This action by the Democratic National Committee to suppress the release of its internal autopsy report concerning the 2024 election is remarkable but to be expected. Resistant to hard truths, the Democrats' governing body behaves more like a PR firm rather than a political organization committed to building grassroots capacities for winning elections.
A Culture Resistant to Internal Critique
Hesitant to break with the prevailing attitude demanding unity, the DNC has stayed within the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Releasing an official autopsy might have shown whether party leaders are interested to encourage public discourse regarding the errors that paved the way for the former president to return to the White House. Yet, the committee is acting under the pretense that there's nothing to understand from the electoral catastrophe of 2024.
"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? Should the answer be negative, it’s a distraction from what truly matters," a rationale reportedly given for withholding the analysis.
Key Issues an Autopsy Would Have Explored
A genuine analysis of substance would confront certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:
- Voter Alienation: Losing of millions of voters that backed the Democratic ticket in 2020 became a critical factor during the tight recent race.
- A Decision to Seek Re-election: The stubborn decision by the incumbent to stay in the race, alongside an extremely delayed step-aside, is seen by some as denying the party's base the chance for a genuine choice.
- Failing Everyday Americans: During a time of rising costs, the electoral effort is criticized for ceding to corporate donors' interests and not managing to address the effects of corporate greed.
- The Gaza Effect: The refusal to reconsider a policy position concerning the situation in Gaza allegedly caused losing significant blocs, especially with young people, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
- Losing Young Voter Support: Research indicates a significant decrease of votes for the candidate from the youth electorate.
A History Avoiding Accountability
The decision to withhold is consistent with a recurring tendency of sidestepping uncomfortable facts. It recalls an episode where nearly all Democratic officeholder in Congress acquiesced to an incumbent's insistence on running for re-election until a catastrophic televised debate led to an exit.
Meanwhile, a significant majority of the electorate had been repeatedly informing pollsters that they opposed that candidate to run again.
Campaign Spending Concerns
An honest analysis would also investigate issues about where money went, including what sums went to high-priced advisors and advertising contractors over the course of an electoral effort which expended an enormous sum during the general election.
The Underlying Problem
At its core, the suppression of the official autopsy is symptomatic of a deference to the existing power structure responsible for a losing presidential campaign. The signal to ordinary supporters – which includes millions of dedicated activists – is that they do not have a right to see the lessons the insiders say they discovered based on an analysis compiled from conversations with insiders.
A political entity unable to critically review where it went wrong will struggle to climb out of the rut which was so beneficial to the rival party.
