fundamentally, the secrecy regarding the analysis points to a submission to party leaders who engineered a losing presidential campaign. The message for ordinary supporters – which includes millions of loyal volunteers – appears to be that they cannot have a right to know what the insiders claim to have learned from an analysis compiled from extensive interviews.
An organization incapable to publicly examine where it went wrong is unlikely to break free from the rut which was so beneficial to their opponents.
