Monday this report announced "HILLARY CLINTON LIKELY TO EFFECTIVELY WIN NOMINATION IN 24 HOURS" and that prediction was spot on.
The media wasted no time in declaring Donald Trump the presumptive Republican presidential nominee based on phone calls to delegates in North Dakota on May 26. Monday night polls show a tsunami of delegates will support Hillary Clinton. Will the media give up its only remaining story, pending the general election? Not likely. Some will push that Bernie Sanders can somehow win a brokered convention. He has 3 million fewer votes than Clinton and election tricks will not go down well. He wouldn’t even be in the race without dominating arcane, even byzantine “caucuses.” Those are small meetings where a few thousand delegates who have several hours to spare can meet and choose delegates. It is a truly an Alice in Wonderland event, and first was heard of around the world in the Lewis Carroll story. Estimates differ but Clinton is within a couple of dozen, or even less, of the 2,383 delegates needed to win the Democrat nomination. She has a double-digit lead in New Jersey, in the East Coast time zone, and many pundits predict she will have enough delegates to claim the nomination before polls close four hours later in the nation’s most populous state, California. Many in the media may choose to focus on the likelihood of the first female president. Trump has been self-destructing lately, repeating racist remarks about a judge that even his own party leaders condemned. Clinton, whether she wins or not, will be the first woman nominated by a major party. There is even a chance that Clinton could choose a woman for vice president, Mass. U.S. Sen. Ellen Warren. What will the stylists do? Will they stop calling her “Mrs. Clinton” and settle on “President Clinton.” And what will they call Bill? Will the Republican party try to get on the same page with a majority of Americans? They said they would after the last loss to President Barack Obama. Demographics are going against them. Minority after minority has been courted by Democrats. Whites are being outnumbered, clearly a factor in the growing support among whites for Trump. Alliances of population groups probably would have worked better. Tuesday a BBC News headline reads "Hillary Clinton 'secures Democratic nomination' - AP" but you read that first HERE. The Associated Press reported Monday night that Democrat Hillary Clinton had gathered enough delegates to become the first woman to be the presidential candidate of a major party. AP said it had surveyed enough delegates to show that she had the 2,383 needed. With Clinton less than 20 delegates less than the number needed it was obvious she would win Tuesday night with six primaries, starting in New Jersey. It remained to be seen whether the rest of the media would buy the AP story, but Clinton was already firing at Trump. Estimates differ but Clinton is within a couple dozen, or even less, of the 2,383 delegates needed to win the Democrat nomination. [The convention starts July 25 in Philadelphia and some political pundits expect Pres. Obama to begin campaigning for Hillary Clinton as early as next week] http://www.npr.org/2016/06/05/480848352/clinton-wins-puerto-rico-primary-now-just-shy-of-clinching-nomination http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36466228
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Op-Ed: Having worked for Bobby Kennedy’s campaign, including being in California when he was assassinated, grief clouded my mission. I was at the funeral and wakes in Washington dominated by his campaign staff. I overheard them talking about how they probably were going to offer their services to Hubert Humphrey. So a 21-year-old was angry telling his former bosses that there was no way he could work for anyone associated with President Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War. I didn’t vote. I doubt I was alone. Richard Nixon became president. It is hard to describe how evil Nixon was, and how much harm he caused. But he didn’t get us in a nuclear war or destroy our economy. Who knows what Donald Trump would do. On Thursday morning, shortly after an Egyptair Airbus disappeared off radar between Paris and Cairo, Trump tweeted that it was an act of terrorism. No wreckage had been found. No terrorist group claimed responsibility. There wasn’t even cheering on a radio station operated by terrorists. Trump tweeted Thursday morning, according to CNN: "Looks like yet another terrorist attack. Airplane departed from Paris. When will we get tough, smart and vigilant? Great hate and sickness!" Incidents have occurred throughout the history of the U.S. that could have led to war but careful presidents have avoided spilling more American blood. President Lyndon Johnson used a phony incident off the coast of Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, to send more than 50,000 soldiers to their deaths in a war we lost. There is no indication that it was necessary and cannot be shown to have contributed to our victory in the Cold War. It may have been a domino, but it was not on the same board. Perhaps even scarier, in regard to the possibility of a Trump presidency, is his friendship with President Vladimir Putin even as Russians have buzzed dangerously close to U.S. Navy ships and air force jets. Trump admires a man whose nation was caught cheating in the Olympics and has stolen land from the Ukraine. Op-ed: Hillary Clinton may win all five primaries Tuesday, four of them are closed. Only Democrats can vote.
Sen. Bernie Sanders hasn’t won one primary in which only Democrats can vote. As many as 2 million people could vote in Pennsylvania, the most populous state. Clinton beat President Obama in 2008. In 2012, when Obama had no real competition only 600,000 voted. Primaries also are being held in Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Clinton leads in polls in most. Hillary Clinton already has nearly a 3 million lead in the popular vote. Bernie Sanders declined to withdraw. Media outlets are undecided whether Sanders wants to use his popularity to influence the party’s platform, or whether he will fight all the way to the competition. Doing both will be difficult. His supporters are making it even harder with snide remarks, bringing up former President Bill Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Many pundits think that will backfire. It also is hypocritical for Sanders to complain that closed primaries are preventing him from winning. On one of his websites he said closed primaries are needed to prevent “political sabotage.” Why should Republicans or Democrats be allowed to disrupt the vote of the other party? As for Millennials being wedded to Sanders, Politico reports Clinton has a 36-point advantage when asked to choose between her and Trump. Former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin, who thrashed Sanders in the gubernatorial race 30 years ago told USA Today her former competitor will endorse Clinton. Clinton reportedly is already looking for a vice president, and created a buzz during the weekend when she said it could be another woman. http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/robert-weller/biggest-surprise-of-presidential-campaign Op-ed: If the Democratic presidential race was an NFL event; viewers would have turned off long ago if the pundits covered the Democratic presidential race like the NFL. Everyone knows where teams benefit from the schedule, and when they are likely destroyed by it. Bernie Sanders has feasted on lightly attended caucuses that few people understand, and even fewer have the several hours needed to attend one to demonstrate support for their candidate. Many of them are open, meaning anyone, Democrat, Republican or independent can vote. He won two primaries, Wisconsin and Michigan, both of which allowed non-Democrats to vote. On one of his web sites Sanders said open primaries can be used for “political sabotage,” by allowing non-party members to determine its future. In Sanders’ words, posted on a web site: “Why do some states have closed primaries and caucuses while others do not? Closed primary elections and caucuses exist as a defense mechanism against political sabotage. Some states’ political parties are concerned that voters, instead of using their vote to support the candidate with whom they agree the most, will vote for a weak candidate in the opposing political party. That is to say, these individuals may subvert the opposing political party’s power as a way to advance the potential of their own political party. By hosting a closed primary election, states force individuals in their electorate to register as a Republican, a Democrat, or another political party, and then participate in only their own party’s caucus or primary election. In this way, both the state parties ensure that they are not undermining each other’s political efficacy.” After suffering a string of primary losses that built up Hillary Clinton’s lead to possibly insurmountable levels, Sanders won a series of causes that drew small numbers of votes in small, mostly white states with few minorities. Cable TV called these victories, even when there was a delegate draw in one, Wyoming. Not unaware that there was no path to victory, short of an improbable indictment of Clinton, Sanders did what he has in past campaigns: raised the volume. The New York Times reported Sanders has become very combative in past campaigns when he was in difficulty, including a 1986 campaign against incumbent Gov. Madeleine Kunin. He said things like: “Many people are excited because she’s the first woman governor. But after that, there ain’t much.” Kunin crushed him, getting 47 percent to his 14. Peter Smith got 38. Sanders even tried a Hail Mary, flying his family to Rome to shake hands privately with the pope, who said it was only manners to greet him since he was in the path. Polling reveals double-digit leads for Clinton in next week’s New York primary and similar leads in Pennsylvania and California. Convention playoffs seem unlikely for what Saturday Night Live called Donald Trump’s cartoon opposite this weekend. Bernie Sanders “victory” string in obscure caucuses is coming to an end, and it showed in Thursday night’s debate with Hillary Clinton.
Sanders lost it so often he appeared to be imitating the Muppets’ Oscar the Grouch, though he was not standing in a trash can. The media has hyped the lightly attended caucuses, in mostly white, smaller states, to keep the campaign alive. Even if the polls prove even slightly accurate in next week’s New York primary – showing Clinton leading by 17 percent – it will take all of the pundits’ 24-hour coverage to resurrect Sanders. The public may be losing interest, even when the yelling starts. Clinton’s lead has risen to 17 points despite being accused by Sanders, for a day or two, of not being qualified to be president. “As the primary approaches, the back and forth between Clinton and Sanders hasn’t dramatically changed the New York contest for the Democrats in the last few days,” said Lee M. Miringoff, director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. The media has already started shifting the narrative to focus on whether Bernie supporters will stay home on election day. Expect a series of polls taking virtually every possible position. Some of the same writers have pushed the line that Sanders is bringing out people who don’t usually vote. That could mean Clinton won’t be losing much if they do stay home. The chance of them voting for Donald Trump is virtually zero. If someone else gets the nomination there will be a feast for all writers. What it would mean is entirely unpredictable. If it is Trump it could be the Republicans are serving the presidency up to the Democrats on a plate. The combination of support from women, who outnumber and outvote men, could hand one or both houses of Congress over to the Democrats. Hillary would benefit from the prospect of becoming the first woman president. Daily Show comedian Trevor Noah, commenting on more than 70 percent of women hating Trump, said that included all women, “living and dead…” Op Ed: Voters in Wisconsin are unlikely to decide anything in their primary Tuesday. There is no way Sen. Bernie Sanders can deliver a knockout blow. Sen. Ted Cruz is in the same position, unless the unpredictable Donald Trump decides the presidential race is boring him. “Mr. Sanders might still pull off a big win. Barack Obama won the state by 17 points in 2008, after all. But a big win for Mr. Sanders would not necessarily put him on track to win the nomination. Even an overwhelming victory for the senator might only narrow Mrs. Clinton’s lead by 20 delegates,” the New York Times reported. The TV pundits, and to a certain extent, newspapers and news agencies, are loathe to lead a story by saying it really means nothing. Polls at present show Hillary Clinton likely to win Pennsylvania and New York by big margins, whether there is another debate between the two are not. Debates haven’t shown that they moved previous sessions between the two. Clinton also is ahead in California. The sideshow that has been kept alive by the media on Clinton’s email also is unlikely to change anything. But the media these days is 24/7 and needs to say something. These often unscripted sessions bring out claims that are as off the wall as something Trump would say. In past years writers loved expressions like “it raises the question.” Trump learned, and has his own version. He will say “people are saying” Cruz is not qualified to be president because he was born in Canada. After Trump has said it enough times it becomes accepted that there is a legitimate question. Trump’s daily blathering isn’t concealing that his campaign is close to being in tatters. “Donald Trump’s campaign is increasingly falling into disarray as the Manhattan billionaire braces for a loss in Wisconsin that could set him on course for an uncertain convention floor fight for the Republican presidential nomination. Since March, the campaign has been laying off field staff en masse around the country and has dismantled much of what existed of its organizations in general-election battlegrounds, including Florida and Ohio,” Politico reported. Even if Trump manages to win the nomination he will have to rebuild his campaign staff while under fire from the Democratic nominee. A Mason-Dixon poll this week found Clinton was within three points of winning Mississippi, the first time a Democrat has won it in 40 years. A series of polls indicate Trump’s position on issues affecting women, as well as his highly publicized insults, will make it hard for him to win a national election. There are two other possibilities: Trump could withdraw from the race, or decide that he should run as a third party candidate. Op-Ed: Hillary Clinton outdid her wildest expectations during Tuesday’s voting, with the counting not ending until Wednesday morning as two races were so close. Winning Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois and Missouri was like a hydrogen bomb compared to the IED Bernie Sanders surprised her with in Michigan. Donald Trump did well also, but Gov. John Kasich slapped him in the face in Ohio. It didn’t stop the reality show carnival barker but makes a brokered convention more possible. It’s hard to imagine his poor showing – he only got pluralities not majorities – weren’t at least partly a result of the bad publicity he has gotten for the violence at his rallies. One sheriff considered arresting him for inciting violence. That charge was dropped. And his outrageous xenophobic, anti-women, racist and anti-Muslim charges may play a factor. The race caused Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to suspend his campaign. Even those who are not Republicans or not a fan were impressed by a speech that reminded people that the American nation is more important than any one candidate. “I ask the American people: Do not give into fear,” he said. The remark was aimed at Trump. The two candidates have exchanged insults about their urination problems. Things were going well for Clinton, who made a cameo appearance on the widely popular “Broad City,” a favorite of millenials. She showed she could blink either eye. Sanders made clear he was not going away, though he would be getting less airtime. “Our plan on this is we’ve got a long way to go, and we’ve got to demonstrate that Bernie’s the strongest candidate,” said Sanders strategist Tad Devine. “We believe that slowly we can win support for people who aren’t for someone, or who are softly for her, and then we can reach out more.” |
Robert Weller
2016 US election news and other news from the USA
Bio
Worked in journalism, including on the Internet, for more than 40 years. Started as a news editor at the Colorado Daily at the University of Colorado, joined a small Montana newspaper, the Helena Independent-Record, and then United Press International. Archives
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