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This decision from the DNC to suppress the publication regarding its internal autopsy report on the 2024 election appears stunning however to be expected. Opposed to hard truths, the DNC operates more like a PR firm than an electoral entity focused on building local power to secure victories.

An Environment of Conformity

Reluctant to depart from the party establishment's culture of conformity, the committee has stayed within the Biden-Harris shadow throughout 2025. Publishing an official autopsy would have indicated that party leaders truly desire to promote honest conversation about the errors which allowed Donald Trump to return to the White House. Yet, the DNC is proceeding as if there are no lessons to understand from the tragic debacle from the last cycle.

Our guiding principle: is this good for winning elections? Should the answer be negative, it is an unnecessary diversion from our fundamental goal," a justification which was presented to justify concealing the document.

Major Failures a Report Might Have Addressed

An autopsy report worth its salt would tackle head-on certain uncomfortable matters. These include:

• Voter Disengagement: Losing among millions of voters who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive during the tight recent race.
• A Choice to Seek Re-election: The unwavering insistence of the incumbent to seek re-election, alongside a last-minute withdrawal, has been criticized as robbing Democratic voters of open primaries.
• Losing Touch With Everyday Americans: Amid inflation, the campaign allegedly bowing to corporate donors' interests without successfully attempting to challenge the effects of corporate greed.
• The Gaza Impact: The failure to shift a policy position concerning the situation in Gaza allegedly caused losing many voters, especially among youth voters, Arab-Americans, Muslim voters.
• Eroding Youth Backing: Extensive evidence shows a significant decline of support for the party among voters aged 18-29.

A Record of Evasion

The decision to withhold aligns with a recurring tendency to avoid hard truths. It recalls a dynamic in which nearly all Democratic officeholder in Congress acquiesced to a sitting president's decision for running for re-election until a catastrophic televised debate forced a reversal.

At the same time, a significant majority of the electorate had been repeatedly informing surveyors that they did not want that candidate to run again.

Campaign Spending Issues

An honest report might also investigate questions regarding campaign spending, including what sums went to high-priced advisors and ad buyers during a campaign that burned through an enormous sum in a short period.

A Larger Issue

Ultimately, the blockage of the official autopsy is symptomatic of a deference toward the existing power structure that oversaw an unsuccessful presidential campaign. The signal for rank-and-file members – including countless loyal volunteers – appears to be that they cannot have a right to know the lessons the insiders claim to have learned from a report compiled from feedback from all states.

A party unable to publicly examine its mistakes will struggle to escape the rut that proved so helpful to their opponents.