The action by the Democratic National Committee to suppress the publication of its own autopsy report on the last presidential race seems stunning however entirely predictable. Averse to unpleasant candor, the party's leadership apparatus often functions more like a publicity machine rather than a political organization devoted to cultivating local power capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Culture of Conformity
Hesitant to challenge the party establishment's culture of conformity, the DNC has stayed under the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Releasing an official autopsy would have indicated that the leadership truly desire to promote honest conversation regarding the errors which allowed Donald Trump to become president again. Yet, the committee is acting as if there's nothing to glean following the stunning loss from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: does this help us win? Should the answer be negative, it becomes a sideline issue from the core mission," a justification that has been offered to justify concealing the report.
Major Failures an Analysis Would Have Examined
An autopsy report with any value would confront key points of failure. Among them are:
- Electoral Alienation: Failing to retain among a significant portion of the electorate that backed the Democratic ticket during the previous election proved pivotal in the close recent race.
- The Choice to Run: The unwavering decision by a party leader to stay in the race, and a very late withdrawal, is viewed as robbing Democratic voters of a genuine choice.
- Losing Touch With the Working-Class Base: Amid rising costs, the electoral effort allegedly ceding to corporate donors' interests and not managing to address the role of corporate greed.
- A Gaza Effect: An unwillingness to adjust a stance regarding a ongoing war allegedly caused alienating many voters, especially among youth voters, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
- Losing Young Voter Backing: Research demonstrates a huge decline in votes for the candidate from young voters.
A Record of Evasion
This refusal is consistent with a pattern of evading difficult realities. This mirrors an episode in which nearly all Democratic officeholder in Congress acquiesced to a sitting president's decision for running for re-election right up until a catastrophic televised debate compelled a change.
Meanwhile, overwhelming numbers of Democratic voters were consistently telling pollsters that they opposed that candidate to seek re-election.
Campaign Spending Questions
A thorough autopsy would also probe questions regarding where money went, such as the amounts were directed to party strategists and advertising contractors during a campaign that burned through a colossal sum during the general election.
The Broader Issue
Ultimately, the suppression regarding the analysis highlights a deference toward party leaders responsible for a losing presidential campaign. The signal for the party's base – which includes millions of dedicated activists – appears to be that they cannot have a right to know what the insiders say they discovered based on a report based on feedback from all states.
An organization incapable to honestly assess where it went wrong finds it difficult to climb out of the cycle that proved so advantageous to their opponents.
