Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 12:45 PM Dec 2016

Donors Demand Autopsy of Clinton Campaign


December 16, 2016
By Taegan Goddard

Politico: “The call for a deep and detailed accounting of how Clinton lost a race that she and her donors were absolutely certain she’d win didn’t begin immediately after the election — there was too much shock over her defeat by Donald Trump, and overwhelming grief. Her initial conference call with top backers, which came just days after the outcome, focused primarily on FBI Director Jim Comey’s late campaign-season intervention.”

“But in the weeks since, the wealthy Democrats who helped pump over $1 billion into Clinton’s losing effort have been urging their local finance staffers, state party officials, and campaign aides to provide a more thorough explanation of what went wrong. With no dispassionate, centralized analysis of how Clinton failed so spectacularly, they insist, how can they be expected to keep contributing to the party?”

###

https://politicalwire.com/2016/12/16/donors-demand-autopsy-clinton-campaign/
36 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Donors Demand Autopsy of Clinton Campaign (Original Post) DonViejo Dec 2016 OP
Well gosh they're weeks behind us at DU then? Interesting they aren't .... bettyellen Dec 2016 #1
Comey, Russian hacks are easy to identify. geek tragedy Dec 2016 #2
Any one of a number of small changes could have reversed it... bettyellen Dec 2016 #3
realistically, the first step is to fix what's in our power to fix. geek tragedy Dec 2016 #5
And I think fixing the election laws, getting people IDs in time while trying to end Crosscheck bettyellen Dec 2016 #7
agreed and a billion dollars should have okieinpain Dec 2016 #9
Unfortunately they had to run a campaign as well. bettyellen Dec 2016 #12
Excuses, excuses. I doubt we'll excuse ourselves into the majority any time soon. hellofromreddit Dec 2016 #13
spreading that money around should have been part of the okieinpain Dec 2016 #20
Wrong. They will still want outsiders but he right ones! People are SICK of establishment politics! RBInMaine Dec 2016 #14
I don't get it. Up until recently, we were ruthlessly mocking the GOP for doing this. Keep dionysus Dec 2016 #24
"the media assumed people preferred scandals and mud flinging." citood Dec 2016 #26
Exactly. Else You Are Mad Dec 2016 #4
agreed to hear that people were concerned and okieinpain Dec 2016 #11
Why should they hold themselves accountable? EL34x4 Dec 2016 #16
Wasn't just Comey. triron Dec 2016 #21
Not gonna like it. HassleCat Dec 2016 #6
What success? duffyduff Dec 2016 #23
If you're going to play that game, at least he didn't have to face the humiliation of getting smoked dionysus Dec 2016 #25
$1 Billion? That's a lot of money for social justice issues. jalan48 Dec 2016 #8
which will result in exactly the kind of analysis that sinks us for the foreseeable future 0rganism Dec 2016 #10
Funny thing is, Trump did better among minority voters in 2016 EL34x4 Dec 2016 #18
The first thing to do is to STOP pandering to these rich donors and become a grassroots party again! RBInMaine Dec 2016 #15
That would be driven by a populist candidate who will not exist for a couple of years HoneyBadger Dec 2016 #19
Did you notice that Trump spent half of what Clinton did? citood Dec 2016 #27
trumpt has a built in media advantage that any other candidate won't have. Merlot Dec 2016 #29
Odds are Trump will be running in 2020 citood Dec 2016 #30
I'm not saying outspend him Merlot Dec 2016 #31
If Trump does not run in 2020, Pence will HoneyBadger Dec 2016 #36
Going to be a traditional campaign in 2020 HoneyBadger Dec 2016 #34
+1 uponit7771 Dec 2016 #35
They say that when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail HoneyBadger Dec 2016 #17
Ask Putin, you dipshits. NT duffyduff Dec 2016 #22
Russia. Comey, lies about email. onecaliberal Dec 2016 #28
Hilarious. Big donors are the problem. George Eliot Dec 2016 #32
Great, I hope someone tells them and they make a huge stink about it. ucrdem Dec 2016 #33
 

bettyellen

(47,209 posts)
1. Well gosh they're weeks behind us at DU then? Interesting they aren't ....
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 12:47 PM
Dec 2016

Asking what went wrong with the election itself as well?

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
2. Comey, Russian hacks are easy to identify.
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 12:51 PM
Dec 2016

But they didn't need to be fatal. Clinton campaign team is not exactly a model of introspection these days--they don't seem to be holding themselves accountable.

If Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania were so close that Comey could tip them, then Clinton campaign still bungled this horribly.

 

bettyellen

(47,209 posts)
3. Any one of a number of small changes could have reversed it...
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 12:56 PM
Dec 2016

Aside from the hack, the cross check program seems to be a big one. Haven't heard details on when those voters were taken off the rolls in Michigan and what other states were effected. That and getting a grip on the press coverage would have made huge differences too.

 

geek tragedy

(68,868 posts)
5. realistically, the first step is to fix what's in our power to fix.
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 01:01 PM
Dec 2016

We can't fire Comey. We can't punish Putin. We have zero leverage on the Electors.

Trump will be President. Republicans will control Congress.

Our first job is to learn from our party's mistakes, and fix them, and to figure out what we need to do better.

And we need to hold the Republicans publicly accountable for what they do starting next year. For every good promise they break, for every evil promise they keep.

Complaining about Putin and Comey ain't gonna help us. Deal with them when we have political power to do so.

 

bettyellen

(47,209 posts)
7. And I think fixing the election laws, getting people IDs in time while trying to end Crosscheck
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 01:22 PM
Dec 2016

And building up the part through undoing gerrymandering and focusing on getting back some governors are absolutely crucial.
And a new plan for doing an end run around the media. I think the biggest problem with our platform was that few knew about the issues because the media assumed people preferred scandals and mud flinging. I also think people will be in a different mindset in a few years. This "outsider" crap will be a whole lot less appealing and voters will value experience and service.

 

hellofromreddit

(1,182 posts)
13. Excuses, excuses. I doubt we'll excuse ourselves into the majority any time soon.
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 02:41 PM
Dec 2016

I know toddlers who take more responsibility than the party's elite bunglers are taking right now.

 

RBInMaine

(13,570 posts)
14. Wrong. They will still want outsiders but he right ones! People are SICK of establishment politics!
Sat Dec 17, 2016, 06:13 AM
Dec 2016

If this party is STUPID enough to stay with the same old same old SHIT ways of doing things, catering to fat cat donors, catering to corporations, and putting up BORING insider candidates instead of fresh faces with different skills sets, new energy, new ideas, and a populist message, it will continue get CRUSHED INTO IRRELEVENCY.

dionysus

(26,467 posts)
24. I don't get it. Up until recently, we were ruthlessly mocking the GOP for doing this. Keep
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 12:37 AM
Dec 2016

Doing the same same thing over and over, we said. Keep thinking you can win with just the angry white male vote, GOP and watch your party slip further and further away from being a national entity l. Soon they will only be a regional party and never win another national contest.

All of a sudden, the roles have flipped, and we're threatening to make the same mistake. Good god.

citood

(550 posts)
26. "the media assumed people preferred scandals and mud flinging."
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 12:52 AM
Dec 2016

I've always said: campaigns go negative for one reason - it works. There is no other explaination for why candidates continue to do it.

Else You Are Mad

(3,040 posts)
4. Exactly.
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 12:58 PM
Dec 2016

In fact, if I remember correctly, the Clinton campaign ignored advice and requests for help from the local and state democratic parties. If the Clinton campaign had a better ground game, then most likely the comey letter and the hacks probably would not have been an issue.

okieinpain

(9,397 posts)
11. agreed to hear that people were concerned and
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 02:11 PM
Dec 2016

tried to act on their own but were told by the clinton campaign to not do so because they were playing mind games with trump is something that is unforgivable. that is something that needs to be discussed out loud and in front of everyone so it never happens again.

that shit pisses me off just thinking about it again.

 

EL34x4

(2,003 posts)
16. Why should they hold themselves accountable?
Sat Dec 17, 2016, 06:35 AM
Dec 2016

Nobody else is holding the Clinton campaign accountable.

Say something bad about Hillary's campaign on this forum and watch your post get juried and removed for "right wing talking points" or "bashing Democrats."

As far as Democrats need to be concerned, Hillary lost solely because Russians, Comey, and the media but she didn't really lose anyways because SHE WON THE POPULAR VOTE!!!! You can throw in vote fraud if you want and sure, while we're at it, it's the voters' fault too!

See how easy that was? Not her fault. No introspection required. Thanks for the money. Tough break.

I'm sure her donors will understand.

 

HassleCat

(6,409 posts)
6. Not gonna like it.
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 01:12 PM
Dec 2016

Sanders demonstrated there is a path to success that replaces big donors with small donors, and runs a little more towards grassroots and populism.

 

duffyduff

(3,251 posts)
23. What success?
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 12:14 AM
Dec 2016

He never got nominated because he wasn't viable.

I wish I could get my hard-earned money back from stupidly giving to him early on.

dionysus

(26,467 posts)
25. If you're going to play that game, at least he didn't have to face the humiliation of getting smoked
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 12:41 AM
Dec 2016

by the biggest joke of a candidate in american history.

It's a silly game. You can look really small by dissing on bernie instead of being adult enough to admit problems in the campaign if you want to, but it's not going to help us beat him on 4 years.

0rganism

(24,632 posts)
10. which will result in exactly the kind of analysis that sinks us for the foreseeable future
Fri Dec 16, 2016, 02:11 PM
Dec 2016

remember back in 2012-2013, when the GOP published that campaign retrospective which strongly recommended outreach to minorities? and then Trump tossed it all in the shredder and won anyway?

unlike with the Republicans, i fully expect the DNC and Democratic candidates will wholeheartedly embrace the recommendations of any Democratic autopsy report, resulting in even more losses at the ballot box as the Democrats bend over backwards to pander to the resource extraction industry and wall st. banking interests. because, you know, experts.

 

EL34x4

(2,003 posts)
18. Funny thing is, Trump did better among minority voters in 2016
Sat Dec 17, 2016, 06:43 AM
Dec 2016

than Romney in 2012. Significantly better. He increased his white vote by one measly point but he gained 7 points with African-Americans, 8 points with Latinos and 11 points with Asians.

 

RBInMaine

(13,570 posts)
15. The first thing to do is to STOP pandering to these rich donors and become a grassroots party again!
Sat Dec 17, 2016, 06:17 AM
Dec 2016

Tell the rich donors to invest in PROGRESSIVE MEDIA if they want to help. We can get a billion dollars from millions of small donors with an exciting populist campaign.

 

HoneyBadger

(2,297 posts)
19. That would be driven by a populist candidate who will not exist for a couple of years
Sat Dec 17, 2016, 06:50 AM
Dec 2016

Meanwhile rich donors can be tapped now for 2020, probably the most expensive campaign in history. The key is for the party to monetize the anger in the streets.

citood

(550 posts)
27. Did you notice that Trump spent half of what Clinton did?
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 12:57 AM
Dec 2016

Concentrating on the big money and predicting it will take x dollars to win is a mistake. Social media is free, staying in the news is free, and people are going to use Tivo to skip political ads. The game has changed.

citood

(550 posts)
30. Odds are Trump will be running in 2020
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 01:10 AM
Dec 2016

...and the counter to his media advantage is to outspend him? Because that worked for HRC? Because it worked for Jeb Bush?

Merlot

(9,696 posts)
31. I'm not saying outspend him
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 01:22 AM
Dec 2016

Just pointing out why he spent half of what HRC spent. He got so much free airtime he didn't need to spend as much.

We really don't know at this point who will be running in 2020. If it's another republican, they won't have that media advantage. I don't see trumpt lasting the 4 years due to either health (mental or physical) or some scandal or him just becoming bored with it all. He's not going to like the confines of the presidency would be my guess.

I hate the thought that 1 billion dollars was spent on this campaign. I'm no campaign expert, but it was an old school, traditional campaign at a time when the country and the opposition were rejecting the status quo. turmpt and Bernie were doing things differetly. Other than that, I have no answers.

 

HoneyBadger

(2,297 posts)
34. Going to be a traditional campaign in 2020
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 04:34 AM
Dec 2016

Trump went into this a 100:1 outlier at every stage. Every day, he went out, said screw the leaders of every party, screw the media (Megyn!), screw the big money. No endorsements. No surrogates. Never ran for dog catcher. Fired and rebuilt his campaign staff how many times over? Campaign staff had so many no names that when he actually hired a guy that had worked on a Republican Presidential campaign prior, it was newsworthy. The GOP (Ryan) abandoned him.

All because he had nothing built.

2020, it would appear that he could go into it with campaign experience, a vetted machine, surrogates including "First Lady" Ivanka, the RNC in his pocket, several hundred million in campaign funding banked (he probably has $66m+ left and seems to be monetizing everything he does), 5 years of never ending campaign rallies, incumbent, elected Republicans that owe him, big money donors (seen his appointees?) behind him, you get the idea. He will have a harder time tapping his businesses for funding. 2020's campaign will have nothing to do with 2016. He will set a spending record using other people's money. Assuming otherwise will be a mistake.

 

HoneyBadger

(2,297 posts)
17. They say that when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail
Sat Dec 17, 2016, 06:42 AM
Dec 2016

Election spending is a huge cash cow that funds, media, consultants, etc for years. It is the job of the 2020 Dems to say that the problem was a lack of money, 2020 is going to be 1.5 billion.

George Eliot

(701 posts)
32. Hilarious. Big donors are the problem.
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 03:06 AM
Dec 2016

Wall street and rich people. That's what the rust belt was voting against. Funny they don't see it.

ucrdem

(15,703 posts)
33. Great, I hope someone tells them and they make a huge stink about it.
Tue Dec 20, 2016, 03:59 AM
Dec 2016

But I'm not going to bet the farm on it, sigh. More than likely they've already reached their own conclusions and decided the problem was a certain lady married to Bill Clinton.

Latest Discussions»Retired Forums»2016 Postmortem»Donors Demand Autopsy of ...