The move by the DNC to block the public viewing of its own post-election analysis on the last presidential race appears stunning however to be expected. Averse to hard truths, the party's leadership apparatus behaves more like a PR firm rather than a political organization devoted to cultivating a volunteer base for winning elections.
A Climate That Avoids Dissent
Hesitant to depart from the prevailing attitude of conformity, the DNC has stayed within the influence of the previous administration all through this past year. Releasing the findings might have shown whether party leaders truly desire to promote public discourse about the strategic failures that paved the way for the former president to win re-election. Instead, the committee is acting under the pretense that there's nothing to glean following the stunning loss from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? Should the answer be negative, it is an unnecessary diversion from our fundamental goal," an explanation which was presented to justify concealing the document.
Key Issues a Report Would Have Explored
An autopsy report worth its salt would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:
- Electoral Disenchantment: The loss among millions of voters that backed the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive during the tight recent race.
- The Decision to Run: The determined decision of the incumbent to stay in the race, coupled with a very late withdrawal, has been criticized as robbing the party's base the chance for open primaries.
- Failing Everyday Americans: During a time of economic anxiety, the campaign reportedly accommodating corporate donors' interests and not managing to confront the effects of profit-seeking.
- A Foreign Policy Effect: The refusal to reconsider a policy position concerning a ongoing war reportedly led to driving away many voters, especially among young people, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
- Eroding Youth Backing: Research shows a significant decrease in votes for the candidate among the youth electorate.
A Record of Evasion
This refusal aligns with a pattern to avoid hard truths. It echoes a situation where nearly all elected Democrat in Congress supported a sitting president's determination to seeking another term right up until a catastrophic campaign event compelled a reversal.
Concurrently, a significant majority of Democratic voters were repeatedly informing pollsters of their opposition to that candidate to run again.
Campaign Spending Issues
A substantive autopsy could probe issues regarding campaign spending, such as the amounts flowed to insider consultants and media firms during a campaign that burned through a staggering war chest in a short period.
The Broader Implication
At its core, the blockage of the official autopsy highlights an allegiance to the established hierarchy responsible for an unsuccessful electoral effort. The signal for the party's base – including countless small donors – is that they do not have a right to see what the leadership claim to have learned from a report based on conversations with insiders.
An organization incapable to honestly assess its own failings finds it difficult to climb out of the cycle that proved so beneficial to the rival party.
