Voters OUTRAGED as Media Accused of FALSELY, Preemptively Crowning Hillary Clinton

[Segami]

The Bernie Sanders campaign and progressives across the nation expressed mixtures of frustration and contempt Monday night after major news outlets—following declarations by the Associated Press and NBC News—ignored the explicit instructions about how primary delegates should be tallied and declared that Hillary Clinton has won the nomination of the Democratic Party. It was feared this would happen—and news outlets were repeatedly warned they would be reporting the results inaccurately if they counted so-called "superdelegates" in their totals before next month's national convention—but they did it any way. The AP reported that newly captured "commitments" from superdelegates—current and former party insiders who are allowed to declare their support and ultimately cast a vote of their choice at the convention—gave Clinton on Monday enough total delegates to win the nomination. According to the prominent news agency's count:

Clinton has 1,812 pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses. She also has the support of 571 superdelegates [...]

The AP surveyed all 714 superdelegates repeatedly in the past seven months, and only 95 remain publicly uncommitted.

Sanders plans to make the case to superdelegates that he is better positioned to beat Trump in November. While superdelegates can change their minds, those counted in Clinton's tally have unequivocally told the AP they will support her at the party's summer convention.

The move by AP, which critics slammed as a blatant and despicable attempt to undermine the electoral process by suppressing voter turnout, came on the eve of six primaries on Tuesday, including the crucial state of California. The Sanders campaign responded by saying the reporting was not only poorly timed, but wholly inaccurate.

"It is unfortunate that the media, in a rush to judgement, are ignoring the Democratic National Committee’s clear statement that it is wrong to count the votes of superdelegates before they actually vote at the convention this summer," said campaign spokesperson Michael Briggs in a statement. "Secretary Clinton does not have and will not have the requisite number of pledged delegates to secure the nomination. She will be dependent on superdelegates who do not vote until July 25 and who can change their minds between now and then. They include more than 400 superdelegates who endorsed Secretary Clinton 10 months before the first caucuses and primaries and long before any other candidate was in the race."

-snip-

Outside observers, meanwhile—including journalists and commentators who have covered the race closely and progressive supporters of Sanders—expressed various forms of outrage for the announcements by AP, NBC News, and the countless other outlets which subsequently parroted their headlines. The timing of the declarations were seen by many as a deplorable, given the stakes of Tuesday's primary, especially in California.

@AP shame on you. #CAVotesCOUNT @kendrick38

— peggerz (@pegggerrzzz123) June 7, 2016

Shame on U @ap HRC has NOT clinched the nomination! Super-dels haven't voted. @JerryBrownGov Make a statement!! #CAVotesCount #FeelTheBern

— Frances Fisher I❤️99 (@Frances_Fisher) June 7, 2016

EXACTLY @ninaturner @AP @MSNBC @CNN FRAUDULENTLY ANNOUNCED TO SUPPRESS #CAPrimary VOTE! LETS TURN IT ON THERE HEADS AND CRUSH #HRC tomorrow

— OaklandForBernie (@clearception) June 7, 2016

"It's crazy," said anti-fracking activist and documentary filmmaker Josh Fox  during an interview on San Francisco's KPFK Monday night. "I want this to fire up Sanders supporters," he added while expressing hope that people would react to the media's behavior by feeling even more compelled to go to the polls on Tuesday. He encouraged people to bring even more people along. His contempt for AP was made plain in a series of earlier tweets:

Shame on you AP! Superdelegates dont vote until the convention. Story of #Hillary nom is false and aims to suppress voters. #CAvotesCount

— Josh Fox (@joshfoxfilm) June 7, 2016

Disgusted with the main stream media for participating in voter suppression tonite. Hillary nomination story is incorrect, fabricated trash.

— Josh Fox (@joshfoxfilm) June 7, 2016

Media critic and political commentator Adam Johnson, as well as political journalist Doug Henwood, added their thoughts: What benefit could this serve on the eve of the California primary other than to prejudice the voters? Why not wait 24 hours?


cont'

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/06/06/voters-outraged-media-accused-falsely-preemptively-crowning-clinton

[Segami]

1. I hope California sends the Clintons a clear message today

[LaydeeBug]

5. I hope they will too

[randome]

10. A clear message that Sanders has lost.

I hope they do that, too, because Sanders' supporters have always been his worst enemy.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[NurseJackie]

13. I'm sure that will be the case! :-P

[NorthCarolina]

16. Yes, but NOW team Clinton can say she lost because Hillary supporters in CA thought it was over

which is a FAR BETTER explanation than reality in this case.

[NCTraveler]

2. They didn't crown anyone and that bullshit is how republicans have been talking about us for decades

Who has the necessary pledged and super D's for the nomination?

[Armstead]

32. She was anointed in 2008

After she lost to Obama, the fix started to be put into place.

Not "officially" of course, but nudge,nudge, wink wink....don't worry we'll set you up to be the next nominee if you want it, and we'll clear the field for you.

That's how oligarchies operate.

[NCTraveler]

33. That really is what they sound like. It's awful. nt.

[Armstead]

34. That's what I'm saying. They have purchased it all.

We live in an oligarchy now. The elites run everything. Clintons have returned to run it. The rest of us outside the charmed inner circle don''t matter except as electoral consumers to be manipulated by corporate propaganda.

I know that sounds ..... but it is the only one conclusion one can come to if objective thinking and a little research into who owns what and who controls what, and the crap that goes on behind the scenes are applied.

[midnight]

3. Does anyone know who own AP?

[Segami]

7. They are a cooperative...

"The AP is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by the 1,400 U.S. daily newspapers that are AP members. These members elect a board of directors that directs the cooperative."

http://www.ap.org/company/FAQs

[midnight]

18. I wonder who the board of directors are?

[Segami]

19. AP Board of Directors

Mary Junck – Chairman
Davenport, Iowa

Executive Chairman
Lee Enterprises, Inc.


Steven R. Swartz – Vice Chairman
New York, N.Y.

President and CEO 
Hearst

Donna J. Barrett
Birmingham, Ala.

President and CEO
Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.


Richard A. Boehne
Cincinnati, Ohio

Chairman, President and CEO
The E.W. Scripps Company

Elizabeth Brenner
Milwaukee, Wis.

President and Publisher
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Robert Brown 
Gypsum, Co.

President
Swift Communications

William Stacey Cowles
Spokane, Wa.

Publisher
The Spokesman-Review

President
Cowles Publishing Co.

Kirk Davis 
Fairport, N.Y.

CEO
GatehouseMedia, LLC

COO
New Media Investment Group

Bob Dickey 
McLean, Virginia.

President and CEO
Gannett


Michael Golden
New York, N.Y.

Vice Chairman
The New York Times Co.  
Bill Hoffman
Atlanta, Ga.

President
Cox Media Group
Rob King
Bristol, Conn.

Senior Vice President of SportsCenter and News
ESPN
Terry J. Kroeger
Omaha, Neb.

President and Chief Executive Officer  
BH Media Group

Publisher
The Omaha World-Herald
Isaac Lee
Miami, Fla.

President of News
Univision Communications, Inc.

Chief Executive Officer
Fusion
Robin McKinney Martin
Santa Fe, New Mexico 

Owner
The Santa Fe New Mexican and The Taos News
Gracia C. Martore
McLean, Va.

President and Chief Executive Officer
Tegna, Inc.
Jim M. Moroney III
Dallas, Texas

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer 
A. H. Belo Corporation
William O. Nutting
Wheeling W. Va.

Vice President
The Ogden Newspapers Inc.

David M. Paxton
Paducah, Ky.

President and CEO
Paxton Media Group

Patrick J. Talamantes
Sacramento, Calif.

President and CEO
The McClatchy Company

Paul C. Tash
St. Petersburg, Fla.

Chairman and CEO
Times Publishing Company

http://www.ap.org/company/board-of-directors

[midnight]

22. Thank you… Wisconsin has two slots for board representatives?

[joshcryer]

20. AP reporters are just out of journalism school.

They do the school paper and crap. They're not these evil corporate entities of spawn death. They're human beings, like you or I.

[midnight]

21. I'm interested in funding.

When PBS started getting it's funding from the Kochs stories about climate change told the viewer not to worry about climate change.


"NOVA FUNDING COMES FROM KOCH BROTHERS AND EXXON, TELLS VIEWERS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE"

http://www.agreenroadjournal.com/2014/08/pbs-has-sold-out-to-pro-nuclear.html?_escaped_fragment_

[BobbyDrake]

4. Oh, it's just people on Twitter. I thought you meant people who mattered. nt

[djean111]

6. They vote too.

Or may decide not to vote, as the case may be.

And you are just a keyboard on a message board, actually.

[PeaceNikki]

8. Awww. There, there.

[SidDithers]

9. ...

Sid

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

25. It's always funny when the democratic process is subverted. Laugh it up, Sid.

[Adrahil]

28. No democratic processes were subverted. Sweet Jeebus!

The press has been making election calls for fucking forever because it offers them a competitive advantage. It's not like Clinton was GUARANTEED to claim the majority of pledged delegates today.

What the hell do you think is going to happen? DO you really think Sanders is going to flip 300+ supers after he's been calling them basically corrupt?

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

31. I didn't mention. sanders, but I do remember writing about Democracy.

Pulling this shit right before the California primary is not only disgusting and immoral, but it subverts and diminishes those who planned to vote; who might otherwise decide to stay home...regardless of who they planned on voting for.

Spin it however you like to if you want.

[calguy]

11. Most voters aren't outraged

Only the die hard BSers who were going to be pissed off no matter what happens. This premature call just gave them a reason to be pissed a day earlier.
Nothing more, nothing less.

[Amaril]

27. Completely unnecessary snark

You guys just can't help yourselves, can you?

[redstateblues]

12. Bernie's supporters started with outrage and ended with outrage

[Octafish]

14. Undemocratic as all get out.

Compared to voters in the Super Tuesday states, California and its liberal, progressive and majority non-white population don't get an equal say in who the Democrats chose to run for President.

[monmouth4]

15. This is going to backfire big time. Cannot wait..n/t

[GreatGazoo]

24. Hillary voters will stay home -- protest voters won't

[Gregorian]

17. We beat them to their 5pm scheduled bullshit, so they went early on us.

They knew we'd spread the word. We have our own media now- That thing they wanted a kill switch for.

So here we are, up close, and totally revealed for the awake to see.

[MohRokTah]

23. BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

[snooper2]

26. Not really, most people are at work right now- Being productive LOL

[GoneFishin]

29. They make millions, maybe billions, from Citizen's United funded horse race ads. Bernie wants

to get the big money out of politics. Of course they have been trying to fuck him over since day one. He is trying to slow down their gravy train. Hillary is a sell-out who will do nothing to fix the system that fixed the vote for her.

[Lord Magus]

30. Oh, they were "warned" were they?

Too bad those "warnings" didn't mean anything. Superdelegates do count, and Bernie's completely unprecedented demand that no one acknowledge superdelegate endorsements wasn't going to change that.