A while back, Donald Trump was declared the official presidential nominee of the Republican Party. Not because the people had voted. Not because the GOP National Convention had convened, voted, and declared him the nominee. Nope, it was because the Associated Press folks had gotten on the phone, polled a bunch of delegates, took the delegates at their word when they said they were supporting Trump, and when the count got to 1,237, AP declared Trump the winner.
And as if that weren’t bad enough, yesterday they repeated the process and declared Hillary Clinton the nominee of the Democratic Party. There are, mind you, six state primaries being held today: North and South Dakota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and the biggie, California.
How do you suppose those voters feel about the winner being declared before they’ve even selected their delegates? How many voters in those states might decide to stay home because, hey, what’s the use, Hillary’s already been chosen?
So do you think AP’s messing around and projecting winners might affect the outcome? Nah. Who listens to what AP says?
Only maybe half the world. And most of them probably just read the headlines. “AP declares Trump the winner.” “AP declares Clinton the winner.” So it must be so.
It was bad enough in past elections when cable’s talking heads did their East Coast exit polls and declared a national election winner while the voters on the West Coast were still voting. No one knows how those West Coast voters might have been affected by the news that apparently their votes didn’t matter; the die was cast, the winner had been declared. Forget voting. Let’s go have a beer.
Now we have the AP declaring the winners of our nominating processes before some states have even opened their polls to elect their delegates — delegates who won’t vote for a nominee until they get to their national conventions this summer.
Shame on AP. Shame on all the news media for turning our election into their circus, their ratings war. Shame on them for unfairly, unnecessarily influencing the democratic process — even though corporate dollars have pretty much made a hash of the whole thing already.
They have accomplished one thing, however. They’ve proven just how utterly irresponsible they can be. They’ve been increasingly unprofessional in reporting, misreporting, and exaggerating events that have already happened. Now they’re using that “expertise” to influence and foretell our election results.
Anger and disgust are the least of what voters should be feeling.
Very good point, PT. The irony of it is, however, that anyone who actually follows politics in a thinking way knows that the nominees are not officially chosen until the party convention. The mis-direction only affects the others. Which is probably the majority. Alas. There wouldn’t be much damage in a normal election year but this one sure ain’t. Alas again.
Pretty sad, considering most high schools present the basics of how our election system works. And although some things have changed over the years, primaries have always been about electing a slate of delegates.
I wish Daddy would move to a country that is a democracy. I’d like to try living in one of those some day…
🙁
I remember when our system worked like I was taught in school. But it gradually changed and the Citizens United decision put the last nail in the coffin. Trump’s election, if it happens, will be the dirt on the coffin.
Every station radio and tv in Australia broadcast the news that Hillary Clinton had won and was the Democrats nominee for POTUS, Full Stop as we say Period as you say!
Had I have not read your post on the subject yesterday, I’d have believed them that it was all over and Bernie had gone home!
Would be so nice if it were all over. I’m sick of the whole thing. But the nominess aren’t officially the nominees until their respective conventions vote. And that can get pretty wild sometimes, with rule changes before the voting, etc. Bernie probably will go home now, but I haven’t been watching the news that closely.
It’s important to note that the AP didn’t poll the pledged delegates from the states. They polled the superdelegates, party insiders who aren’t elected by anyone and who are free to vote any way they want at the convention.
That seems wrong somehow. Thank goodness we don’t have to go through all of what you’re going through, we’re going to the polls here on 2nd July, we always knew who the party leaders were going to be and the vast majority of Australian voters know already who they will vote for.
The pollies are out on the hustings trying their damndest to get the undecideds, most of whom will vote for greens or independants, then it goes to preferences, we have a preferential system to complicate things more, along with our “you gotta vote” ways.
My hope is that the murdock muck press will go bottom up along with the other ratbag media and we will be allowed to get a fair vote, ie the people I want not to lose.
Nobody wins in Australian politics; only lose and the mob that loses most gets shunted and we get the smallest loser. Sounds complicated and odd? Yes but it can be fun XD
When it comes to odd, I don’t think any system is more twisted than ours. At least you have some fun with yours.
Well said. People are feeling more and more their opinions/vote jus doesn’t count and it’s all been decided…which is what both parties want the public to think: “Just let us pick for you – We know what is best” Gag
To a certain extent that’s always worked. But both parties have really blown it this time.