The action by the DNC to withhold the release regarding its internal autopsy report concerning the 2024 election seems shocking yet entirely predictable. Resistant to unpleasant candor, the DNC often functions closer to a publicity machine than a political organization committed to cultivating a volunteer base to secure victories.
A Climate That Avoids Dissent
Unwilling to challenge the prevailing attitude demanding unity, the DNC has stayed within the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Publishing such a report would have indicated that party leaders are interested to encourage honest conversation about the missteps that enabled the former president to win re-election. Instead, the leadership is moving forward under the pretense that there is little to glean following the tragic debacle of 2024.
Our guiding principle: will this lead to victory? If the answer is no, it becomes a sideline issue from the core mission," an explanation reportedly given to justify concealing the report.
Critical Problems a Report Might Have Explored
An autopsy report with any value would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:
- Electoral Disenchantment: The loss among millions of voters who supported the party's candidate during the previous election proved pivotal during the tight recent race.
- The Insistence to Run: The unwavering choice by the incumbent to run again, and a last-minute exit, has been criticized as robbing the party's base of a competitive nomination process.
- Losing Touch With the Working-Class Base: Amid rising costs, the electoral effort reportedly bowing to powerful financial backers and not managing to address the role of profit-seeking.
- The Gaza Effect: The refusal to shift a stance regarding a major international conflict reportedly led to losing significant blocs, especially among youth voters, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
- A Decline in Youth Support: Extensive evidence shows a huge decrease of support for the party from young voters.
A Record Avoiding Accountability
The decision to withhold aligns with a pattern to avoid difficult realities. This mirrors a dynamic where the vast majority of elected Democrat in Washington went along with a sitting president's decision for running for re-election until a disastrous televised debate compelled an exit.
Concurrently, overwhelming numbers of Democratic voters were consistently telling researchers that they did not want the incumbent to run again.
Financial Questions
An honest report would also examine questions regarding where money went, including how much money went to high-priced advisors as well as ad buyers over the course of a campaign which expended a colossal sum during the general election.
The Larger Issue
Fundamentally, the suppression surrounding this report points to a deference toward party leaders that oversaw an unsuccessful electoral effort. The implication to rank-and-file members – which includes millions of dedicated activists – is that they cannot be trusted to see the lessons the leadership say they discovered from a report drawing from conversations with insiders.
An organization incapable to critically review its mistakes is unlikely to climb out of the pattern that ended up being so advantageous to their opponents.
