DNC report
While endlessly relitigating past elections hurts us, it’s also important to engage in genuine, fact-based analysis of losses. The DNC did just that, promising to release the report…then decided not to release it. With conspiracy theories swirling and distrust rampant, transparency is more important than ever.
Email DNC Chair Ken Martin, demanding he release the report.
Why we do it:
The DNC is a private group which answers only to its own charters. It doesn’t have to release it’s internal analysis of losses, but then we don’t have to vote for it. Except, we kinda do: our constitutional form means we can never have more than two viable parties, and right now the Democratic party is the closest thing we have to sane adult leadership.
We need to vote for Democrats next election, even when it means compromises. Democracy is compromise: it’s an averaging of opinion. If you don’t want compromise, then what you want is some form of authoritarianism, but with your guy in charge. History says it never goes well.
Short of shifting to a parliamentary system where we can have many parties, our pressure on the Democratic party needs to happen during the off-season. Our candidate selection needs to happen during the primaries. By the time we have a flawed person running against a fascist, we need to be resolved to do the least harm.
Unfortunately conspiracies proliferate, fueled by Russian propaganda that wants you not to vote, and this decision feeds directly into it. With no report, everyone will experience confirmation bias: if you thought it was Biden’s fault, you’ll assume they’re protecting Biden. If you think they need more progressive candidates, you’ll assume they’re protecting the status quo. Those of you who think Elon stole the election through some vague Starlink protocol will decide they’re hiding the evidence.
An unreleased report is a Rorschach test. Write Ken Martin to demand transparency: MartinK@dnc.org
[Sample letter by Chop Wood, Carry Water:] I’m writing as a Democratic voter and volunteer to respectfully ask you to reverse your decision to not release the DNC 2024 autopsy report. How are Democrats going to learn from our mistakes if we don’t have any concept of their depth and breadth? Showing fearlessness, transparency, and a willingness to admit where we’ve gone wrong is how we win voters back! Continuing to retreat from accountability is how we ensure that we keep losing them.
