PassedOut, on 2016-June-24, 05:39, said:
This is another in a long list of events that have unfolded something like this:
1. A lot of 'news' stories explain what is going to happen or what is very likely to happen.
2. It does not happen.
3. A lot of 'news' stories expressing shock about what did not happen.
This probably belongs in the pet peeve thread, but this cycle of failure never ceases to irritate me. It doesn't bother me (in fact it's worth a chuckle) when posters say things like "Trump will never win the nomination," because there's no expectation that a poster has any clue about what will happen.
But I'd like the news organizations to be a lot more professional...
I understand Trump's appeal to his core constituency. But I never thought that constituency was big enough for him to win.
I understand the appeal of Brexit to people who feel threatened, with some justification, by immigration, expanded trade and the changes to legal systems that are increasingly part of new trade deals. But I never thought this appeal was big enough for Brexit to win.
I understand Bernie Sanders' appeal to his constituency. A lot of his ideas appeal to me and I hope they get traction with more people over time. I thought he might win Iowa and New Hampshire and that would be it for him.
I read the paper (NYT and WSJ), a few progressive blogs and some water cooler threads (not nearly enough bridge which shows in my game). I also read the NY Review of Books which has an interesting story recently about why Trump's nomination was inevitable.
News organizations are definitely out of touch with Trump, Sanders and Brexit supporters relative to other constituencies. Maybe this is explained by mgoetze's post. IMO, they are also part of an echo chamber feedback loop that seems to be a factor. Facts and solid reporting aren't as important to news organizations as click counts.
David Brooks has been on the road trying to get in touch with "real people". Perhaps he'll start something. He's a good test case. I think he may need more than a few road trips but at least he's trying. I don't know how much of this cherdano has gotten right. He got Trump right from the beginning. He definitely has a way of looking at things from different points of view and less reflexively than I do or than 90+ percent of the media do. Maybe he should start blogging at vox or 538.
By the way, I'm betting big on Hillary. If my track record is any indication, this might be the time to start looking at property in Costa Rica or Canada.
If you lose all hope, you can always find it again -- Richard Ford in The Sportswriter