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This decision from the DNC to withhold the public viewing regarding its internal autopsy report on the last presidential race appears remarkable however not surprising. Resistant to hard truths, the Democrats' governing body often functions more like a PR firm rather than a political organization focused on building grassroots capacities capable of prevailing at the polls.

A Climate Resistant to Internal Critique

Reluctant to challenge the party establishment's culture demanding unity, the DNC has continued under the Biden-Harris shadow throughout this past year. Making public an official autopsy would have indicated that party leaders truly desire to encourage public discourse regarding the strategic failures that enabled the former president to become president again. Instead, the leadership is moving forward as if there's nothing to understand from the stunning loss from the last cycle.

"Here’s our North Star: will this lead to victory? If not, it is an unnecessary diversion from what truly matters," a justification that has been offered to justify concealing the document.

Critical Problems a Report Could Have Explored

Any valuable post-mortem of substance would not dodge a series of difficult topics. Among them are:

• Voter Disengagement: Losing of a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive during the tight recent race.
• The Choice to Run: The unwavering decision by a party leader to seek re-election, and an extremely delayed exit, is seen by some as robbing Democratic voters of a genuine choice.
• Losing Touch With Everyday Americans: During a time of economic anxiety, the electoral effort allegedly accommodating powerful financial backers while failing to confront the impact of big business.
• The Gaza Effect: The failure to adjust a stance concerning the situation in Gaza reportedly led to alienating significant blocs, particularly among youth voters, Arab American communities, Muslim voters.
• Losing Young Voter Support: Research shows a significant decrease in Democratic support from young voters.

A History Shunning Scrutiny

Choosing secrecy aligns with a longstanding habit to avoid uncomfortable facts. It echoes an episode in which virtually every Democratic officeholder in Congress went along with an incumbent's determination to running for re-election until a disastrous public debate performance led to an exit.

Concurrently, a significant majority within the party's base were repeatedly informing researchers that they opposed the incumbent to be the nominee.

Campaign Spending Concerns

A thorough analysis might also investigate questions about campaign spending, such as how much money were directed to party strategists and ad buyers over the course of an electoral effort which expended an enormous sum during the general election.

A Broader Issue

Fundamentally, the blockage surrounding this report highlights a submission toward party leaders responsible for a losing national race. The message for the party's base – including countless small donors – is that they cannot have a right to know what party chiefs have learned based on hundreds of interviews based on conversations with insiders.

A party unwilling to publicly examine where it went wrong is unlikely to escape the pattern which was so helpful to the winning candidate.