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The move by the DNC to suppress the publication of its own autopsy report on the last presidential race seems remarkable yet not surprising. Averse to frank assessments, the Democrats' governing body often functions closer to a PR firm rather than a political organization committed to building grassroots capacities capable of prevailing at the polls.

A Culture Resistant to Internal Critique

Reluctant to depart from the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the committee has stayed under the influence of the previous administration throughout this past year. Releasing an official autopsy might have shown that the leadership actually want to promote public discourse regarding the strategic failures that enabled the former president to return to the White House. However, the DNC is proceeding under the pretense that there are no lessons to glean from the tragic debacle of 2024.

"Here’s our North Star: does this help us win? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from what truly matters," a rationale reportedly given to justify concealing the report.

Major Failures an Autopsy Could Have Addressed

An autopsy report worth its salt would confront a series of difficult topics. This encompasses:

• Electoral Alienation: The loss among a significant portion of the electorate that backed the party's candidate in 2020 became a critical factor in the narrowly decided recent race.
• A Decision to Seek Re-election: The unwavering decision by the incumbent to seek re-election, and an extremely delayed exit, is viewed as denying Democratic voters the chance for open primaries.
• Failing the Working-Class Base: Amid inflation, the electoral effort is criticized for bowing to powerful financial backers without successfully attempting to challenge the impact of profit-seeking.
• The Foreign Policy Effect: The refusal to adjust a stance concerning the situation in Gaza is cited as losing significant blocs, notably with young people, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
• Losing Young Voter Support: Polling data shows a huge decline in support for the party among young voters.

A History Shunning Scrutiny

The decision to withhold is consistent with a recurring tendency of evading hard truths. This mirrors an episode where nearly all Democratic officeholder in Washington supported an incumbent's insistence on seeking another term until a poor campaign event led to a change.

Meanwhile, a significant majority of the electorate were continually telling surveyors of their opposition to that candidate to seek re-election.

Financial Questions

A thorough analysis might also investigate matters about financial allocations, such as how much money flowed to insider consultants as well as advertising contractors during a campaign which expended an enormous sum in a short period.

The Larger Problem

Fundamentally, the blockage of the official autopsy highlights an allegiance to the existing power structure that oversaw a disastrous presidential campaign. The message for ordinary supporters – including countless loyal volunteers – appears to be that they cannot be trusted to know what party chiefs have learned based on a report compiled from extensive interviews.

An organization unwilling to publicly examine its mistakes is unlikely to break free from the rut which was so helpful to their opponents.