I had to will my jaw to un-clench when I read that the AP reported that Hillary Clinton has “clinched” the Democratic nomination.
Never mind that many of her superdelegates pledged their support to her before Sanders was serious competition. Never mind that all of them are free to vote for whomever they wish (they certainly don’t necessarily follow the will of those they represent).
I do mind, though, this calling of the race that is closer than it once was, with so many primaries left to go. It makes Clinton/the vague powers that be look like they don’t care about what any of the people in those states think or want — like their votes just don’t count, when the nomination will actually be up in the air until the convention votes are cast and counted.
(HRC’s campaign has tried to get the media to walk back the commentary a bit, to no avail as of the time I write this…I’m sure they’re trying REALLY hard, too.)
The MSM’s calling of the race early is very discouraging to those who would vote else-wise, and may actually damage Bernie Sanders in the primaries yet to happen (if they feel their candidate is just a placeholder, because the nomination has already been decided, voters may just fall “in line” with the party’s apparent wishes, or stay home and not vote at all).
Hillary’s run for President has already been buffeted by scandal. She does not need her campaign’s tarnished integrity undermined even further by these spurious and premature claims of victory. To that end, this “news” may damage her campaign, should she actually wind up facing Trump in the real deal.
I’m too tired to be eloquent, but I have to say that I find it disturbing that the mainstream media has carefully shaped this election…and it seems to me that the press has deliberately done its utmost to see a Hillary coronation. Why?
I don’t think it’s because the people running the media circus believe HRC is the right candidate.
I think it’s because she’s better entertainment for the masses in the main election. Bernie stays on-message. He’s not really a controversial figure in and of himself; there are no longstanding scandals attached to his name. The outcome is also more certain with a Sanders-Trump matchup. In major polls, Bernie consistently beats Trump by a wider margin than Hillary does.
It behooves the “news” and entertainment industries to have the two most scandalous (and closest in the polls) candidates face off in the election. It makes for better TV, consequences be damned.
[06/07 update: Will I vote for Hillary in the general election if she’s the Democratic nominee? Probably, but not because of that. It’d be a vote not for her per se, but against Donald Trump and all that he stands for (some of which HRC has stood for in the past too, sadly). That’s…not a good feeling, as an informed and non-apathetic voter. 😦 ]
‘Murica.
melstery.com 