The action by the Democratic National Committee to suppress the public viewing regarding its own autopsy report concerning the last presidential race appears stunning however to be expected. Resistant to frank assessments, the Democrats' governing body often functions more like a communications shop than an electoral entity devoted to building a volunteer base capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Culture Resistant to Internal Critique
Hesitant to break with the prevailing attitude demanding unity, the committee has remained under the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Making public such a report would have indicated that the leadership truly desire to foster open debate regarding the missteps that paved the way for Donald Trump to become president again. Yet, the DNC is proceeding as if there is little to glean following the stunning loss from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from the core mission," an explanation which was presented for withholding the document.
Major Failures an Autopsy Might Have Explored
Any valuable post-mortem with any value would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. These include:
- Electoral Alienation: Losing among a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the party's candidate in 2020 became a critical factor in the narrowly decided recent race.
- The Decision to Run: The determined insistence of a party leader to seek re-election, and a very late withdrawal, is seen by some as denying the party's base the chance for open primaries.
- Losing Touch With the Working-Class Base: During a time of rising costs, the electoral effort allegedly accommodating corporate donors' interests while failing to challenge the role of big business.
- The Gaza Impact: The failure to shift a stance regarding a ongoing war reportedly led to alienating key demographic groups, particularly with young people, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
- A Decline in Young Voter Support: Extensive evidence shows a huge decrease in support for the party among the youth electorate.
A Record Shunning Scrutiny
This refusal fits a pattern to avoid uncomfortable facts. It echoes a situation where the vast majority of elected Democrat in Congress went along with a sitting president's determination to seeking another term right up until a disastrous public debate performance led to a change.
Meanwhile, overwhelming numbers of the electorate were repeatedly informing pollsters of their opposition to the incumbent to seek re-election.
Campaign Spending Questions
A thorough report might also probe questions about financial allocations, including what sums flowed to high-priced advisors as well as ad buyers over the course of an electoral effort that managed to spend an enormous war chest over a few months.
The Broader Issue
At its core, the blockage regarding the analysis points to a submission to the existing power structure who engineered a losing presidential campaign. The implication for ordinary supporters – which includes millions of dedicated activists – is that they do not have a right to understand what the leadership say they discovered based on a report based on conversations with insiders.
A political entity unwilling to critically review its mistakes will struggle to climb out of the pattern that proved so advantageous to their opponents.
