Kamala Harris (file photo)

TOI correspondent from Washington: After months of secrecy, accusations, leaks and intra-party paranoia, the Democratic Party on Thursday released its long-awaited autopsy of the disastrous 2024 presidential campaign that resulted in Kamala Harris losing the election to Donald Trump, turning the post-mortem into yet another debacle. The 192-page review, written primarily by Democratic strategist Paul Rivera, aimed to explain how Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election to Trump despite massive fundraising, late enthusiasm after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and widespread Democratic warnings that the MAGA supremo represents an existential threat to American democracy. Instead, the report highlights a party that is still deeply divided over what exactly went wrong.The report paints a picture of a Democratic Party that is alienated from working-class voters, weak on economic messaging, culturally overextended and organizationally complacent. It argues that Democrats have lost credibility on immigration, public safety and inflation, while Republicans have successfully portrayed Harris as an ineffective manager of the Biden administration.Yet what may be most shocking is not what the autopsy says, but what it strangely avoids saying. The report notably sidesteps the continued scrutiny of Biden’s disastrous decision to run for re-election despite widespread voter concerns about his age and stamina — Democrats publicly dismissed those concerns until his disastrous debate performance forced them to withdraw. Nor does it seriously examine the chaotic process that led Harris to the nomination without a competitive primary after Biden leaves office in July 2024.That omission has angered many Democrats who believe the party establishment is still shielding senior figures like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer from accountability.The report barely touches on another politically explosive issue: divisions within the party over U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza, a conflict that has alienated many young and progressive voters. Critics were quick to note that the nearly 200-page document about Democratic collapse managed to avoid mentioning “Gaza” or “Palestine” in any meaningful way.The findings themselves often read less as a compilation of painful truths than a dramatic revelation Democrats have spent two years debating on podcasts, cable television and anguished group chats. The report concludes that Democrats failed to connect with Latino voters, men, rural Americans and young voters. The party remained heavily dependent on traditional media and remained far removed from the emerging digital ecosystem dominated by MAGA Republicans. It says Trump’s campaign learned more from organizing Barack Obama’s 2008 revolution than the Dems.The autopsy also criticized Democratic spending practices, suggesting that the Harris campaign spent astonishing amounts of money with questionable efficiency. Harris raised nearly $1 billion in a brief 107-day campaign but still failed to overcome voter dissatisfaction with the economy, immigration and perceptions of elite isolation.But the most extraordinary feature of the release is the Democratic National Committee’s own disclaimer attached to the document. DNC Chairman Ken Martin practically disowned the report when it was published, while acknowledging that the document was incomplete, unpolished, and lacking adequate sources. “I’m not proud of this product,” he admitted, while emphasizing that transparency required its release anyway.This defeat reflects the broader plight of the Democratic Party in 2028. On one side are established figures who argue that Dems need sharper messaging and better organization against the increasingly unpopular Trump administration. On the other side are progressive and young activists who believe the party suffers from something deeper: a leadership culture that is risk-averse, consultant-driven, overly managerial and fearful of real ideological conflict.Many Democrats privately acknowledged that Harris faced almost impossible odds after clinching the nomination late. The result was a campaign that often appeared torn between defending Biden’s record and promising generational change — an impossible political yoga pose.For now, Democrats are trying to focus on the 2026 midterms, where Trump’s polarizing presidency could once again help unify the anti-Republican vote. But the autopsy suggests the party still has no definitive answer to the big question that has been troubling it since 2024: whether Trump’s victory was an aberration — or evidence that Democrats have fundamentally lost touch with large sections of the American electorate.