This action by the DNC to suppress the public viewing of its internal autopsy report on the last presidential race is shocking however to be expected. Resistant to hard truths, the DNC often functions closer to a communications shop rather than an electoral entity focused on building a volunteer base for winning elections.
A Culture That Avoids Dissent
Hesitant to depart from the prevailing attitude of conformity, the DNC has stayed within the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Releasing an official autopsy could have demonstrated that party leaders are interested to promote public discourse regarding the missteps which allowed Donald Trump to return to the White House. Yet, the leadership is moving forward as if there's nothing to be learned following the tragic debacle from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? Should the answer be negative, it is an unnecessary diversion from the core mission," a justification which was presented for withholding the report.
Key Issues an Analysis Might Have Explored
A genuine analysis of substance would tackle head-on a series of difficult topics. Among them are:
- Voter Disengagement: Failing to retain of millions of voters who supported the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive in the narrowly decided recent race.
- A Insistence to Run: The determined decision by a party leader to run again, alongside a very late step-aside, is viewed as robbing Democratic voters the chance for a competitive nomination process.
- Failing the Working-Class Base: During a time of inflation, the campaign is criticized for ceding to corporate donors' interests without successfully attempting to challenge the impact of big business.
- The Foreign Policy Factor: An unwillingness to shift a stance on a ongoing war allegedly caused losing significant blocs, particularly with young people, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
- Eroding Youth Backing: Polling data indicates a huge drop-off of support for the party among the youth electorate.
A History Shunning Scrutiny
Choosing secrecy aligns with a recurring tendency to avoid hard truths. It echoes a dynamic where nearly all Democratic officeholder in Washington acquiesced to a sitting president's decision for running for re-election right up until a poor televised debate forced a change.
Meanwhile, a significant majority of Democratic voters were repeatedly informing surveyors that they opposed that candidate to seek re-election.
Campaign Spending Issues
A thorough autopsy would also probe issues about where money went, such as what sums went to high-priced advisors and ad buyers during an electoral effort which expended an enormous war chest over a few months.
A Larger Problem
Fundamentally, the secrecy of the official autopsy points to an allegiance toward the established hierarchy that oversaw a losing presidential campaign. The signal for rank-and-file members – which includes millions of dedicated activists – appears to be that they cannot have a right to understand what the leadership say they discovered from a report drawing from extensive interviews.
A political entity unwilling to honestly assess where it went wrong is unlikely to escape the pattern that ended up being so helpful to the winning candidate.
