The move by the Democratic National Committee to withhold the release of its internal post-election analysis concerning the last presidential race seems shocking but to be expected. Opposed to hard truths, the party's leadership apparatus operates more like a publicity machine rather than an electoral entity devoted to cultivating local power for winning elections.
A Climate Resistant to Internal Critique
Hesitant to break with the party establishment's culture of conformity, the committee has stayed within the influence of the previous administration all through this past year. Making public such a report could have demonstrated that the leadership truly desire to encourage public discourse regarding the errors which allowed Donald Trump to become president again. Yet, the leadership is moving forward as if there is little to understand from the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.
Our guiding principle: will this lead to victory? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from what truly matters," an explanation which was presented to justify concealing the report.
Major Failures an Analysis Might Have Examined
Any valuable post-mortem of substance would confront certain uncomfortable matters. This encompasses:
- Voter Disenchantment: Failing to retain of millions of voters that backed the Democratic ticket during the previous election became a critical factor in the narrowly decided recent race.
- A Decision to Seek Re-election: The stubborn insistence of a party leader to stay in the race, alongside a last-minute step-aside, is seen by some as robbing Democratic voters of a competitive nomination process.
- Abandoning Core Democratic Voters: While facing economic anxiety, the campaign reportedly accommodating corporate donors' interests while failing to confront the impact of profit-seeking.
- The Gaza Effect: The refusal to shift a policy position on a major international conflict is cited as driving away significant blocs, particularly among young people, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
- A Decline in Youth Allegiance: Extensive evidence indicates a significant decrease of Democratic support from young voters.
A Pattern Shunning Scrutiny
The decision to withhold fits a longstanding habit of evading uncomfortable facts. It recalls a situation where nearly all elected Democrat in Washington acquiesced to an incumbent's insistence on seeking another term until a disastrous televised debate compelled a reversal.
Meanwhile, large majorities within the party's base were continually telling surveyors that they did not want that candidate to be the nominee.
Financial Questions
A substantive autopsy might also examine issues regarding campaign spending, such as the amounts went to insider consultants as well as advertising contractors during a campaign that burned through a colossal war chest during the general election.
A Larger Implication
At its core, the secrecy regarding the analysis is symptomatic of a deference to the established hierarchy responsible for a losing electoral effort. The message for the party's base – including millions of dedicated activists – appears to be that they do not have a right to see the lessons the insiders say they discovered from hundreds of interviews based on conversations with insiders.
A political entity unwilling to honestly assess its own failings will struggle to escape the pattern which was so beneficial to the winning candidate.
