This move from the DNC to withhold the public viewing of its internal autopsy report on the last presidential race seems shocking however entirely predictable. Averse to hard truths, the Democrats' governing body often functions closer to a PR firm rather than a political organization focused on building a volunteer base to secure victories.
An Environment Resistant to Internal Critique
Unwilling to challenge the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the committee has remained within that legacy all through this past year. Making public an official autopsy could have demonstrated whether the leadership are interested to foster open debate regarding the strategic failures that enabled the former president to return to the White House. Instead, the committee is acting as if there's nothing to be learned following the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: is this good for winning elections? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from the core mission," a rationale that has been offered for withholding the report.
Critical Problems an Autopsy Might Have Addressed
Any valuable post-mortem with any value would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:
- Voter Alienation: Failing to retain of a significant portion of the electorate that backed the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive during the tight recent race.
- The Choice to Seek Re-election: The stubborn decision by a party leader to seek re-election, and an extremely delayed withdrawal, is viewed as denying Democratic voters the chance for a genuine choice.
- Losing Touch With Core Democratic Voters: While facing inflation, the electoral effort is criticized for ceding to corporate donors' interests while failing to confront the impact of big business.
- A Foreign Policy Effect: An unwillingness to adjust a policy position concerning a major international conflict allegedly caused losing many voters, notably with young people, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
- A Decline in Youth Support: Research shows a significant decrease in support for the party from the youth electorate.
A Record of Evasion
This refusal fits a recurring tendency of evading uncomfortable facts. It echoes a dynamic where nearly all elected Democrat in Washington supported an incumbent's determination to running for re-election until a catastrophic public debate performance forced a reversal.
At the same time, a significant majority of Democratic voters were consistently telling researchers that they did not want the incumbent to be the nominee.
Campaign Spending Issues
A substantive autopsy might also investigate matters about where money went, including how much money went to high-priced advisors and ad buyers over the course of a campaign that burned through an enormous war chest over a few months.
A Broader Issue
Fundamentally, the blockage of the official autopsy points to an allegiance to the established hierarchy that oversaw a disastrous electoral effort. The signal for the party's base – including millions of loyal volunteers – appears to be that they do not be trusted to see the lessons the insiders say they discovered from an analysis compiled from feedback from all states.
A party incapable to honestly assess its mistakes is unlikely to escape the rut that proved so helpful to the winning candidate.
