CNN commentator and Obama campaign chief strategist David Axelrod reacts to the Democratic National Committee’s 2024 autopsy. Axelrod said that the party needs better outreach to rural voters and to stop trying to micro-target “various identity groups.” “Joe Biden put her there by hanging in as long as he did instead of handing off as he said that he would and allowing for a Democratic primary,” Axelrod sdaid. “The country wanted to fire the administration. They were angry about inflation, about the border, Trump seized on those issues, and she was the number two person in that.” “Even if [Harris] were a flawless candidate, which she wasn’t, and even if they ran a flawless campaign, I’m not sure the outcome would have been different,” Axelrod said.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN: The Democratic National Committee’s long-awaited autopsy on the 2024 election is finally out. PAMELA BROWN, CNN: The closely guarded document, obtained exclusively by CNN, contains an array of reasons for how and why Democrats lost the White House a second time to Donald Trump. So with us now is CNN chief political analyst and former senior advisor to President Obama, David Axelrod. David, great to see you as always. So let’s delve into what’s inside this report. The version released to CNN, which we should note, isn’t complete. It says that Democrats have vacillated between stagnation and retrogression since Obama’s big win back in 2008. It says the losses are a direct result of missed opportunities to invest in states, counties, local parties, and candidates, and that Democratic candidates have proven incapable of projecting strength, unity, and leadership, and voters have drifted away, end quote. Do you agree with that? DAVID AXELROD: Well, first of all, let me say I lived by this principle during my 25 years as a political strategist. You’re as smart as you look when you win, and you’re never as dumb as you look when you lose. Okay, so let’s start with that premise. The second is that autopsies are of limited use because we live in a dynamic political environment and things change very rapidly and are unique circumstances surrounding every election. And the third is, this is just the Democrat National Committee, delaying the release of a report only creates more interest in it. And they created a month’s worth rather than just releasing what I think has some useful points and is in many ways a flawed report. Here’s what I do believe. They skipped the largest factor surrounding the 24 election, which was that it was in a very difficult position because Joe Biden put her there by hanging in as long as he did instead of handing as he said that he would and allowing for a Democratic primary. The country wanted to fire the administration. They were angry about inflation, about the border, Trump seized on those issues, and she was the number two person in that. So even if she were a flawless candidate, which she wasn’t, and even if they ran a flawless campaign, I’m not sure the outcome would have been different. They make a couple of points in that report, I’ve read summaries of the report, but the Democratic Party can’t survive as a party of blue, blue metropolitan islands on an ocean of red. Donald Trump carried close to 90 percent of the in this country, and Republicans tend to do that. And the party, this report says the party has walked away from rural communities and I think there’s something there’s something to that. And the second is when you are running nationally, address yourself to those issues of concern that apply to the largest number of people. Don’t try and assess the situation by micro-targeting various identity groups and communities in the country. The issue of the economy, inflation obviously was big then, it’s big now. But the survivability of the middle class in this country is a major and sustained issue. And certainly the party that fashions the party of working people ought to focus on that if it’s going to have success. So I think in that sense, it’s right. But listen, autopsies, you know, the Republican Party had one in 2013 and it said the party ought to moderate and build its relationship with different groups of voters. Donald Trump came along and he completely upended that. Different strategy and Republicans won. So I don’t know what this will yield.

RealClearPolitics Videos