The move by the Democratic National Committee to withhold the release regarding its internal post-election analysis concerning the last presidential race is shocking however to be expected. Resistant to unpleasant candor, the party's leadership apparatus behaves closer to a PR firm than a political organization focused on building a volunteer base for winning elections.
An Environment of Conformity
Unwilling to challenge the prevailing attitude of conformity, the committee has stayed within the Biden-Harris shadow all through this past year. Releasing an official autopsy might have shown that party leaders are interested to foster open debate regarding the errors which allowed the former president to return to the White House. However, the leadership is moving forward under the pretense that there is little to be learned following the stunning loss from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? Should the answer be negative, it’s a distraction from our fundamental goal," an explanation which was presented for withholding the report.
Key Issues an Autopsy Would Have Addressed
An autopsy report worth its salt would not dodge a series of difficult topics. These include:
- Electoral Alienation: Failing to retain of a significant portion of the electorate who supported the Democratic ticket during the previous election proved pivotal in the narrowly decided recent race.
- A Choice to Run: The unwavering choice by a party leader to stay in the race, coupled with a last-minute withdrawal, has been criticized as denying the party's base the chance for open primaries.
- Losing Touch With Core Democratic Voters: Amid economic anxiety, the campaign reportedly bowing to elite contributors while failing to challenge the effects of big business.
- A Gaza Impact: The failure to reconsider a stance concerning the situation in Gaza is cited as alienating key demographic groups, notably among young people, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
- Losing Young Voter Support: Extensive evidence demonstrates a significant decline in votes for the candidate among voters aged 18-29.
A History Avoiding Accountability
The decision to withhold fits a recurring tendency to avoid uncomfortable facts. This mirrors a situation in which virtually every Democratic officeholder in Washington supported a sitting president's decision for running for re-election until a disastrous campaign event compelled a reversal.
Meanwhile, a significant majority of Democratic voters had been consistently telling surveyors that they did not want the incumbent to seek re-election.
Financial Questions
A thorough autopsy might also investigate questions regarding campaign spending, including what sums flowed to insider consultants and ad buyers during a campaign which expended a colossal amount in a short period.
The Broader Implication
Fundamentally, the suppression of the official autopsy is symptomatic of a deference to the existing power structure that oversaw a disastrous presidential campaign. The message for the party's base – including millions of loyal volunteers – is that they cannot have a right to understand the lessons the leadership say they discovered from hundreds of interviews compiled from conversations with insiders.
An organization incapable to publicly examine its own failings is unlikely to break free from the rut which was so advantageous to the rival party.
