People who put up money for political campaigns are, by and large, suckers. They don't get much for their investment and they never get all of what they want.
But what it is easy to give is the illusion of exclusivity, the promise that for their investment of time and money, donors get something special that nobody else gets. They get to pretend that they are on the inside. They probably got a solid prediction of something about to happen, which will confirm their support down the line when it comes true.
Since Mitt Romney self-destructed by telling a flattering lie to his own supporters, it has become even easier to deliver exclusivity. Turn on the noise maker and deliver the same message in a low, conspiratorial tone. The donors think they got something special and the opposition wastes time and effort trying to discover what she said.
There really are things that a Presidential candidate cannot safely say to the public. You can't say that a state is in the bag, like New York is for Mrs. Clinton, because that will cost votes in all remaining states. You can't say that caucuses are your weak points, because that invites people to ask why that is. You can't tell supporters that you have begun shifting over to working on the general election because you'll offend voters in the remaining primary states.
Such things shouldn't be said, but if you get caught saying them, it's not the end of the world, either. So that's the sort of pap you feed the big-ticket donors in return for their support.
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