The decision by the DNC to withhold the release of its internal autopsy report on the last presidential race is shocking however entirely predictable. Averse to unpleasant candor, the party's leadership apparatus often functions closer to a publicity machine rather than a political organization focused on cultivating local power for winning elections.
A Culture of Conformity
Reluctant to depart from the prevailing attitude of conformity, the committee has stayed under that legacy throughout this past year. Releasing the findings could have demonstrated that the leadership truly desire to encourage public discourse regarding the missteps which allowed the former president to become president again. Instead, the DNC is proceeding as if there's nothing to be learned from the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it is an unnecessary diversion from what truly matters," a rationale which was presented to justify concealing the report.
Key Issues an Autopsy Might Have Examined
Any valuable post-mortem of substance would confront a series of difficult topics. Among them are:
- Voter Disenchantment: The loss of millions of voters who voted for the party's candidate in 2020 became a critical factor in the close recent race.
- The Decision to Run: The determined choice by the incumbent to stay in the race, alongside a very late withdrawal, is seen by some as denying Democratic voters of a competitive nomination process.
- Abandoning the Working-Class Base: Amid rising costs, the campaign reportedly accommodating elite contributors without successfully attempting to address the role of corporate greed.
- The Gaza Impact: An unwillingness to shift a policy position regarding the situation in Gaza allegedly caused losing many voters, especially among youth voters, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
- Eroding Youth Allegiance: Research indicates a huge decrease in support for the party from voters aged 18-29.
A Pattern Avoiding Accountability
This refusal fits a longstanding habit to avoid difficult realities. This mirrors an episode where virtually every Democratic officeholder in Congress went along with an incumbent's insistence on seeking another term until a disastrous campaign event compelled an exit.
Meanwhile, large majorities within the party's base had been consistently telling surveyors that they did not want the incumbent to seek re-election.
Campaign Spending Questions
A thorough report would also investigate questions regarding where money went, including what sums went to party strategists and ad buyers over the course of a campaign which expended a colossal amount in a short period.
The Larger Problem
Fundamentally, the blockage of the official autopsy is symptomatic of a deference toward party leaders who engineered a losing presidential campaign. The message for rank-and-file members – which includes countless small donors – is that they cannot have a right to understand the lessons the insiders say they discovered from hundreds of interviews based on feedback from all states.
A party unable to critically review where it went wrong is unlikely to climb out of the rut which was so helpful to their opponents.
