The action by the Democratic National Committee to block the release regarding its internal autopsy report concerning the last presidential race seems stunning yet not surprising. Opposed to unpleasant candor, the Democrats' governing body behaves more like a communications shop than an electoral entity focused on building a volunteer base for winning elections.
A Culture That Avoids Dissent
Reluctant to break with the prevailing attitude of conformity, the DNC has stayed within the Biden-Harris shadow all through this past year. Releasing such a report could have demonstrated that the leadership truly desire to foster honest conversation regarding the missteps that paved the way for Donald Trump to become president again. Yet, the leadership is moving forward under the pretense that there are no lessons to understand from the stunning loss from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it becomes a sideline issue from what truly matters," an explanation reportedly given for withholding the document.
Major Failures an Analysis Would Have Explored
A genuine analysis worth its salt would tackle head-on a series of difficult topics. These include:
- Voter Alienation: Losing among a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election became a critical factor in the narrowly decided recent race.
- The Choice to Seek Re-election: The unwavering choice by a party leader to seek re-election, alongside a last-minute withdrawal, has been criticized as denying Democratic voters the chance for open primaries.
- Failing Everyday Americans: During a time of inflation, the electoral effort allegedly bowing to powerful financial backers without successfully attempting to challenge the role of big business.
- The Foreign Policy Impact: The failure to adjust a stance on a major international conflict is cited as losing significant blocs, particularly with young people, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
- Losing Youth Allegiance: Extensive evidence demonstrates a major drop-off in support for the party from young voters.
A History Avoiding Accountability
Choosing secrecy fits a pattern to avoid difficult realities. It echoes a situation in which virtually every elected Democrat in Washington supported a sitting president's decision for running for re-election right up until a poor public debate performance forced a reversal.
Concurrently, a significant majority within the party's base had been consistently telling researchers of their opposition to the incumbent to run again.
Campaign Spending Questions
An honest report could examine matters about campaign spending, such as the amounts were directed to high-priced advisors and ad buyers over the course of a campaign which expended a staggering sum in a short period.
The Larger Problem
Fundamentally, the suppression surrounding this report is symptomatic of a submission toward the existing power structure who engineered a losing national race. The signal to ordinary supporters – which includes countless dedicated activists – appears to be that they do not be trusted to understand what party chiefs say they discovered based on a report based on feedback from all states.
A party unable to publicly examine its mistakes is unlikely to break free from the rut that ended up being so beneficial to the winning candidate.
