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The decision from the Democratic National Committee to block the publication regarding its own post-election analysis on the last presidential race seems shocking however to be expected. Opposed to hard truths, the party's leadership apparatus operates closer to a PR firm rather than a political organization focused on building grassroots capacities for winning elections.

A Culture That Avoids Dissent

Unwilling to break with the party establishment's culture of conformity, the DNC has continued within the influence of the previous administration throughout this past year. Making public the findings could have demonstrated that the leadership truly desire to promote public discourse about the missteps which allowed Donald Trump to become president again. Instead, the leadership is moving forward under the pretense that there is little to glean following the tragic debacle from the last cycle.

The top priority: will this lead to victory? Should the answer be negative, it becomes a sideline issue from what truly matters," a rationale that has been offered for withholding the analysis.

Major Failures a Report Would Have Explored

A genuine analysis with any value would not dodge certain uncomfortable matters. Among them are:

• Electoral Disengagement: The loss among a significant portion of the electorate who voted for the Democratic ticket during the previous election was decisive in the close recent race.
• The Decision to Run: The determined decision of a party leader to stay in the race, and a last-minute step-aside, is seen by some as denying the party's base the chance for a genuine choice.
• Failing the Working-Class Base: While facing economic anxiety, the electoral effort allegedly accommodating corporate donors' interests without successfully attempting to address the role of corporate greed.
• The Foreign Policy Impact: The failure to shift an approach concerning a ongoing war reportedly led to driving away many voters, particularly with youth voters, Arab-Americans, Muslim voters.
• Eroding Young Voter Backing: Research indicates a significant drop-off in support for the party among young voters.

A Record of Evasion

The decision to withhold aligns with a recurring tendency to avoid difficult realities. It echoes an episode in which virtually every Democratic officeholder in Washington acquiesced to an incumbent's insistence on running for re-election until a disastrous televised debate compelled a reversal.

At the same time, overwhelming numbers of the electorate were continually telling pollsters of their opposition to that candidate to seek re-election.

Financial Issues

A substantive autopsy would also investigate issues regarding financial allocations, including the amounts went to party strategists as well as media firms during a campaign that managed to spend an enormous sum during the general election.

A Larger Issue

Fundamentally, the blockage of the official autopsy points to a submission to the existing power structure who engineered a disastrous electoral effort. The message to ordinary supporters – which includes millions of small donors – is that they do not have a right to know what the leadership claim to have learned based on hundreds of interviews compiled from feedback from all states.

A party unwilling to publicly examine where it went wrong finds it difficult to break free from the pattern which was so advantageous to their opponents.