{"id":45590,"date":"2025-12-12T11:53:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T19:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=45590"},"modified":"2025-12-12T11:53:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T19:53:32","slug":"autopsy-says-corporate-capture-support-for-genocide-were-key-factors-in-democrats-2024-disaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/12\/12\/autopsy-says-corporate-capture-support-for-genocide-were-key-factors-in-democrats-2024-disaster\/","title":{"rendered":"Autopsy Says Corporate Capture, Support for Genocide Were Key Factors in Democrats\u2019 2024 Disaster"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/the-inauguration-of-donald-j-trump-as-the-47th-president.jpg?id=62309411&amp;width=1200&amp;height=400&amp;quality=80&amp;coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C1668\" alt=\"The Inauguration Of Donald J. Trump As The 47th President\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Joe Biden and Kamala Harris attended the inauguration ceremony of President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0(Photo by Saul Loeb\/Pool\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cHarris and the Democratic Party leadership prioritized the agendas of corporate donors and gambled on a centrist path, while largely abandoning working-class, young, and progressive voters.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jake-johnson\">Jake Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dec 11, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the Democratic establishment&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2025\/10\/08\/democrats-autopsy-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">slow-walks<\/a>&nbsp;its own assessment of what went wrong in last year\u2019s elections, an outside autopsy released Thursday argues the party\u2019s failure to sufficiently appeal to and mobilize working-class voters as well as its complicity in Israel\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/genocide\">genocide<\/a>&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/gaza\">Gaza<\/a>&nbsp;were key factors behind the failure to prevent President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>&nbsp;from securing a second&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/white-house\">White House<\/a>&nbsp;term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/democraticautopsy.org\/how-democrats-lost-the-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>, authored by journalist Christopher D. Cook and published by the progressive advocacy group RootsAction, argues there were five primary reasons for former Vice President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/kamala-harris\">Kamala Harris<\/a>\u2019 loss to Trump:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Harris\u2019 loss of nearly 7 million voters who backed&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/joe-biden\">Joe Biden<\/a>&nbsp;in 2020;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Biden\u2019s refusal to exit the top of the ticket until just months before the election;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Democratic Party\u2019s decision to prioritize courting so-called moderate&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/republicans\">Republicans<\/a>&nbsp;and corporate donors over organizing working-class voters;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support for Israel\u2019s genocidal assault on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/gaza\">Gaza<\/a>; and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The loss of young-voter support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>RECOMMENDED&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/billionaires-us-democracy\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/the-inauguration-of-donald-j-trump-as-the-47th-president.jpg?id=62224653&amp;width=1200&amp;height=1200&amp;quality=80&amp;coordinates=1177%2C0%2C1178%2C0\" alt=\"The Inauguration Of Donald J. Trump As The 47th President\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/billionaires-us-democracy\">\u2018We Must Overturn Citizens United,\u2019 Says Sanders as Analysis Details Billionaire Takeover of US Politics<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/joe-lonsdale-public-hangings\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/media-library\/joe-lonsdale-speaks-onstage-at-techcrunch-disrupt-ny-2013-at-the-manhattan-center-on-may-1-2013-in-new-york-city.jpg?id=62291925&amp;width=1200&amp;height=1200&amp;quality=80&amp;coordinates=333%2C0%2C333%2C0\" alt=\"Billionaire Palantir Co-Founder Pushes Return of Public Hangings as Part of 'Masculine Leadership' Initiative\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/joe-lonsdale-public-hangings\">Billionaire Palantir Co-Founder Pushes Return of Public Hangings as Part of \u2018Masculine Leadership\u2019 Initiative<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cook acknowledges that certain \u201cexternal factors\u201d impacted the 2024 contest beyond the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/democratic-party\">Democratic Party<\/a>&nbsp;or the Harris campaign\u2019s control, including \u201cimmense special-interest spending to manipulate voters\u2019 information and perceptions on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/social-media\">social media<\/a>&nbsp;platforms\u201d such as Elon Musk\u2019s X and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/racism\">racism<\/a>&nbsp;and sexism, which \u201ccertainly disadvantaged\u201d the former vice president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But ultimately, Harris\u2019 campaign and the leadership of the Democratic Party \u201cbear responsibility for Trump\u2019s return to the White House,\u201d the report says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis was a preventable disaster, but Harris and the Democratic Party leadership prioritized the agendas of corporate donors and gambled on a centrist path, while largely abandoning working-class, young, and progressive voters,\u201d Cook said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report places significant emphasis on the Harris campaign\u2019s fateful decision to openly appeal to Republican voters in the hope that some would abandon Trump\u2014a strategy that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/hillary-clinton\">Hillary Clinton<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/05\/07\/us\/politics\/hillary-clinton-republican-party.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pursued<\/a>&nbsp;during her 2016 presidential bid, to disastrous effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cook points to the Harris campaign\u2019s embrace of former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as the most galling example of this strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHarris and Cheney\u2014a Republican who had become a pariah in her own party\u2014campaigned for several days together,\u201d the report observes. \u201cOn the campaign trail, they repeatedly hit high-minded themes about the threat that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>&nbsp;posed to American&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/democracy\">democracy<\/a>, while scarcely speaking to voters\u2019 more urgent concerns about the state of the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The campaign\u2019s gamble that it could appeal to potential&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/gop\">GOP<\/a>&nbsp;swing voters while keeping the Democratic base intact \u201cproved to be a huge mistake,\u201d the report says, arguing the approach muddied \u201cDemocrats\u2019 message about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/economic-inequality\">economic inequality<\/a>\u201d while \u201cconsuming valuable campaign resources that should have been spent on a more robust base turnout operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The report cites a \u201cglaring instance\u201d in the critical battleground state of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/pennsylvania\">Pennsylvania<\/a>, which Trump ended up winning by fewer than two percentage points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>As the&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/new-york-times\">New York Times<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/07\/us\/politics\/harris-philadelphia-black-latino-voters.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">reported<\/a>, Harris campaign staffers in Pennsylvania were so concerned about poor outreach to Black and Latino voters in crucial areas of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/philadelphia\">Philadelphia<\/a>, they met secretly at a donut shop and formed a \u201crogue\u201d voter turnout operation to reach these core Democratic constituents. In this clandestine operation, hastily conceived in the waning days of the campaign, members of Harris\u2019s team set out to knock on the doors of as many Black and Latino voters as possible in a desperate dash to shore up Harris\u2019 numbers among what should have been core constituencies.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The Harris campaign also received guidance and support from corporate interests and prominent&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/billionaires\">billionaires<\/a>, which Cook names as a \u201clikely factor for why more working-class voters walked away from the Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDue to these corporate influences, including from billionaire Mark Cuban and others, the Harris campaign avoided any bold policy proposals confronting&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/corporate-power\">corporate power<\/a>, instead adopting \u2018marginal pro-business tweaks to the status quo that both her corporate and progressive allies agreed never coalesced into a clear economic argument,\u2019\u201d Cook wrote, citing the&nbsp;<em>Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Gaza, the postmortem notes that Harris \u201coffered no substantive changes from Biden\u2019s unpopular policies backing Israel,\u201d fueling a sharp drop-off in support among Arab Americans and young voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cExtensive&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/circle.tufts.edu\/latest-research\/young-voters-and-israel-palestine-conflict\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">polling<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/circle.tufts.edu\/latest-research\/2024-poll-barriers-issues-economy\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">suggests<\/a>&nbsp;that Biden, and later Harris, could have inspired and mobilized these voters by campaigning on policies such as cancelling&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/student-debt\">student debt<\/a>, expanding&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/healthcare\">healthcare<\/a>&nbsp;access, curbing support for Israel\u2019s siege of Gaza, and boldly promoting economic populist policies,\u201d the report says, pointing to the success of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epi.org\/blog\/a-review-of-key-2024-ballot-measures-voters-backed-progressive-policy-measures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">progressive ballot measures<\/a>&nbsp;even in red states where Harris struggled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In coming elections, the report concludes, Democrats must learn from their recent failures and embrace highly popular \u201ceconomic populist policies\u201d\u2014from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/medicare-for-all\">Medicare for All<\/a>&nbsp;to higher corporate taxes to a long-overdue federal&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/tag\/minimum-wage\">minimum wage<\/a>&nbsp;hike\u2014to build a lasting working-class coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Democratic Party must show voters that it has a spine and can stand up to corporate and big-money interests,\u201d the report says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jake-johnson\">Jake Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jake Johnson is a senior editor and staff writer for Common Dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/author\/jake-johnson\">Full Bio &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joe Biden and Kamala Harris attended the inauguration ceremony of President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025. \u00a0(Photo by Saul Loeb\/Pool\/Getty Images) \u201cHarris and the Democratic Party leadership prioritized the agendas of corporate donors and gambled on a centrist path, while largely abandoning working-class, young, and progressive voters.\u201d Jake Johnson&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2025\/12\/12\/autopsy-says-corporate-capture-support-for-genocide-were-key-factors-in-democrats-2024-disaster\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45590"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45590"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45591,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45590\/revisions\/45591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}