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This decision by the Democratic National Committee to withhold the release regarding its internal autopsy report on the 2024 election seems stunning but not surprising. Opposed to hard truths, the party's leadership apparatus often functions closer to a publicity machine than a political organization focused on building local power to secure victories.

A Culture of Conformity

Reluctant to depart from the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the committee has remained under the Biden-Harris shadow all through this past year. Making public the findings could have demonstrated that the leadership are interested to foster honest conversation about the errors which allowed Donald Trump to become president again. Instead, the DNC is proceeding as if there is little to glean following the stunning loss of 2024.

"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? If the answer is no, it’s a distraction from our fundamental goal," an explanation reportedly given for withholding the report.

Major Failures a Report Would Have Examined

An autopsy report with any value would tackle head-on key points of failure. These include:

• Voter Alienation: Losing of a significant portion of the electorate that backed the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive in the narrowly decided recent race.
• A Decision to Run: The stubborn choice by the incumbent to seek re-election, coupled with a last-minute withdrawal, is viewed as robbing Democratic voters the chance for a genuine choice.
• Failing Everyday Americans: During a time of inflation, the electoral effort allegedly ceding to powerful financial backers without successfully attempting to challenge the impact of big business.
• A Foreign Policy Effect: The failure to reconsider a stance regarding the situation in Gaza reportedly led to alienating many voters, particularly with youth voters, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
• A Decline in Youth Allegiance: Polling data shows a significant drop-off of support for the party among voters aged 18-29.

A Record Shunning Scrutiny

The decision to withhold is consistent with a pattern of evading uncomfortable facts. It echoes a dynamic where virtually every elected Democrat in Congress went along with an incumbent's determination to running for re-election until a catastrophic public debate performance forced a change.

Concurrently, large majorities within the party's base had been continually telling surveyors of their opposition to the incumbent to run again.

Financial Issues

An honest autopsy would also investigate matters about financial allocations, such as what sums went to high-priced advisors and advertising contractors during an electoral effort that managed to spend an enormous amount in a short period.

The Underlying Issue

At its core, the blockage surrounding this report highlights a submission to the established hierarchy who engineered an unsuccessful presidential campaign. The message for the party's base – including countless small donors – is that they do not be trusted to understand the lessons the insiders have learned from a report compiled from extensive interviews.

An organization unable to critically review where it went wrong finds it difficult to break free from the cycle that ended up being so advantageous to the rival party.