The action from the DNC to block the release of its own post-election analysis on the last presidential race appears remarkable yet entirely predictable. Resistant to frank assessments, the Democrats' governing body behaves more like a PR firm than an electoral entity committed to building local power capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Climate Resistant to Internal Critique
Reluctant to depart from the prevailing attitude of conformity, the committee has remained within the influence of the previous administration all through this past year. Releasing the findings could have demonstrated whether the leadership truly desire to foster public discourse regarding the missteps which allowed the former president to return to the White House. However, the committee is acting under the pretense that there are no lessons to be learned from the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? If not, it is an unnecessary diversion from the core mission," a justification which was presented for withholding the report.
Major Failures an Autopsy Would Have Examined
An autopsy report of substance would not dodge a series of difficult topics. Among them are:
- Voter Disenchantment: Failing to retain of millions of voters that backed the Democratic ticket during the previous election became a critical factor in the narrowly decided recent race.
- A Decision to Run: The determined choice of the incumbent to seek re-election, and a very late withdrawal, is seen by some as denying Democratic voters the chance for open primaries.
- Failing the Working-Class Base: Amid inflation, the campaign allegedly accommodating elite contributors and not managing to challenge the impact of big business.
- The Foreign Policy Factor: The refusal to shift a stance on a major international conflict allegedly caused alienating many voters, particularly with youth voters, Arab-Americans, Muslim voters.
- A Decline in Young Voter Allegiance: Extensive evidence indicates a significant drop-off of votes for the candidate from the youth electorate.
A History Avoiding Accountability
This refusal fits a longstanding habit of sidestepping difficult realities. It recalls a dynamic in which virtually every Democratic officeholder in Washington supported a sitting president's decision for seeking another term right up until a poor televised debate compelled a reversal.
Concurrently, overwhelming numbers within the party's base had been consistently telling pollsters of their opposition to that candidate to run again.
Financial Issues
A thorough analysis would also investigate issues regarding campaign spending, including how much money went to party strategists and ad buyers during an electoral effort that burned through an enormous war chest in a short period.
A Underlying Implication
At its core, the blockage of the official autopsy is symptomatic of an allegiance to the established hierarchy who engineered a disastrous electoral effort. The implication to the party's base – including countless loyal volunteers – appears to be that they do not be trusted to understand what party chiefs have learned based on an analysis compiled from conversations with insiders.
A party unwilling to publicly examine where it went wrong is unlikely to escape the pattern which was so advantageous to their opponents.
