The action from the DNC to withhold the public viewing of its internal autopsy report concerning the last presidential race seems shocking however to be expected. Averse to frank assessments, the Democrats' governing body behaves closer to a PR firm rather than an electoral entity devoted to cultivating grassroots capacities for winning elections.
A Climate of Conformity
Unwilling to depart from the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the committee has remained under the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Publishing the findings could have demonstrated that the leadership actually want to foster open debate about the missteps that enabled the former president to return to the White House. Yet, the committee is acting under the pretense that there is little to understand from the stunning loss from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: will this lead to victory? If not, it is an unnecessary diversion from the core mission," a justification reportedly given for withholding the report.
Major Failures an Autopsy Could Have Addressed
A genuine analysis worth its salt would not dodge key points of failure. These include:
- Voter Alienation: Failing to retain of a significant portion of the electorate that backed the Democratic ticket during the previous election proved pivotal during the tight recent race.
- The Insistence to Seek Re-election: The stubborn choice of the incumbent to stay in the race, alongside a very late exit, has been criticized as denying Democratic voters of a genuine choice.
- Losing Touch With Everyday Americans: Amid inflation, the campaign is criticized for bowing to powerful financial backers and not managing to confront the effects of corporate greed.
- The Gaza Impact: An unwillingness to reconsider a policy position regarding a major international conflict allegedly caused alienating significant blocs, particularly among youth voters, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
- Losing Youth Backing: Polling data shows a significant decrease in support for the party among the youth electorate.
A Record of Evasion
This refusal is consistent with a pattern to avoid difficult realities. It recalls an episode in which the vast majority of Democratic officeholder in Congress went along with a sitting president's determination to running for re-election right up until a disastrous public debate performance forced a reversal.
Concurrently, a significant majority of the electorate were consistently telling researchers that they opposed the incumbent to be the nominee.
Financial Concerns
A substantive report would also investigate questions regarding campaign spending, such as what sums were directed to insider consultants and media firms during an electoral effort which expended an enormous war chest over a few months.
A Larger Implication
At its core, the suppression of the official autopsy is symptomatic of a submission to party leaders responsible for a disastrous electoral effort. The signal to rank-and-file members – including countless loyal volunteers – appears to be that they do not be trusted to understand what the leadership claim to have learned from hundreds of interviews based on feedback from all states.
A political entity unable to critically review its mistakes will struggle to escape the pattern that ended up being so helpful to the winning candidate.
