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This decision by the Democratic National Committee to withhold the publication regarding its own post-election analysis on the 2024 election is remarkable but to be expected. Averse to hard truths, the party's leadership apparatus often functions more like a PR firm than an electoral entity devoted to building local power to secure victories.

An Environment That Avoids Dissent

Unwilling to depart from the prevailing attitude demanding unity, the DNC has continued within the Biden-Harris shadow all through this past year. Releasing such a report would have indicated that the leadership are interested to foster public discourse about the missteps which allowed the former president to win re-election. Yet, the leadership is moving forward as if there is little to be learned following the electoral catastrophe from the last cycle.

Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If not, it becomes a sideline issue from what truly matters," a justification which was presented for withholding the report.

Key Issues an Autopsy Could Have Examined

Any valuable post-mortem with any value would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. These include:

• Electoral Alienation: Failing to retain among a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election became a critical factor during the tight 2024 election.
• The Insistence to Run: The determined choice by the incumbent to stay in the race, alongside an extremely delayed withdrawal, has been criticized as denying the party's base the chance for a competitive nomination process.
• Failing Core Democratic Voters: During a time of inflation, the campaign allegedly bowing to elite contributors while failing to address the impact of profit-seeking.
• The Foreign Policy Effect: The refusal to adjust an approach on a major international conflict allegedly caused losing significant blocs, especially among youth voters, Arab-Americans, and Muslim Americans.
• Eroding Young Voter Backing: Research demonstrates a significant decline in support for the party among the youth electorate.

A Pattern Avoiding Accountability

The decision to withhold aligns with a longstanding habit of sidestepping difficult realities. This mirrors a dynamic where nearly all elected Democrat in Congress acquiesced to a sitting president's determination to seeking another term until a disastrous televised debate led to a change.

Meanwhile, a significant majority of Democratic voters were consistently telling surveyors of their opposition to the incumbent to be the nominee.

Campaign Spending Questions

A thorough report might also investigate questions about where money went, such as what sums were directed to party strategists and media firms over the course of an electoral effort that managed to spend a colossal war chest over a few months.

The Larger Problem

At its core, the blockage of the official autopsy highlights a deference toward party leaders that oversaw a losing presidential campaign. The message to the party's base – which includes millions of small donors – appears to be that they cannot have a right to understand the lessons the leadership have learned based on a report drawing from conversations with insiders.

A party unwilling to publicly examine where it went wrong finds it difficult to escape the pattern that proved so advantageous to their opponents.