The decision by the Democratic National Committee to block the release of its own autopsy report concerning the 2024 election appears remarkable but entirely predictable. Averse to hard truths, the Democrats' governing body behaves more like a communications shop than a political organization committed to building a volunteer base capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Culture Resistant to Internal Critique
Reluctant to challenge the party establishment's culture of conformity, the committee has stayed within the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Making public an official autopsy could have demonstrated whether party leaders actually want to foster public discourse regarding the errors that paved the way for Donald Trump to become president again. Yet, the DNC is proceeding as if there are no lessons to be learned from the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? Should the answer be negative, it’s a distraction from the core mission," a justification which was presented for withholding the document.
Critical Problems an Autopsy Could Have Addressed
A genuine analysis of substance would confront a series of difficult topics. These include:
- Electoral Disenchantment: Losing among millions of voters who supported the Democratic ticket in 2020 became a critical factor in the narrowly decided recent race.
- A Choice to Run: The stubborn insistence by the incumbent to seek re-election, and a very late step-aside, is seen by some as denying the party's base the chance for open primaries.
- Failing Everyday Americans: During a time of economic anxiety, the campaign allegedly accommodating elite contributors and not managing to challenge the role of corporate greed.
- The Foreign Policy Factor: The refusal to shift a policy position regarding a major international conflict is cited as alienating key demographic groups, notably with youth voters, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
- Losing Young Voter Allegiance: Extensive evidence demonstrates a significant drop-off of votes for the candidate among young voters.
A Record Avoiding Accountability
The decision to withhold fits a recurring tendency of evading hard truths. It recalls a dynamic where the vast majority of Democratic officeholder in Washington acquiesced to an incumbent's decision for running for re-election until a disastrous campaign event forced a reversal.
Concurrently, a significant majority within the party's base were consistently telling researchers of their opposition to that candidate to run again.
Campaign Spending Concerns
A thorough report might also probe matters about campaign spending, including the amounts were directed to insider consultants as well as ad buyers during a campaign which expended a colossal sum in a short period.
The Larger Problem
Ultimately, the suppression regarding the analysis points to a deference to the established hierarchy that oversaw a disastrous national race. The message for rank-and-file members – including countless small donors – appears to be that they cannot be trusted to see what the leadership have learned based on an analysis compiled from feedback from all states.
A party unable to publicly examine its own failings finds it difficult to escape the cycle which was so helpful to their opponents.
