This decision by the DNC to withhold the public viewing of its internal post-election analysis on the last presidential race seems remarkable however entirely predictable. Opposed to hard truths, the party's leadership apparatus behaves more like a publicity machine rather than a political organization committed to building grassroots capacities for winning elections.
A Climate That Avoids Dissent
Hesitant to break with the prevailing attitude of conformity, the DNC has stayed within that legacy throughout this past year. Making public an official autopsy could have demonstrated that the leadership truly desire to encourage open debate regarding the missteps that enabled the former president to win re-election. However, the committee is acting under the pretense that there is little to glean from the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
The top priority: will this lead to victory? If not, it’s a distraction from what truly matters," a rationale which was presented for withholding the document.
Key Issues an Analysis Would Have Explored
Any valuable post-mortem with any value would tackle head-on a series of difficult topics. These include:
- Electoral Alienation: Losing of millions of voters who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive in the narrowly decided recent race.
- The Insistence to Seek Re-election: The unwavering decision of the incumbent to stay in the race, coupled with a last-minute exit, is seen by some as robbing Democratic voters the chance for a competitive nomination process.
- Abandoning Core Democratic Voters: During a time of inflation, the campaign allegedly accommodating corporate donors' interests and not managing to confront the role of profit-seeking.
- A Foreign Policy Effect: The failure to reconsider a policy position concerning a ongoing war reportedly led to driving away many voters, especially among young people, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
- Eroding Young Voter Backing: Research demonstrates a significant decline in votes for the candidate from voters aged 18-29.
A Pattern Shunning Scrutiny
The decision to withhold fits a recurring tendency to avoid hard truths. It recalls a dynamic where nearly all Democratic officeholder in Congress supported an incumbent's insistence on seeking another term right up until a catastrophic televised debate led to a change.
Meanwhile, a significant majority within the party's base had been continually telling surveyors of their opposition to the incumbent to be the nominee.
Campaign Spending Concerns
A thorough report could examine questions about where money went, such as the amounts went to high-priced advisors and media firms during an electoral effort that managed to spend an enormous war chest in a short period.
The Underlying Problem
Ultimately, the secrecy regarding the analysis points to a deference to the existing power structure who engineered a disastrous electoral effort. The signal to ordinary supporters – including millions of dedicated activists – is that they cannot have a right to know the lessons party chiefs have learned from an analysis drawing from conversations with insiders.
An organization unable to critically review its own failings will struggle to climb out of the rut that proved so helpful to the winning candidate.
