This move by the DNC to block the public viewing of its internal autopsy report concerning the last presidential race seems remarkable but not surprising. Resistant to unpleasant candor, the DNC operates closer to a PR firm rather than a political organization devoted to cultivating a volunteer base capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Culture of Conformity
Hesitant to depart from the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the DNC has remained within the influence of the previous administration throughout this past year. Releasing the findings would have indicated whether party leaders actually want to encourage honest conversation about the errors that enabled Donald Trump to return to the White House. Instead, the committee is acting under the pretense that there is little to be learned following the tragic debacle from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: will this lead to victory? Should the answer be negative, it is an unnecessary diversion from our fundamental goal," a justification which was presented for withholding the report.
Key Issues an Autopsy Could Have Examined
A genuine analysis worth its salt would tackle head-on key points of failure. Among them are:
- Electoral Disenchantment: The loss among a significant portion of the electorate that backed the party's candidate during the previous election proved pivotal in the narrowly decided recent race.
- A Choice to Run: The determined choice of a party leader to run again, and a very late exit, is viewed as denying the party's base the chance for a genuine choice.
- Losing Touch With Everyday Americans: Amid rising costs, the campaign is criticized for ceding to corporate donors' interests without successfully attempting to confront the effects of big business.
- A Foreign Policy Factor: The refusal to shift a policy position regarding a ongoing war is cited as driving away significant blocs, especially among youth voters, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
- Losing Young Voter Allegiance: Research indicates a major decline of support for the party among the youth electorate.
A History Avoiding Accountability
The decision to withhold fits a recurring tendency of evading difficult realities. This mirrors a situation in which the vast majority of elected Democrat in Congress acquiesced to an incumbent's determination to seeking another term until a disastrous campaign event led to a reversal.
At the same time, large majorities of the electorate were repeatedly informing surveyors that they opposed that candidate to be the nominee.
Campaign Spending Concerns
A substantive autopsy would also examine issues regarding where money went, including what sums flowed to party strategists and media firms over the course of an electoral effort which expended a colossal sum during the general election.
A Broader Implication
Ultimately, the suppression regarding the analysis is symptomatic of a submission toward the established hierarchy responsible for an unsuccessful national race. The implication for rank-and-file members – which includes millions of small donors – is that they do not be trusted to understand the lessons party chiefs claim to have learned based on a report compiled from conversations with insiders.
A political entity unable to publicly examine its own failings finds it difficult to climb out of the rut which was so beneficial to their opponents.
