Why does CNN insist on comparing polls and results tonight with 2016?

[George II]

They keep implying that Joe Biden is doing better than Hillary Clinton in many areas.

Not taking anything away from Biden, but it's a totally different dynamic - most importantly that many Americans had no idea of the magnitude of trump's first term failure back in 2016.

It's just not a valid comparison.

[Mike 03]

1. They also are making way too much of early counting in one precinct in

Indiana. Only 3,000 votes have been counted and they seem to love saying Trump is leading by 40%. This is the kind of thing that confuses Trumpsters.

[frazzled]

2. Much less sexism to battle with Biden

And no Comey intervention, and better (hopefully) polling. And yes, Trump reality.

[catbyte]

3. Gun shy? 2016 freaked everybody out.

[whopis01]

4. There are few in media that do any real analysis

or deep thinking about things.

It isn't what the majority of their market it is looking for most of the time anyway.

[Hoyt]

5. Actually think it's a good early gauge.

[mtnsnake]

15. I agree

[Wednesdays]

18. Yup.

It doesn't bother me a bit.

[mobeau69]

20. Agree.

[Drunken Irishman]

6. Because it's a good barometer - he needs to out-perform her to win.

[Mike 03]

7. Yeah, it doesn't bother me. In fact they looked at 2016 states in 2018, seeing

where Dems were surging where they had stayed home in 2016. I find it interesting and not unusual. It explains a lot not only about 2020 but 2016.

[Drunken Irishman]

14. Right. They did the same with Obama in 2012 - compared his turnout and the electorate to 2008.

It's the best map to what the election results could look like when you're comparing things to past elections. In 2016, we saw early on that white, non-college educated voters were turning out in higher numbers than four years earlier. Knowing that's what helped Trump, focusing on that turnout is now important to see whether he's matching his 2016 numbers.

[StevieM]

8. They will never stop beating the crap out of her.

She has to be taught a lesson for being such an uppity sugar baby.

[beachbumbob]

9. The same metrics of where biden gets votes is still relevant to 2016

and the should show 2018 as well

[Amishman]

10. Without significant numbers they need some sort of narrative

Can't have people changing the channel

[33taw]

11. Because someone watches

[karynnj]

12. It's not about HRC as much as to benchmark the performance this year in a city, state etc to 2016

In some ways that is the best way to make sense of both the relative turnout and the percent of vote. I understand that for many that is painful because all of our hopes were dashed in 2016.

[D_Master81]

13. It has NOTHING to do with Hillary

It has to do with seeing if Trump’s support is similar, less or more. They aren’t beating her up, stop with making it out to be something it’s not.

[Mr. Ected]

16. Turn to MSNBC, they're not doing that

It would be highly irritating if I was watching it.

[In It to Win It]

17. They need to fill the time. They don't have shit else to talk about

[Polybius]

19. That's awesome news

It’s much better than if that had said he was doing worse.

[JonLP24]

21. It is useful information

I also like to know the trends because the country is trending blue and will continue to trend blue in the future.