This move by the DNC to block the publication of its own post-election analysis concerning the last presidential race appears shocking however not surprising. Averse to hard truths, the party's leadership apparatus often functions more like a PR firm than an electoral entity devoted to building grassroots capacities to secure victories.
An Environment of Conformity
Reluctant to break with the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the DNC has stayed under the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Making public an official autopsy could have demonstrated that party leaders truly desire to encourage honest conversation about the errors that enabled the former president to become president again. However, the DNC is proceeding as if there is little to glean following the stunning loss from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from what truly matters," an explanation which was presented to justify concealing the document.
Critical Problems a Report Would Have Addressed
An autopsy report with any value would not dodge certain uncomfortable matters. This encompasses:
- Voter Disengagement: The loss among a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the party's candidate during the previous election was decisive in the close recent race.
- A Decision to Seek Re-election: The stubborn insistence of the incumbent to run again, alongside a very late withdrawal, is viewed as robbing the party's base of a competitive nomination process.
- Losing Touch With Everyday Americans: During a time of inflation, the electoral effort allegedly bowing to powerful financial backers while failing to confront the effects of profit-seeking.
- A Gaza Impact: An unwillingness to adjust a stance concerning a major international conflict reportedly led to alienating key demographic groups, particularly with young people, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
- Losing Youth Backing: Polling data shows a huge decrease in votes for the candidate among young voters.
A History Shunning Scrutiny
Choosing secrecy is consistent with a longstanding habit of evading uncomfortable facts. It recalls a situation where virtually every elected Democrat in Washington supported a sitting president's decision for running for re-election until a disastrous public debate performance forced a reversal.
Meanwhile, large majorities within the party's base had been continually telling researchers that they opposed that candidate to run again.
Financial Issues
A substantive analysis would also examine questions regarding where money went, such as how much money flowed to insider consultants and advertising contractors over the course of an electoral effort that managed to spend an enormous sum during the general election.
A Larger Issue
At its core, the blockage of the official autopsy is symptomatic of a submission to the established hierarchy that oversaw an unsuccessful national race. The implication to rank-and-file members – including countless small donors – is that they cannot be trusted to know what party chiefs have learned based on a report drawing from feedback from all states.
An organization unable to honestly assess its mistakes finds it difficult to escape the cycle which was so beneficial to their opponents.
