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This action by the DNC to withhold the release of its own autopsy report on the last presidential race appears shocking yet entirely predictable. Opposed to unpleasant candor, the Democrats' governing body often functions closer to a publicity machine rather than a political organization focused on cultivating grassroots capacities to secure victories.

An Environment Resistant to Internal Critique

Reluctant to break with the prevailing attitude of conformity, the committee has stayed under the influence of the previous administration all through this past year. Releasing the findings would have indicated whether party leaders are interested to foster open debate regarding the strategic failures which allowed the former president to become president again. Instead, the leadership is moving forward as if there's nothing to glean from the tragic debacle from the last cycle.

Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from our fundamental goal," a justification reportedly given to justify concealing the analysis.

Major Failures an Autopsy Would Have Examined

A genuine analysis worth its salt would tackle head-on key points of failure. These include:

• Voter Disengagement: Losing among millions of voters that backed the Democratic ticket in 2020 was decisive in the narrowly decided recent race.
• The Insistence to Seek Re-election: The stubborn choice by a party leader to seek re-election, alongside a last-minute withdrawal, is viewed as denying Democratic voters of a genuine choice.
• Abandoning the Working-Class Base: During a time of rising costs, the campaign is criticized for ceding to powerful financial backers and not managing to confront the role of big business.
• The Gaza Factor: The refusal to adjust a policy position regarding a major international conflict is cited as alienating significant blocs, especially with young people, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
• Eroding Youth Allegiance: Research indicates a huge drop-off in votes for the candidate from the youth electorate.

A Pattern Shunning Scrutiny

This refusal aligns with a longstanding habit of sidestepping hard truths. It echoes a dynamic where virtually every elected Democrat in Congress went along with an incumbent's determination to seeking another term until a catastrophic campaign event led to a change.

Meanwhile, a significant majority within the party's base had been repeatedly informing pollsters that they did not want that candidate to seek re-election.

Campaign Spending Concerns

An honest autopsy might also examine matters about campaign spending, including what sums went to high-priced advisors and ad buyers during an electoral effort that managed to spend a colossal amount during the general election.

A Broader Problem

At its core, the secrecy regarding the analysis is symptomatic of a deference toward party leaders that oversaw an unsuccessful electoral effort. The signal to ordinary supporters – including millions of loyal volunteers – is that they cannot be trusted to know what party chiefs claim to have learned from a report drawing from feedback from all states.

A party unable to honestly assess where it went wrong is unlikely to escape the rut that proved so helpful to the winning candidate.