This decision from the DNC to withhold the public viewing of its own post-election analysis on the 2024 election seems shocking however entirely predictable. Averse to hard truths, the Democrats' governing body often functions more like a publicity machine than an electoral entity committed to building a volunteer base capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Culture Resistant to Internal Critique
Unwilling to challenge the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the DNC has remained within the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Releasing such a report could have demonstrated whether the leadership are interested to foster open debate about the missteps that enabled the former president to win re-election. Instead, the DNC is proceeding as if there are no lessons to understand from the tragic debacle of 2024.
The top priority: is this good for winning elections? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from what truly matters," an explanation reportedly given for withholding the analysis.
Critical Problems an Analysis Would Have Examined
Any valuable post-mortem worth its salt would confront certain uncomfortable matters. These include:
- Electoral Alienation: The loss of a significant portion of the electorate that backed the party's candidate during the previous election proved pivotal in the narrowly decided recent race.
- The Insistence to Seek Re-election: The stubborn decision of the incumbent to stay in the race, and a last-minute withdrawal, is viewed as robbing Democratic voters of a competitive nomination process.
- Failing Everyday Americans: During a time of inflation, the electoral effort is criticized for accommodating elite contributors while failing to confront the role of corporate greed.
- The Gaza Impact: The refusal to shift an approach on a ongoing war is cited as driving away significant blocs, particularly with youth voters, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
- A Decline in Young Voter Backing: Polling data shows a significant decline in votes for the candidate among young voters.
A History Shunning Scrutiny
The decision to withhold fits a recurring tendency of evading difficult realities. It echoes an episode in which the vast majority of elected Democrat in Congress acquiesced to an incumbent's insistence on running for re-election until a catastrophic campaign event led to an exit.
Concurrently, large majorities within the party's base were repeatedly informing pollsters that they did not want that candidate to run again.
Campaign Spending Issues
An honest autopsy might also investigate questions regarding campaign spending, including what sums were directed to party strategists as well as ad buyers during an electoral effort that burned through an enormous sum over a few months.
A Underlying Issue
Fundamentally, the secrecy regarding the analysis highlights a submission to the existing power structure responsible for a losing presidential campaign. The signal for rank-and-file members – including countless dedicated activists – appears to be that they do not be trusted to know what the leadership have learned based on an analysis drawing from conversations with insiders.
A party unable to critically review its own failings is unlikely to climb out of the cycle that ended up being so helpful to the winning candidate.
