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The decision from the DNC to withhold the release of its own autopsy report concerning the last presidential race is remarkable however not surprising. Resistant to hard truths, the Democrats' governing body behaves more like a publicity machine than an electoral entity committed to cultivating a volunteer base to secure victories.

An Environment Resistant to Internal Critique

Hesitant to challenge the prevailing attitude demanding unity, the DNC has continued under that legacy all through this past year. Making public the findings might have shown whether party leaders are interested to foster public discourse about the errors that enabled Donald Trump to become president again. Instead, the DNC is proceeding as if there is little to glean from the stunning loss from the last cycle.

Our guiding principle: does this help us win? If the answer is no, it becomes a sideline issue from our fundamental goal," a justification reportedly given for withholding the document.

Key Issues an Autopsy Might Have Addressed

An autopsy report with any value would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:

• Voter Disenchantment: The loss of a significant portion of the electorate that backed the party's candidate during the previous election proved pivotal in the narrowly decided recent race.
• The Insistence to Seek Re-election: The unwavering decision of a party leader to seek re-election, and an extremely delayed exit, has been criticized as denying the party's base of a competitive nomination process.
• Failing the Working-Class Base: During a time of inflation, the electoral effort allegedly accommodating powerful financial backers without successfully attempting to challenge the impact of corporate greed.
• The Gaza Factor: The failure to adjust a policy position concerning a ongoing war is cited as losing many voters, notably with young people, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
• Eroding Young Voter Allegiance: Extensive evidence indicates a huge decline of votes for the candidate from young voters.

A Pattern of Evasion

Choosing secrecy aligns with a pattern to avoid uncomfortable facts. It recalls an episode where virtually every Democratic officeholder in Congress acquiesced to an incumbent's decision for running for re-election right up until a catastrophic televised debate compelled a reversal.

Concurrently, large majorities of the electorate had been continually telling pollsters that they did not want the incumbent to seek re-election.

Financial Questions

A thorough autopsy would also examine matters regarding campaign spending, such as how much money went to party strategists as well as ad buyers during an electoral effort that managed to spend an enormous sum during the general election.

A Larger Issue

Fundamentally, the blockage of the official autopsy points to an allegiance to party leaders that oversaw a losing electoral effort. The implication for the party's base – including countless small donors – is that they cannot be trusted to know the lessons the insiders claim to have learned from an analysis drawing from conversations with insiders.

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