The action by the DNC to block the public viewing of its internal post-election analysis concerning the last presidential race is shocking however not surprising. Resistant to unpleasant candor, the Democrats' governing body behaves more like a publicity machine rather than a political organization committed to building grassroots capacities to secure victories.
A Culture of Conformity
Reluctant to depart from the prevailing attitude of conformity, the DNC has stayed within the influence of the previous administration all through this past year. Publishing such a report would have indicated that party leaders actually want to promote honest conversation regarding the errors that enabled the former president to win re-election. Instead, the DNC is proceeding as if there are no lessons to be learned following the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If not, it is an unnecessary diversion from what truly matters," an explanation reportedly given for withholding the document.
Major Failures an Autopsy Could Have Examined
An autopsy report worth its salt would not dodge key points of failure. These include:
- Electoral Disenchantment: The loss of a significant portion of the electorate that backed the party's candidate during the previous election proved pivotal in the narrowly decided recent race.
- A Choice to Seek Re-election: The determined choice by the incumbent to seek re-election, alongside a last-minute withdrawal, has been criticized as denying Democratic voters the chance for a genuine choice.
- Abandoning Core Democratic Voters: While facing inflation, the electoral effort allegedly ceding to powerful financial backers while failing to address the impact of corporate greed.
- The Gaza Impact: An unwillingness to adjust an approach concerning the situation in Gaza is cited as losing many voters, notably with youth voters, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
- A Decline in Young Voter Allegiance: Research demonstrates a huge drop-off in votes for the candidate from voters aged 18-29.
A Record Shunning Scrutiny
Choosing secrecy aligns with a pattern to avoid uncomfortable facts. It recalls a dynamic where virtually every elected Democrat in Congress supported a sitting president's determination to running for re-election until a catastrophic campaign event forced a change.
Meanwhile, large majorities of the electorate were consistently telling researchers of their opposition to that candidate to seek re-election.
Financial Concerns
An honest report would also investigate questions about where money went, including the amounts flowed to party strategists and advertising contractors during an electoral effort that burned through a staggering war chest during the general election.
The Underlying Problem
Fundamentally, the secrecy surrounding this report points to a deference to the established hierarchy that oversaw a disastrous presidential campaign. The implication to rank-and-file members – including millions of dedicated activists – appears to be that they cannot have a right to know what the leadership say they discovered from hundreds of interviews drawing from extensive interviews.
A party unable to honestly assess its own failings will struggle to climb out of the pattern that ended up being so helpful to the rival party.
