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The action by the DNC to withhold the release of its own autopsy report on the last presidential race is shocking but not surprising. Averse to frank assessments, the DNC behaves closer to a publicity machine rather than a political organization focused on building grassroots capacities capable of prevailing at the polls.

A Culture of Conformity

Unwilling to depart from the prevailing attitude of conformity, the committee has remained under the influence of the previous administration throughout this past year. Releasing such a report would have indicated whether party leaders actually want to foster open debate about the errors that enabled Donald Trump to become president again. Instead, the leadership is moving forward as if there is little to understand following the tragic debacle from the last cycle.

"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? If the answer is no, it is an unnecessary diversion from the core mission," a rationale that has been offered for withholding the document.

Key Issues a Report Could Have Examined

An autopsy report with any value would not dodge certain uncomfortable matters. These include:

• Voter Disenchantment: Failing to retain among a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive in the narrowly decided 2024 election.
• The Choice to Run: The determined choice by a party leader to seek re-election, alongside a last-minute exit, is viewed as robbing Democratic voters of a competitive nomination process.
• Failing Everyday Americans: Amid economic anxiety, the campaign is criticized for bowing to powerful financial backers while failing to challenge the role of corporate greed.
• A Gaza Effect: An unwillingness to reconsider an approach on a ongoing war reportedly led to alienating significant blocs, notably among young people, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
• Losing Young Voter Backing: Extensive evidence indicates a major drop-off of votes for the candidate from the youth electorate.

A Record Avoiding Accountability

The decision to withhold is consistent with a recurring tendency of evading difficult realities. It recalls a dynamic in which the vast majority of elected Democrat in Washington went along with an incumbent's determination to seeking another term until a poor televised debate compelled a reversal.

Concurrently, large majorities of the electorate were repeatedly informing surveyors that they opposed that candidate to be the nominee.

Financial Issues

An honest analysis could examine issues about where money went, including how much money were directed to high-priced advisors as well as media firms over the course of an electoral effort that managed to spend a colossal sum over a few months.

The Larger Implication

Ultimately, the suppression of the official autopsy points to a deference to the established hierarchy that oversaw an unsuccessful presidential campaign. The signal for rank-and-file members – including millions of dedicated activists – is that they cannot have a right to see the lessons the leadership say they discovered from hundreds of interviews compiled from extensive interviews.

A political entity incapable to critically review its mistakes is unlikely to climb out of the rut that proved so helpful to their opponents.