The DNC autopsy: Did Democrats really want to know?

THE DNC AUTOPSY: DID DEMOCRATS REALLY WANT TO KNOW? Do you know who Paul Rivera is? Don’t feel bad if you don’t; he’s not a household name, even among political junkies. A little-known former Clinton White House aide and senior adviser to the losing 2004 John Kerry presidential campaign, Rivera became famous this week as the author of the Democratic National Committee’s disastrous analysis — the “autopsy” — of the party’s even more disastrous 2024 Kamala Harris campaign.

Widespread, instant criticism of the autopsy has focused on three areas: what is in it, what is not in it, and how it was prepared. Other than that, as they say — no problem.

Start with how it was prepared. Perhaps the most telling excerpt from the autopsy is the note printed in red that appears at the top of the first and every one of the report’s 192 pages: “Disclaimer: This document reflects the views of