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KamaAina

(78,249 posts)
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 06:15 PM Jun 2016

How the AP Screwed Sanders, and Other Tales From Tuesday Night

Yup, it's the Pitts.

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/36350-how-the-associated-press-screwed-sanders-and-other-tales-from-tuesday-night

Thanks to The Associated Press, I was awake well past midnight on Wednesday morning watching a series of non-events come to a grateful conclusion. I wanted to see the speeches, especially Bernie's, which came after 1:00 am; they were the one thing the "news" media couldn't screw up. How did Tuesday's primaries become non-events? Because The Associated Press on Monday night, straight out of the blue, declared Secretary Clinton to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

Wait, what? Yeah, they did that. They polled a bunch of Democratic Party elites -- "superdelegates" -- and decided Clinton had enough delegates to call it a day. The margin? One delegate. Five primaries and a caucus that would have decided the race fair and square 24 hours later got tossed into the dustbin because the AP wanted the hot take, the big scoop, and in doing so broke a cardinal rule of journalism: They became the story instead of reporting the story.

The "news" media's reaction to that declaration was like tossing a live hand grenade into a hedge filled with chickadees: lots of squawking and flapping and smoke and a ringing in the ears from the explosion. All the AP had to do was wait a day. They didn't, and it was a mess. Beyond the impact on the presidential side, there are the down-ticket races to consider. The AP's little wingding certainly depressed voter turnout across the board -- exactly 354 people voted in the North Dakota Democratic caucus on Tuesday -- and that depressed turnout affected down-ticket races all over the country.

Sanders supporters by and large have been reading the writing on the wall for a while. All they wanted was the opportunity to die on their feet, to take it to the end and let the chips fall. Now? They're pissed and feeling cheated. We're deciding nominees through polls of party elites? It was as undemocratic an act as I have ever witnessed after Bush v. Gore and the shenanigans in Ohio in 2004, and there will be consequences down the line, especially for Clinton. Good luck bringing Bernie's folks into the fold for the big push to November after that crud. It was disgraceful.
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How the AP Screwed Sanders, and Other Tales From Tuesday Night (Original Post) KamaAina Jun 2016 OP
well this has already been posted at least once in the past few hours. was baloney and still is nt msongs Jun 2016 #1
In GD, where it turned out it didn't belong. KamaAina Jun 2016 #2
AP surveyed uncommitted delegates onenote Jun 2016 #3
Will's Truthout post is stellar! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2016 #4
I feel it is my duty to be DU's "Pitt bull" KamaAina Jun 2016 #5
Ya done good! CaliforniaPeggy Jun 2016 #6
eh….he manages to find his way back every now and then, doesn't he? blm Jun 2016 #7
FIXED DemocratSinceBirth Jun 2016 #8
"fairy" tales? Are you going homophobic on me? KamaAina Jun 2016 #9
No DemocratSinceBirth Jun 2016 #10
Civil lawsuit against AP? PADemD Jun 2016 #11
No one would have grounds to sue for this. Lord Magus Jun 2016 #13
Yep libodem Jun 2016 #12
+1. They knew exactly what they were doing & dropped it on the public at an ideal time to suppress JudyM Jun 2016 #15
Supers pledging for Hillary isn't any less "fair" than the election being called when NJ polls close Lord Magus Jun 2016 #14

onenote

(42,374 posts)
3. AP surveyed uncommitted delegates
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 06:23 PM
Jun 2016

as they've been doing all along.

Let's imagine for a moment that this survey produced information that a number of previously uncommitted SDs were now ready to jump on Sanders side (or that AP had otherwise learned that some Clinton SDs were switching to Sanders as Sanders was hoping they would). Now let's imagine that AP had that information -- which would have been a big shot in the arm to Sanders and would have lent credence to his claim that the SDs were flappable) on Monday, but doesn't publish it until after the voting on Tuesday.

The Sanders campaign and his supporters, quite justifiably, would be up in arms about the media "hiding" that helpful information.



CaliforniaPeggy

(149,297 posts)
4. Will's Truthout post is stellar!
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 06:27 PM
Jun 2016

The man has the keenest eye around these parts, and this post shows just how keen.

Thank you, Will, and thank you, KamaAina, for bringing this to us.

A big, fat K&R.

Lord Magus

(1,999 posts)
13. No one would have grounds to sue for this.
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 07:01 PM
Jun 2016

And given the 1st Amendment, I would hope that anybody tried would be held in contempt by the judge.

libodem

(19,288 posts)
12. Yep
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 06:57 PM
Jun 2016

Feeling cheated and robbed. And bullied and mocked for my values and beliefs. And for not immediately turning my cheek like a meek little kitten.

It will be a long way back to the fold. I'm not done grieving, pouting or feeling sorry for myself.

JudyM

(29,122 posts)
15. +1. They knew exactly what they were doing & dropped it on the public at an ideal time to suppress
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 07:14 PM
Jun 2016

voter turnout. 8:20 pm. No time for the Sanders camp to effectively communicate its patent manipulation but perfect timing for the morning news.

Lord Magus

(1,999 posts)
14. Supers pledging for Hillary isn't any less "fair" than the election being called when NJ polls close
Wed Jun 8, 2016, 07:11 PM
Jun 2016

And really, Pitt thinks it's unusual that a caucus in a tiny state got barely any turnout?

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