The action from the DNC to block the release of its own autopsy report concerning the last presidential race is remarkable however to be expected. Opposed to hard truths, the DNC operates closer to a communications shop than a political organization committed to building a volunteer base capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Climate Resistant to Internal Critique
Unwilling to challenge the party establishment's culture of conformity, the committee has remained within the Biden-Harris shadow all through this past year. Making public such a report might have shown whether party leaders actually want to promote open debate regarding the strategic failures that paved the way for the former president to win re-election. However, the DNC is proceeding under the pretense that there are no lessons to be learned from the tragic debacle from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: is this good for winning elections? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from our fundamental goal," a rationale reportedly given for withholding the report.
Major Failures a Report Might Have Examined
An autopsy report with any value would not dodge certain uncomfortable matters. These include:
- Voter Disenchantment: Failing to retain of millions of voters who voted for the party's candidate during the previous election proved pivotal during the tight recent race.
- The Insistence to Seek Re-election: The stubborn insistence of a party leader to run again, alongside an extremely delayed exit, is viewed as denying the party's base of a genuine choice.
- Abandoning Everyday Americans: During a time of rising costs, the campaign is criticized for accommodating corporate donors' interests while failing to challenge the role of corporate greed.
- A Foreign Policy Effect: An unwillingness to shift a policy position concerning the situation in Gaza is cited as losing many voters, notably with young people, Arab-Americans, Muslim voters.
- Eroding Young Voter Backing: Extensive evidence demonstrates a major decline of support for the party from the youth electorate.
A Pattern of Evasion
Choosing secrecy is consistent with a recurring tendency of evading hard truths. It recalls a dynamic in which virtually every elected Democrat in Congress went along with a sitting president's insistence on seeking another term until a disastrous televised debate compelled a reversal.
Concurrently, large majorities of the electorate had been repeatedly informing researchers that they opposed that candidate to seek re-election.
Campaign Spending Concerns
An honest report would also investigate matters about where money went, such as the amounts went to high-priced advisors and advertising contractors during an electoral effort that burned through a colossal sum over a few months.
The Larger Implication
Fundamentally, the secrecy regarding the analysis highlights a submission toward party leaders that oversaw an unsuccessful electoral effort. The signal for the party's base – which includes countless dedicated activists – appears to be that they cannot have a right to understand the lessons the insiders have learned from a report drawing from feedback from all states.
A political entity incapable to honestly assess its own failings finds it difficult to escape the pattern that proved so helpful to their opponents.
