What Changed? That’s the Real Question
The DNC says the 2024 loss had many causes, but keeping the report private is shifting the narrative
Good Morning Angry Democrats!
Something caught my attention today, and I don’t think it’s for the reason people would expect from me.
Clip is from Pod Save America with Jon Favreau interviewing DNC Chair Ken Martin
The DNC does not want to release the autopsy report from the 2024 election and I can understand why. If there are a bunch of different reasons why Democrats lost, putting all of that out publicly could muddy the waters, create a ton of noise, and turn into people who aren’t even in the arena trying to diagnose what went wrong.
Even Ken Martin says there’s no “smoking gun,” that it was one of the closest elections in years, everything mattered, and that releasing the full report would just lead to people pointing fingers instead of focusing on what comes next.
And to be honest, I get it! But that’s not why this is an issue.
You Ran on It. So What Changed?
The problem is simple. If you’re going to run on something, follow through on it.
Ken Martin didn’t just casually mention releasing the report. He criticized the DNC for not releasing the 2016 autopsy and pointed to that as exactly what not to do. He said people deserved to know what happened and why Democrats lost. That was part of the pitch. That was part of why people were supposed to trust him in that position.
Then he gets the job, and NOW we’re not releasing it.
That’s what people are reacting to.
And this is where Jon Favreau is right to press him. He asked a very simple question: what changed between August and December? Why go through the entire process of doing the report, traveling to all 50 states, interviewing people, gathering all this information, if you’re not going to show the full results of it?
And the answer keeps coming back to focusing on “lessons” instead of the full report, because the full report could be weaponized or distract from upcoming elections.
And again, I actually agree with that. But it still doesn’t answer the question.
Now Everyone Fills in the Blanks
Here’s what actually happens when you don’t release it.
You don’t prevent speculation and conspiracy theories. You guarantee it. Everyone is going to fill in the blanks themselves.
Israel and Gaza is an obvious one. Internal divisions inside the Democratic Party is another. Messaging, candidates, turnout, strategy, all of it is now open to interpretation because there is no shared understanding of what actually happened. And instead of controlling that conversation, the DNC is now reacting to it.
So now you’ve created the exact situation you said you wanted to avoid.
And instead of talking about what went wrong and how to fix it, Ken Martin is spending his time defending why the report isn’t being released in the first place.
Now that is the story and for no good reason… I think.
Politics as Usual
This is the part where it starts to feel like politics as usual. That’s what people are frustrated with.
The explanation turns into a lot of talking about staying focused, not looking backwards, learning lessons, and not bringing up the past (Like, why are you talking about that old thing again? That was 18 months ago. Move on!)
And again, to be honest that all sounds reasonable. But the way it comes across is different. It comes across like you’re telling people not to worry about it, that they don’t need to see it, that they should just trust the process. It’s condescending. Patronizing.
Because people aren’t asking for the report just to tear the party apart. They’re asking for it because you told them you were going to release it. They invested time, energy, and money into that election, and they want to understand what actually happened. THEY WANT TO WIN!
And when you change your position after you get into power, it doesn’t come across as strategic, it comes across as dishonest at best.
And hiding the truth for people that really care at worst.
The Reality
At the end of the day, I don’t even know if releasing the full report is the best move. I think most Democrats would understand that dumping everything out at once could absolutely muddy the waters, create internal conflict, and give Republicans something to latch onto and attack with. There is probably a smarter way to release that information; by breaking it down into lessons and presenting it in a way that actually helps the party improve.
But that’s not what happened here.
What happened is Martin ran on doing one thing, changed his position, and now is explaining why that change is actually better for everyone. And once that happens, everything else starts to sound like spin, smoke and mirrors, and fluff.
So, now it doesn’t even matter what’s in the report anymore.
People are going to make up their minds based on how you handled it.
Worse still, it hasn’t stopped democrats from still continuing to fight about a central theme… double down on progressive or embrace the new moderate.