The move from the DNC to suppress the publication of its internal post-election analysis concerning the last presidential race appears shocking yet not surprising. Averse to frank assessments, the DNC behaves more like a PR firm than a political organization focused on building a volunteer base capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Climate Resistant to Internal Critique
Hesitant to challenge the prevailing attitude demanding unity, the committee has stayed within that legacy throughout this past year. Publishing such a report could have demonstrated that party leaders actually want to promote public discourse regarding the strategic failures that paved the way for Donald Trump to become president again. However, the DNC is proceeding under the pretense that there are no lessons to understand from the stunning loss from the last cycle.
The top priority: will this lead to victory? Should the answer be negative, it’s a distraction from our fundamental goal," an explanation which was presented to justify concealing the document.
Major Failures a Report Might Have Examined
Any valuable post-mortem with any value would not dodge certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:
- Electoral Alienation: The loss of a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the Democratic ticket in 2020 was decisive in the narrowly decided recent race.
- The Decision to Seek Re-election: The determined choice by the incumbent to run again, and a last-minute withdrawal, has been criticized as denying the party's base the chance for a competitive nomination process.
- Failing Core Democratic Voters: During a time of inflation, the campaign allegedly accommodating powerful financial backers without successfully attempting to challenge the role of profit-seeking.
- A Gaza Factor: The refusal to reconsider a policy position regarding the situation in Gaza allegedly caused losing significant blocs, notably with young people, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
- Losing Young Voter Backing: Polling data demonstrates a major decrease in votes for the candidate from the youth electorate.
A Pattern Shunning Scrutiny
The decision to withhold fits a pattern to avoid uncomfortable facts. It recalls an episode where nearly all elected Democrat in Congress supported a sitting president's decision for running for re-election right up until a disastrous public debate performance led to a reversal.
At the same time, overwhelming numbers of Democratic voters were repeatedly informing surveyors that they opposed that candidate to be the nominee.
Campaign Spending Issues
An honest report might also examine matters about campaign spending, such as how much money flowed to party strategists and advertising contractors over the course of a campaign that burned through a colossal war chest over a few months.
A Broader Problem
Ultimately, the secrecy surrounding this report points to a submission to the established hierarchy responsible for a losing national race. The message for rank-and-file members – including 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 based on conversations with insiders.
A party unwilling to publicly examine its own failings is unlikely to break free from the pattern that proved so beneficial to their opponents.
