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The move from the DNC to suppress the publication of its internal post-election analysis on the last presidential race appears shocking yet not surprising. Resistant to hard truths, the DNC behaves more like a publicity machine rather than an electoral entity focused on building local power for winning elections.

A Culture That Avoids Dissent

Reluctant to challenge the prevailing attitude of conformity, the committee has remained under the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Making public an official autopsy could have demonstrated whether the leadership actually want to promote open debate about the errors that paved the way for Donald Trump to win re-election. Instead, the DNC is proceeding under the pretense that there is little to understand from the tragic debacle of 2024.

"Here’s our North Star: is this good for winning elections? If the answer is no, it becomes a sideline issue from our fundamental goal," a rationale which was presented to justify concealing the document.

Major Failures an Autopsy Could Have Addressed

An autopsy report worth its salt would tackle head-on key points of failure. Among them are:

• Voter Disengagement: Losing among millions of voters who supported the Democratic ticket in 2020 proved pivotal in the narrowly decided recent race.
• The Decision to Seek Re-election: The stubborn choice of a party leader to run again, alongside a very late step-aside, has been criticized as denying Democratic voters the chance for a competitive nomination process.
• Losing Touch With Core Democratic Voters: While facing inflation, the electoral effort reportedly ceding to elite contributors without successfully attempting to address the impact of profit-seeking.
• The Gaza Effect: The failure to adjust a stance regarding a ongoing war is cited as alienating many voters, notably with youth voters, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
• Losing Young Voter Support: Research indicates a huge drop-off in Democratic support among the youth electorate.

A Pattern Shunning Scrutiny

This refusal fits a pattern to avoid difficult realities. This mirrors a situation where virtually every Democratic officeholder in Washington acquiesced to an incumbent's insistence on running for re-election right up until a disastrous campaign event compelled an exit.

Meanwhile, a significant majority within the party's base had been consistently telling pollsters of their opposition to the incumbent to seek re-election.

Campaign Spending Concerns

A substantive report could investigate matters regarding where money went, such as what sums went to party strategists and media firms over the course of an electoral effort that burned through an enormous sum during the general election.

A Broader Implication

Ultimately, the blockage surrounding this report highlights an allegiance toward the established hierarchy responsible for an unsuccessful national race. The message for the party's base – which includes countless small donors – appears to be that they do not be trusted to see the lessons the leadership say they discovered based on hundreds of interviews compiled from extensive interviews.

A political entity unable to critically review its mistakes will struggle to break free from the pattern which was so advantageous to the winning candidate.