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This action from the DNC to suppress the public viewing of its internal autopsy report on the 2024 election seems stunning but to be expected. Opposed to hard truths, the DNC often functions closer to a publicity machine rather than an electoral entity devoted to cultivating a volunteer base to secure victories.

A Climate of Conformity

Unwilling to depart from the party establishment's culture of conformity, the committee has continued within the Biden-Harris shadow all through this past year. Releasing an official autopsy would have indicated whether the leadership actually want to encourage honest conversation regarding the errors that paved the way for Donald Trump to become president again. Instead, the committee is acting under the pretense that there are no lessons to glean from the tragic debacle from the last cycle.

Our guiding principle: is this good for winning elections? Should the answer be negative, it is an unnecessary diversion from what truly matters," a rationale reportedly given for withholding the report.

Critical Problems a Report Might Have Examined

Any valuable post-mortem worth its salt would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. This encompasses:

• Voter Alienation: Losing of a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the party's candidate in 2020 became a critical factor in the close recent race.
• The Choice to Seek Re-election: The unwavering insistence by the incumbent to seek re-election, and a very late withdrawal, is seen by some as robbing the party's base of open primaries.
• Failing Everyday Americans: While facing rising costs, the campaign allegedly ceding to powerful financial backers and not managing to confront the role of big business.
• A Foreign Policy Factor: An unwillingness to reconsider a policy position on a major international conflict is cited as driving away significant blocs, particularly with young people, Arab American communities, and Muslim Americans.
• Eroding Youth Backing: Extensive evidence indicates a significant decrease of votes for the candidate among young voters.

A Record of Evasion

The decision to withhold fits a pattern of evading hard truths. This mirrors a situation in which virtually every Democratic officeholder in Washington acquiesced to a sitting president's decision for running for re-election right up until a disastrous public debate performance led to an exit.

At the same time, a significant majority of Democratic voters were continually telling researchers that they did not want that candidate to run again.

Financial Concerns

An honest report would also investigate matters regarding campaign spending, such as how much money went to party strategists as well as ad buyers during an electoral effort that managed to spend an enormous amount during the general election.

A Larger Problem

At its core, the secrecy regarding the analysis is symptomatic of a deference to the existing power structure responsible for a disastrous electoral effort. The signal for ordinary supporters – including millions of small donors – appears to be that they do not be trusted to understand the lessons the insiders say they discovered from hundreds of interviews compiled from feedback from all states.

A party unwilling to honestly assess its own failings is unlikely to break free from the pattern that proved so advantageous to the rival party.