2016 Postmortem

Arazi

(7,486 posts)

59. Volunteers were explicitly told to stand down

Thu Dec 22, 2016, 03:44 PM

Dec 2016

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/michigan-hillary-clinton-trump-232547

Everybody could see Hillary Clinton was cooked in Iowa. So when, a week-and-a-half out, the Service Employees International Union started hearing anxiety out of Michigan, union officials decided to reroute their volunteers, giving a desperate team on the ground around Detroit some hope.

They started prepping meals and organizing hotel rooms.

SEIU — which had wanted to go to Michigan from the beginning, but been ordered not to — dialed Clinton’s top campaign aides to tell them about the new plan. According to several people familiar with the call, Brooklyn was furious.

Turn that bus around, the Clinton team ordered SEIU. Those volunteers needed to stay in Iowa to fool Donald Trump into competing there, not drive to Michigan, where the Democrat’s models projected a 5-point win through the morning of Election Day.

Michigan organizers were shocked. It was the latest case of Brooklyn ignoring on-the-ground intel and pleas for help in a race that they felt slipping away at the end.

“They believed they were more experienced, which they were. They believed they were smarter, which they weren’t,” said Donnie Fowler, who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee during the final months of the campaign. “They believed they had better information, which they didn’t.”

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ENOUGH with the "Clinton campaign didn't ask for our help" whining! [View all] EffieBlack Dec 2016 OP

Post removed Post removed Dec 2016 #1

*sigh* I voted for Bernie in the primaries. Pacifist Patriot Dec 2016 #2

I hink she would have been a fine president, her campaign skills, though, weren't good dionysus Dec 2016 #63

exactly what was lacking in her campaign skills? were you seeing the same things I was, a niyad Dec 2016 #70

Well, to us that voted for her, she's fine. She didnt inspire enough dionysus Dec 2016 #73

Yes, she was so non-viable that she got nearly 3 million votes more than Trump EffieBlack Dec 2016 #3

Can we just get beyond this? Please? TheCowsCameHome Dec 2016 #8

She lost the electoral vote to the Kremlin, the FBI and voter suppression. ehrnst Dec 2016 #32

Another "Exhibit A". Thanks for picking at the old wounds. TheCowsCameHome Dec 2016 #34

Straw man much? She lost by very thin margins affected by those things. ehrnst Dec 2016 #47

All three? onyxw Dec 2016 #76

There is a deep Republican culture in the FBI ehrnst Dec 2016 #77

I don't think FBI would have had same opening to insert themselves with Biden/Sanders onyxw Dec 2016 #78

"Red Scaring" accusation: one of the growing instances in a Venn diagram where Trump and ehrnst Dec 2016 #79

Pssst...it doesn't matter. We don't live under a popular vote system... TCJ70 Dec 2016 #9

Pssst....Bernie lost pretty much the entire south, and the majority of Democrats in the Primary ehrnst Dec 2016 #48

Yeah those southern states...the ones that sure helped her in the general, right? TCJ70 Dec 2016 #55

I know they are full of those "identity politics" types, but they are a large part ehrnst Dec 2016 #67

State-by-state results in the primary have nothing to do with the general election EffieBlack Dec 2016 #68

Agreed...I'm not even sure why that poster brought up the south...n/t TCJ70 Dec 2016 #69

Because swing states were brought up as somehow being the only ones that mattered. (nt) ehrnst Dec 2016 #75

Hindsight is 20/20 treestar Dec 2016 #53

Let me fix that for you... TCJ70 Dec 2016 #56

Hindsight is still 20/20 treestar Dec 2016 #58

Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2016 #13

"figure out why..." Adrahil Dec 2016 #16

Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2016 #18

Welcome to DU... SidDithers Dec 2016 #19

Last I checked, CA was one of states. LisaL Dec 2016 #24

Message auto-removed Name removed Dec 2016 #38

No dsc Dec 2016 #29

Yes, the new GOP mantra is that California and New York don't matter. R B Garr Dec 2016 #40

That's the latest Trump talking point. Interesting that you are picking it up. ehrnst Dec 2016 #49

Bernin Math. nt. NCTraveler Dec 2016 #61

Given that she was leading in the electoral college right up until the second Comey announcement mythology Dec 2016 #4

She never stopped leading in the polls HoneyBadger Dec 2016 #5

This is true. ananda Dec 2016 #12

What are you referencing? This? TCJ70 Dec 2016 #6

Yeah, after Sanders trashed her as the "Wall Street Candidate" even past the bitter end ehrnst Dec 2016 #50

Another anti-Sanders missive Roy Rolling Dec 2016 #7

Yes--so annoying ismnotwasm Dec 2016 #10

Yep. Why do you need to be asked? kcr Dec 2016 #11

We asked to help in NC and were told to sit down and get out of the "professional's" way. Ford_Prefect Dec 2016 #14

What is it you're asking to do? kcr Dec 2016 #15

They shut out the local organizers as if we didn't know our own people. Ford_Prefect Dec 2016 #22

I'm sorry. I don't believe there were no other reasons kcr Dec 2016 #23

The problem you do not see is that the only priority they had in NC was the presidential vote. Ford_Prefect Dec 2016 #26

I would like to see proof of this, a claim is not proof enough for this accusation uponit7771 Dec 2016 #27

This article liskddksil Dec 2016 #31

In my experience, often this frustration is result of not being asked to do the really "cool" stuff EffieBlack Dec 2016 #44

I had the same experience with the "official" Democratic party in my area. maddiemom Dec 2016 #36

Lots of narcissism BlueMTexpat Dec 2016 #64

K&R mcar Dec 2016 #17

K&R sheshe2 Dec 2016 #20

DU rec... SidDithers Dec 2016 #21

K&R betsuni Dec 2016 #25

K&R Starry Messenger Dec 2016 #28

While I agree that it's time to move on I do have to point out one thing NWCorona Dec 2016 #30

This forum has been over run with Bernie Supporters DEMANDING to refight the primaries. nt LaydeeBug Dec 2016 #33

DUzy of the year. TheCowsCameHome Dec 2016 #35

lol, you can't be serious. He also lost. R B Garr Dec 2016 #39

lol, they don't keep bringing that up. TheCowsCameHome Dec 2016 #41

You can't be serious. The front page alone is spammed with fantasy contests R B Garr Dec 2016 #42

She didn't lose the popular vote, but not everyone seems to think that's relevant. ehrnst Dec 2016 #46

Really? LOL Guess you haven't read the OPs here lately. nt LaydeeBug Dec 2016 #43

What I saw in my state and through my very large extended family -- is that Bernie Sanders Democrats karynnj Dec 2016 #37

I think that many people were more open to a white male than a more qualified female, yes. (nt) ehrnst Dec 2016 #51

What? YoungDemCA Dec 2016 #60

Such things were also true BlueMTexpat Dec 2016 #65

It's not just "the campaign didn't ask", it's "we offered help and they wouldn't take it". Ken Burch Dec 2016 #45

Yes! Not to mention that treestar Dec 2016 #52

How did I miss this BEAUTIFUL OP? bravenak Dec 2016 #54

"Not reaching out to Sanders politicos" translates as "the Clinton campaign didn't offer stopbush Dec 2016 #57

Volunteers were explicitly told to stand down Arazi Dec 2016 #59

i go 50% with you. but if the clinton campaign okieinpain Dec 2016 #62

There is a lot of BlueMTexpat Dec 2016 #66

k and r--exactly!! niyad Dec 2016 #71

I'll bet some of these whiners never bothered to vote in the general. oasis Dec 2016 #72

I just saw another one of those "Bernie people say Clinton's campaign didn't fuking listen" betsuni Dec 2016 #74

I made it pretty clear from the beginning that Exilednight Dec 2016 #80

lulzy! Rex Dec 2016 #81