The Democratic National Committee (DNC) controversially blocked the release of its 2024 election autopsy report, sparking criticism that it's prioritizing self-preservation and protecting party leaders over learning from past failures and engaging in public discourse.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has controversially blocked the release of its own autopsy report on the 2024 election, a decision the author deems "stunning but not surprising." The article criticizes the DNC for functioning more like a PR firm than a political organization, prioritizing self-preservation, and protecting party leaders from critique, even after what is described as a "disaster" election. The DNC, operating under the "Biden-Harris shadow," is accused of fostering a culture of conformity and evading hard truths, such as President Biden's insistence on re-election despite public disapproval and Vice President Kamala Harris's perceived inability to coherently address campaign missteps. A truly valuable autopsy, the article argues, would have probed critical issues like the substantial campaign spending on consultants, Harris's unwavering stance on arms shipments to Israel despite potential vote gains from an arms embargo, and the broader "Gaza effect" which alienated young, Arab-American, and Muslim American voters. It would also address the loss of 6.8 million voters from Biden's 2020 base, Biden's "betrayal" by not stepping aside earlier, and the party's abandonment of its working-class base due to corporate influence and failure to address inflation. DNC chair Ken Martin's justification for withholding the report—that it would be a "distraction" from winning—is dismissed as elitist and backwards, suggesting the DNC doesn't trust its own base with crucial information. The author, director of RootsAction, highlights their own in-depth autopsy, which identified voter disenchantment, Biden's re-election bid, abandonment of the working class, and the Gaza effect as key failures, drawing parallels to the 2016 election. The article concludes that the DNC's refusal to publicly examine its failings, driven by a desire to "keep peace within the party" and protect those who "fucked up," will prevent it from escaping a rut that benefits Republicans and impedes progressives' efforts to challenge the party's power structure.
