The action by the Democratic National Committee to withhold the release regarding its internal autopsy report concerning the last presidential race appears shocking but entirely predictable. Resistant to unpleasant candor, the DNC often functions closer to a communications shop than a political organization focused on cultivating local power for winning elections.
A Culture of Conformity
Unwilling to break with the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the committee has stayed within that legacy throughout this past year. Making public an official autopsy might have shown whether the leadership actually want to encourage open debate about the missteps that paved the way for Donald Trump to return to the White House. Instead, the committee is acting under the pretense that there is little to glean from the tragic debacle from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: does this help us win? Should the answer be negative, it becomes a sideline issue from our fundamental goal," an explanation reportedly given to justify concealing the report.
Major Failures a Report Might Have Examined
A genuine analysis worth its salt would not dodge a series of difficult topics. These include:
- Voter Disenchantment: The loss among millions of voters who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive in the narrowly decided recent race.
- A Decision to Seek Re-election: The unwavering choice of a party leader to run again, and a last-minute exit, is viewed as robbing Democratic voters the chance for a competitive nomination process.
- Losing Touch With the Working-Class Base: While facing economic anxiety, the campaign is criticized for accommodating elite contributors without successfully attempting to challenge the role of corporate greed.
- A Gaza Factor: The refusal to adjust an approach concerning the situation in Gaza allegedly caused driving away key demographic groups, especially among youth voters, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
- A Decline in Youth Backing: Polling data indicates a huge decrease of support for the party from the youth electorate.
A History Shunning Scrutiny
Choosing secrecy fits a pattern of evading difficult realities. This mirrors an episode where the vast majority of elected Democrat in Congress went along with an incumbent's insistence on running for re-election until a catastrophic campaign event led to a change.
Meanwhile, a significant majority of Democratic voters had been consistently telling researchers that they did not want the incumbent to run again.
Financial Questions
A substantive report would also probe questions about where money went, such as the amounts flowed to party strategists and advertising contractors over the course of a campaign which expended an enormous war chest during the general election.
The Broader Problem
Fundamentally, the blockage regarding the analysis is symptomatic of a deference toward the existing power structure responsible for a losing electoral effort. The message for ordinary supporters – which includes millions of dedicated activists – is that they do not have a right to see what the leadership have learned based on a report drawing from conversations with insiders.
An organization unwilling to critically review where it went wrong will struggle to climb out of the pattern which was so beneficial to their opponents.
