The move by the DNC to suppress the public viewing of its own autopsy report on the 2024 election appears stunning but not surprising. Averse to unpleasant candor, the DNC behaves closer to a publicity machine rather than a political organization committed to building local power capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Climate Resistant to Internal Critique
Hesitant to challenge the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the committee has continued under the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Publishing the findings might have shown that the leadership truly desire to encourage open debate regarding the missteps which allowed the former president to win re-election. Yet, the DNC is proceeding as if there is little to understand from the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
The top priority: will this lead to victory? If the answer is no, it is an unnecessary diversion from our fundamental goal," a justification reportedly given to justify concealing the document.
Major Failures a Report Would Have Examined
A genuine analysis of substance would tackle head-on key points of failure. Among them are:
- Electoral Alienation: Losing among millions of voters who voted for the Democratic ticket in 2020 proved pivotal in the close recent race.
- A Decision to Seek Re-election: The unwavering decision of the incumbent to seek re-election, and an extremely delayed step-aside, is seen by some as denying Democratic voters of a competitive nomination process.
- Losing Touch With Everyday Americans: During a time of inflation, the electoral effort is criticized for bowing to corporate donors' interests without successfully attempting to challenge the effects of big business.
- A Foreign Policy Factor: The failure to shift a policy position concerning a ongoing war is cited as losing key demographic groups, particularly among youth voters, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
- Eroding Youth Support: Extensive evidence shows a huge decrease of Democratic support among voters aged 18-29.
A History Avoiding Accountability
The decision to withhold aligns with a pattern to avoid difficult realities. It recalls a situation where virtually every elected Democrat in Congress went along with a sitting president's insistence on seeking another term until a poor public debate performance compelled a reversal.
At the same time, a significant majority within the party's base were consistently telling pollsters that they opposed the incumbent to run again.
Campaign Spending Issues
An honest report might also examine issues regarding campaign spending, such as how much money went to party strategists and advertising contractors over the course of an electoral effort which expended an enormous sum during the general election.
A Broader Implication
Fundamentally, the blockage of the official autopsy highlights a submission to the established hierarchy that oversaw a disastrous electoral effort. The implication for ordinary supporters – which includes millions of loyal volunteers – is that they cannot be trusted to understand the lessons the leadership have learned from an analysis compiled from feedback from all states.
A party unwilling to publicly examine where it went wrong is unlikely to escape the pattern which was so helpful to the winning candidate.
