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This action by the DNC to withhold the public viewing of its internal autopsy report on the last presidential race seems stunning however to be expected. Opposed to unpleasant candor, the DNC operates closer to a publicity machine rather than an electoral entity committed to cultivating local power for winning elections.

A Culture That Avoids Dissent

Hesitant to break with the prevailing attitude demanding unity, the DNC has remained within the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Making public an official autopsy would have indicated whether party leaders truly desire to encourage honest conversation regarding the strategic failures that enabled the former president to return to the White House. Yet, the committee is acting as if there are no lessons to be learned from the tragic debacle from the last cycle.

Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it becomes a sideline issue from what truly matters," an explanation that has been offered to justify concealing the report.

Major Failures an Autopsy Would Have Examined

An autopsy report worth its salt would confront a series of difficult topics. Among them are:

• Voter Disenchantment: Losing among millions of voters who voted for the Democratic ticket in 2020 proved pivotal during the tight 2024 election.
• The Choice to Seek Re-election: The stubborn insistence of the incumbent to stay in the race, and a last-minute step-aside, is viewed as robbing Democratic voters the chance for a competitive nomination process.
• Failing Everyday Americans: During a time of rising costs, the electoral effort allegedly bowing to elite contributors and not managing to confront the role of big business.
• A Foreign Policy Impact: The refusal to adjust a policy position concerning a major international conflict allegedly caused alienating significant blocs, notably among young people, Arab-Americans, Muslim voters.
• Losing Young Voter Support: Research demonstrates a huge drop-off in support for the party from the youth electorate.

A History of Evasion

Choosing secrecy fits a longstanding habit of sidestepping difficult realities. It echoes an episode in which nearly all Democratic officeholder in Congress supported a sitting president's determination to seeking another term until a poor public debate performance led to a reversal.

Concurrently, large majorities of the electorate had been consistently telling surveyors that they opposed the incumbent to seek re-election.

Financial Questions

An honest report might also examine issues regarding campaign spending, such as the amounts went to party strategists and advertising contractors during an electoral effort that managed to spend a staggering amount in a short period.

The Broader Implication

At its core, the suppression of the official autopsy points to a deference to the existing power structure who engineered an unsuccessful presidential campaign. The message to the party's base – which includes countless loyal volunteers – is that they do not be trusted to see what the insiders have learned based on hundreds of interviews based on feedback from all states.

An organization incapable to critically review where it went wrong is unlikely to escape the rut that proved so helpful to the rival party.