This move by the Democratic National Committee to block the release regarding its own post-election analysis on the last presidential race appears stunning yet not surprising. Opposed to unpleasant candor, the DNC often functions more like a PR firm rather than a political organization committed to cultivating a volunteer base for winning elections.
A Climate of Conformity
Hesitant to challenge the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the committee has remained within the influence of the previous administration all through this past year. Releasing an official autopsy could have demonstrated that party leaders are interested to foster public discourse about the strategic failures that enabled Donald Trump to win re-election. Yet, the leadership is moving forward under the pretense that there is little to be learned from the stunning loss from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from the core mission," a justification that has been offered for withholding the document.
Major Failures an Analysis Might Have Addressed
Any valuable post-mortem of substance would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:
- Voter Disengagement: The loss among a significant portion of the electorate who supported the Democratic ticket during the previous election became a critical factor in the close recent race.
- The Insistence to Seek Re-election: The determined choice by the incumbent to stay in the race, and a very late step-aside, has been criticized as robbing the party's base of a genuine choice.
- Losing Touch With Core Democratic Voters: While facing economic anxiety, the electoral effort allegedly bowing to corporate donors' interests without successfully attempting to address the role of profit-seeking.
- A Gaza Factor: The failure to shift a stance concerning the situation in Gaza is cited as losing significant blocs, notably with youth voters, Arab-Americans, Muslim voters.
- Eroding Young Voter Backing: Polling data indicates a huge decrease in votes for the candidate from young voters.
A Pattern of Evasion
Choosing secrecy fits a pattern of evading difficult realities. It recalls an episode in which nearly all Democratic officeholder in Washington went along with an incumbent's decision for running for re-election right up until a poor public debate performance forced a reversal.
Meanwhile, large majorities of the electorate were repeatedly informing pollsters that they did not want the incumbent to run again.
Campaign Spending Concerns
An honest autopsy could investigate issues regarding where money went, including how much money went to party strategists and media firms during an electoral effort that burned through a staggering amount in a short period.
The Larger Problem
Ultimately, the secrecy of the official autopsy highlights a submission toward party leaders responsible for a losing presidential campaign. The implication for the party's base – which includes countless small donors – is that they cannot be trusted to understand what party chiefs claim to have learned based on an analysis based on feedback from all states.
A political entity unable to publicly examine its mistakes will struggle to climb out of the cycle that proved so advantageous to the winning candidate.
