The move by the Democratic National Committee to withhold the release of its internal post-election analysis on the last presidential race appears stunning however to be expected. Resistant to frank assessments, the DNC behaves more like a PR firm than a political organization committed to building local power capable of prevailing at the polls.
A Climate Resistant to Internal Critique
Unwilling to break with the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the DNC has stayed within the influence of the previous administration throughout this past year. Publishing such a report might have shown that the leadership truly desire to foster public discourse about the strategic failures which allowed Donald Trump to become president again. Yet, the committee is acting as if there is little to glean following the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from what truly matters," a rationale reportedly given for withholding the document.
Major Failures an Autopsy Could Have Explored
Any valuable post-mortem worth its salt would confront certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:
- Voter Alienation: Failing to retain among millions of voters who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive in the close recent race.
- A Choice to Seek Re-election: The unwavering choice by the incumbent to stay in the race, coupled with a last-minute withdrawal, has been criticized as denying the party's base the chance for a competitive nomination process.
- Abandoning Everyday Americans: During a time of economic anxiety, the electoral effort reportedly ceding to elite contributors without successfully attempting to challenge the effects of profit-seeking.
- A Foreign Policy Effect: The refusal to reconsider a policy position concerning a major international conflict is cited as driving away many voters, especially with young people, Arab-Americans, Muslim voters.
- Eroding Young Voter Allegiance: Polling data demonstrates a significant decline of votes for the candidate among voters aged 18-29.
A History of Evasion
Choosing secrecy is consistent with a longstanding habit of evading difficult realities. This mirrors an episode where the vast majority of Democratic officeholder in Congress supported a sitting president's determination to seeking another term right up until a catastrophic campaign event forced a change.
Concurrently, a significant majority within the party's base had been continually telling pollsters of their opposition to the incumbent to run again.
Campaign Spending Issues
A substantive autopsy could investigate questions regarding financial allocations, such as how much money were directed to insider consultants and ad buyers during an electoral effort that burned through a colossal amount during the general election.
The Broader Problem
At its core, the blockage regarding the analysis highlights a submission to party leaders that oversaw a losing national race. The message for ordinary supporters – which includes countless small donors – appears to be that they do not have a right to see the lessons party chiefs claim to have learned based on an analysis based on conversations with insiders.
A party incapable to critically review where it went wrong finds it difficult to escape the pattern that proved so advantageous to the rival party.
