I've lost the respect I had for Greg Palast, unfortunately.

[pnwmom]

Last edited Fri Jul 1, 2016, 07:03 PM - Edit history (4)

I won't be able to take seriously anything he says about the general.

His basis for claiming that Sanders could "flip" California? He estimated that all outstanding ballots were from no party voters, and that Bernie would win them with a margin at least 40%. In actuality, more than half of the votes counted since election day were cast for R's; and in the Dem primary Bernie has had only a slight lead in votes counted since then.

Current vote counts have Hillary ahead by almost 400k votes, with 350K votes -- of all parties -- remaining to be counted.

http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/president/party/democratic/

http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2016-primary/unprocessed-ballots-report.pdf

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/27/still-sanders-activists-cling-to-hope-of-flipping-california/

According to Palast, those ballots had the potential to flip the election. Based on a call to the secretary of state's office, he estimated that all of the outstanding ballots were from "no party preference" voters; based on a pre-primary poll, he estimated a 40 percentage point margin for Sanders among those ballots.

"Bernie Sanders got at least 1.25 million votes from that pile," Palast said. "The good news is that Bernie won California. ... If you count every ballot, Sanders would win by 100,000."

But that was not how the ballots broke down. First, more than a half-million of the votes counted since Election Day were cast for Republicans. Since June 7, Trump has added 429,509 votes to his total; Kasich has added 68,641 votes, and Cruz has added 60,246.

Many more ballots were counted in the Democratic primary. They just did not break dramatically for Sanders. Since June 7, Clinton has added 692,629 votes, for a total of 2,633,209 statewide. Sanders has added 703,176 votes for a total of 2,205,219. On Election Day, Clinton appeared to win the state by 438,537 votes; as of today, her lead is 427,990 votes. (For comparison, Clinton defeated Barack Obama in the 2008 California primary by 421,522 votes.)

[MaggieD]

1. Yeah, he went off the deep end a while ago

Sad.

[Native]

3. Agreed. On both counts.

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. Another instance of allowing ideology inform opinion.

[choie]

42. Right, nobody does that here...

[KittyWampus]

49. Also, perpetually playing only to your audience.

I sincerely believe that many writers and commentators don't realize that is what they are doing.

[sufrommich]

4. Unless it flips to Sanders winning 80% of the California

vote,it's meaningless. What would a close election in CA ,even if it were real,change?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. There's an unfortunate trend amongst once respectable investigative journalists...

.....to go off the deep end and sully their good name.

Robert Parry, for example.

[sweetloukillbot]

8. Helen Thomas... n/t

[grossproffit]

18. This! eom

[reddread]

37. calls for a screenshot

defining moment.

[grossproffit]

41. In which universe?

[longship]

6. Much too much into weaving conspiracy narratives.

And in hindsight, that goes all the way back.

He has little credibility, if he ever had any.

Too bad.

[Electric Monk]

9. Accusing Bush* of stealing it from Gore and Kerry in 2000 and 2004, with evidence, yeah, what a nut!

I thought I was on DU? (checks URL)

[longship]

11. Well, first one has to have evidence.

There is no doubt in my mind that Gore actually won the 2000 election. No doubt because SCOTUS stopped the proceedings before a count could be determined. Yup, Al Gore fucked up big time by not asking for a statewide recount. It probably lost him the election.

But the evidence in 2004 is a bit more muddy. Yes, there was evidence of fingers on the scales, with that mealy-mouthed Ohio Secy of State. But there really was no legal recourse to rectify the harm, was there.

Both Gore and Kerry were robbed. And Palast had it basically right. But recently I have not seen much of any of his columns which rise to that level. Frankly, I haven't paid much attention to him.

I wish it wasn't so.

[MH1]

46. What I really liked about Palast with respect to 2000

is that he laid out ALL the different ways that the GOP cheated. (well maybe not all, there may have been tactics even he didn't find out about). Things that individually didn't change the outcome, but when added together had a significant impact. For example the so called "felon" voter purge, where a large number of voters (in the tens of thousands, if I recall correctly) were incorrectly identified as felons and purged from the rolls, with the errors highly disproportionately impacting registered Democrats. (Never mind the moral legitimacy or not of blocking felons from voting forever - these were misidentifications of people who actually were NOT felons, as felons and then purging their voter registrations.)

[longship]

47. Yes, I agree about that.

Not so sure about his recent stuff though. However, I confess that I haven't paid much attention to it.

[LanternWaste]

21. I can only imagine the frustration in reading so many opinions that don't validate yours.

I can only imagine the frustration in reading so many opinions that don't validate yours. My sympathies.

[CreekDog]

22. We're supposed to believe it was stolen by Hillary the same way

Bush stole it from Gore?

Maybe you should check the URL.

[yardwork]

40. Lots of people believe that, for good reasons.

Palast is not special in that respect at all.

[choie]

43. Thank you EM

You're a voice of reason

[peace13]

7. Why not just wait for the votes to be counted? nt

[Orsino]

17. Well, claiming now that Sanders could still flip the state is wacky.

But let's as you say count every damned ballot. I want Dumbledore's Army showing up in Philly with every last delegate it can hold onto. I don't want riots, but I sure as hell want to distupt the goddamned complacency of the Democratic Establishment. More voices = good.

[CreekDog]

23. Palast isn't

[peace13]

50. Did you read Palast's comments on this.

If not I will find them for you.

[Gothmog]

10. Voting rights and voter protection are my passions and Greg is not a reliable source

Greg is into conspiracy theories and his material is not reliable

[SalviaBlue]

12. Hillary is into conspiracy theories (Vast Rightwing Conspiracy).

She was right.

Conspiracies happen.

[CreekDog]

24. however, there is no evidence of this one

against Bernie.

Bernie lost as the polls said he would.

[Adrahil]

13. Outcome-based thinking loses again. NT

[Octafish]

14. What's he ever done?

Besides tell the truth?

[pnwmom]

15. He didn't tell the truth about CA. His prediction that all the votes left

to be counted would be "no party preference" was ludicrous.

More than half the votes were GOP, and the Democratic votes have split very closely between Hillary and Bernie.

[Octafish]

16. That may be. I know he sourced his report on the California primary.

How Bernie Won California: The official un-count

http://www.gregpalast.com/bernie-won-california-official-un-count/

He is working on an update. I'll post it, once its online.

Here's something else important to know about him, where he got his grit:

Dad’s Last Erection

http://www.gregpalast.com/dads-last-erection/#more-12093

[SalviaBlue]

19. I'm a big fan of Palast too.

Thanks for posting that second link.

[CreekDog]

25. Palast is a white guy who said Bill Richardson wasn't a real Hispanic

Last edited Fri Jul 1, 2016, 08:37 PM - Edit history (1)

because Palast thinks he knows how *real* Hispanics should be, how much money they should have, what their parents should have done for a living, etc.

Palast is a racist hack and 100% wrong on this issue.

He's making money off LYING TO YOU.

[think]

30. How about a link?

[WhiteTara]

33. Do you mean Bill Richardson?

Who is Dennis? Thanks

[CreekDog]

35. Yes thanks.

[pnwmom]

20. I read this and his specific claims weren't sourced and they were correctly

summarized by the WA Post. And were wrong. Also, I'd read about polling before the election and those polls didn't fit with his unsourced claims.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/27/still-sanders-activists-cling-to-hope-of-flipping-california/

According to Palast, those ballots had the potential to flip the election. Based on a call to the secretary of state's office, he estimated that all of the outstanding ballots were from "no party preference" voters; based on a pre-primary poll, he estimated a 40 percentage point margin for Sanders among those ballots.

"Bernie Sanders got at least 1.25 million votes from that pile," Palast said. "The good news is that Bernie won California. ... If you count every ballot, Sanders would win by 100,000."

But that was not how the ballots broke down. First, more than a half-million of the votes counted since Election Day were cast for Republicans. Since June 7, Trump has added 429,509 votes to his total; Kasich has added 68,641 votes, and Cruz has added 60,246.

Many more ballots were counted in the Democratic primary. They just did not break dramatically for Sanders. Since June 7, Clinton has added 692,629 votes, for a total of 2,633,209 statewide. Sanders has added 703,176 votes for a total of 2,205,219. On Election Day, Clinton appeared to win the state by 438,537 votes; as of today, her lead is 427,990 votes. (For comparison, Clinton defeated Barack Obama in the 2008 California primary by 421,522 votes.)

Actual results as of June 30 show Hillary and Bernie show them now 399K votes apart.

http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/president/party/democratic/

And there are about 350K votes left to count, including D ballots, R's, and every other party.

http://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/statewide-elections/2016-primary/unprocessed-ballots-report.pdf

[Lord Magus]

32. Lying, that's what he's done besides tell the truth.

He claimed that California doesn't count provisional ballots. That was a massive whopper of a lie.

[beachbumbob]

26. Palast been full of himself for years on a trump level

Haven't paid much attention to him at all...

[farmbo]

27. I love what Greg did in 2000 and '04 but...

He really jumped the shark this time.

[Scootaloo]

28. Thanks for the update n/t

[Thinkingabout]

29. They will certify Hillary as the winner in the DNC California Primary.

[still_one]

31. When Palest started spewing the LIE that California wouldn't count provisional ballots, I knew he

had become nothing but a nut case

California counts ALL ITS BALLOTS, including provisional, no matter what the margin

[reddread]

38. unless they move a few boxes across the street

is this your first California election?

[still_one]

39. BS. I have voted for over thirty years here, did phone banking and canvassing, and I am tired of

all the BS and conspiracy theories. Hillary won in California because more Democrats voted for her

[reddread]

44. Total Recall selection, Municipal power measure in SF, GMO labeling

and LOTS of SOS drama. sudden retirement of elections officials.
nothing to see here.

[still_one]

45. now I get it. If an issue you support doesn't win, then it must have been fraud. ok, sure thing

[reddread]

48. are you feigning ignorance or disbelief?

[reddread]

36. I found it

over in the corner.
I used a magnifying glass.