2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumThe "press" could have waited 24 hours
There was no need for it tonight. They probably sat on the delegates for a few days until they could get within striking distance. I could understand calling the race a few weeks ago. But to do it less than 12 hours before polls open is damaging to the country.
I seriously think their thought process went like this:
Does Hillary have enough delegates? Yes
Will it hurt the country to announce it? Who cares
Should we make the announcement? Hell yes!
Sanders supporters should be happy. Clinton supporters might stay home. And that's good for the news.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)without putting their fingers on the scales, yet again.
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)side of things that we need to look at.
The campaign and their delegates are the ones who controlled the timing of the announcement.
Any press who has this first has to announce it or the info will just go to another news service.
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)So if the press calls a super-delegate and they say they support someone, that is newsworthy. But the point is that polls open in 11+ hours. No need to call it now.
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)If the press calls a superdelegate it goes to voicemail or a secretary. They decide when to return the call.
They also coordinate with the campaign about the timing.
To think otherwise seems kind of naive to me.
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)The campaign doesn't control hundreds of people. They are individuals. If they tell a reporter what they're going to do, it's on them.
George II
(67,782 posts)Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)Superdelegates coordinate with campaigns about the timing of their endorsements.
Those are just obvious facts. If you need evidence for that I can't help you.
anigbrowl
(13,889 posts)Just because this is the most typical situation doesn't mean it's always true. Your argument is illogical on multiple levels.
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)picked up the phone and called the AP on the night before the California primary to register their support for Hillary.
Or was it coordinated?
Everyone can judge for themselves what seems more like reality,
anigbrowl
(13,889 posts)Which is that AP reporters are the ones picking up the phones to call superdelegates, and said superdelegates can see the math for themselves and go public with their commitment. I used to be a journalist, nagging people to get answers is a basic job skill.
morningfog
(18,115 posts)anigbrowl
(13,889 posts)Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)want to.
anigbrowl
(13,889 posts)It struck me over dinner that it might just as easily have been the President (who is after all head of the party) that told a few superdelegates to take it over the lien this evening.
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)Clinton campaign. Now that does sound wacky.
anigbrowl
(13,889 posts)I said it was an equally likely possibility. What makes it sound wacky is offering speculation with no evidence to back it up, which is all you've been doing.
Demsrule86
(68,552 posts)Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)Superdelegates only speak to the press when they feel like it.
morningfog
(18,115 posts)ready at a moments notice. Where do you think they got the info? Not from the AP.
George II
(67,782 posts)morningfog
(18,115 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)morningfog
(18,115 posts)Doesn't change the facts.
George II
(67,782 posts)You are the one who said something happened, surely you can show us where/how that happened.
Since you can't, well........
morningfog
(18,115 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)working in concert with the Clinton campaign.
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)agencies? You need evidence of that? Don't you control the timing of your own phone calls ?
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)George II
(67,782 posts)...they didn't want it to happen tonight.
Cheese Sandwich
(9,086 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)anigbrowl
(13,889 posts)Why should we accept your evidence-free opinions as more persuasive than our own?
Txbluedog
(1,128 posts)I can't believe that the Hillary campaign seriously wanted this---this will depress voter turnout and could hurt key down ticket races
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)MadBadger
(24,089 posts)Blaukraut
(5,693 posts)MariaThinks
(2,495 posts)Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)The only way for Hillary to lose was to get shut out tomorrow.
And it's not like the press doesn't suppress news. They don't report exit polls. This is no different.
It's one thing to call it in May with a long way to go. But to call it the night before is damaging to the party and the country.
MariaThinks
(2,495 posts)Demsrule86
(68,552 posts)He said he planned to barnstorm around the country if he won to make the case to the supers...I thank God we were spared that travesty...supers shut it down. Good for them. Now Bernie has little choice but to concede.
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)His campaign wasn't going anywhere after that phone call.
Demsrule86
(68,552 posts)passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)Demsrule86
(68,552 posts)onenote
(42,699 posts)Not.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)Just like the founders wanted. This sucks for both sides and both are pissed. I like it when the press pisses people off.
I especially like it when the press pisses of Trump. But I also like it when they piss off Democrats.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Then when you get what you want you whine some more about it's tooo sooon..
Goddam, give it a fucking rest
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)It has been effectively over since at least April and probably March. But now we are on the cusp of finishing the primary. Another 24 hours wouldn't hurt anyone. But calling it 24 hours early will.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)I've said my piece about both Trump and Hillary and don't have anything really to add.
If I stay for too much of the grave dancing I'll end up being someone I don't wish to be, I will stay though for enough to make sure I don't want to come back for a long time.
Orrex
(63,203 posts)How, exactly, might it do that? If she has in fact reached the necessary number of delegates, then that's the truth whether some people perceive it to "hurt the country" or not.
Would you prefer that they deny it? Or that they suppress the actual, objective fact? For what possible reason?
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)And that hurts the country. They didn't have to deny anything. They could have waited a day. They wait on exit poll results, military activity, gossip, and they could wait on this.
Demsrule86
(68,552 posts)Hillary wins that won't piss them off. They were never willing to accept that Bernie lost...time to end this thing.
Renew Deal
(81,856 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)But asking a major press organization to forego breaking a story of this magnitude is like asking a pig to fly. It's not in their nature.
Orrex
(63,203 posts)This was going to happen at some point, and it was going to "piss off a segment of the Democratic party" regardless of which candidate secured the nomination.
As soon as the delegate threshold is reached, then all subsequent primaries are more or less academic. That's not the fault of the Clinton campaign nor of the press, but rather it's solely the responsibility of states that have freely chosen to hold their primaries later in the cycle.
If, after I voted, I were to find out that the nomination had already been secured beforehand but the press withheld that information to protect my feelings, I'd be more pissed off at the condescension than at the mathematical fact of the delegate tally.
MadBadger
(24,089 posts)Retrograde
(10,133 posts)I seriously think their thought process went like this:
Does Hillary have enough delegates? Yes
Will it hurt the country to announce it? Who cares
Will it boost our ratings? Yes
Should we make the announcement? Hell yes!
People who are interested in and knowledgeable about presidential politics and look at the current pledged delegate counts and, understanding that the Democrats award pledged delegates proportionately can look at polls in the states that vote tomorrow and make an educated guess as to who will go into the convention with a majority of those delegates.
A large win for Sanders in California would show the DNC that people are not happy with they way they've been leading the party, and give some impetus to making some changes. If Sanders supporters sit tomorrow out - and I hope they don't, there are other contests on the California ballot - that message is diluted.
Demsrule86
(68,552 posts)And we would have to put up with Bernie's to the convention and beyond BS...the supers shut it down...go for them.
Lord Magus
(1,999 posts)And how the hell dos it hurt the country to announce when somebody's won a primary?
Demsrule86
(68,552 posts)I am sick of coddling the Sanders campaign.
Demsrule86
(68,552 posts)This ends Bernie's California to the convention bullshit and sends him a message directly from the supers. The primary is over If he wins CA...why her voters had no reason to vote...if she wins CA...why look at that, the presumptive nominee is kicking ass...win win. There is nothing Bernie can do....except whine. I bet he concedes tomorrow or maybe after DC.
NWCorona
(8,541 posts)Doctor Jack
(3,072 posts)Yesterday would have been better than today and tomorrow would have the best.