[handmodel]

I mean we called Trump the President-elect before the states certified results. A lot of senators and congresspeople are now marked as "Senator-elect" or "Future Governor" or whatever.

I'm sorry - but it is silly to be pedantic on this.

Were you saying it was bad to call Donald Trump the Republican Nominee before his convention speech? Even though it was mathematically and legally certain?

[7373737373]

In life, only death and taxes are mathematically and legally certain

[ceilingcorner]

That’s not really a comparable situation. Right now, we are waiting on a recount in Georgia and the final results in North Carolina and Arizona, not to mention any court cases or recounts that inevitably arise. The media mostly called this because people got tired of waiting, IMO.

[otterley]

At this point, it is practically impossible at a statistical level that the outcome would change even if every legal avenue on Trump's wish list were granted. There is such a thing as a reasonable degree of statistical certainty, and the media have been extremely conservative this time around (compared to, say, 2000) to ensure they don't get egg on their face and retract calls.

Also, there's this whole thing about "freedom of speech" that conservatives like to crow about, too.

[ceilingcorner]

It is not practically impossible. Highly unlikely, absolutely, but so is pretty much everything these days.

The quip about freedom of speech is really unnecessary. One can criticize the media while recognizing the importance of individual free speech. I don’t see this as the same issue, even if they are legally.

[otterley]

Can you describe a set of facts that are within the realm of reasonable possibility under the current set of circumstances that would substantially change the outcome?

> The quip about freedom of speech is really unnecessary. One can criticize the media while recognizing the importance of individual free speech

Live by the sword, die by the sword. How about Citizen's United, instead?

[ceilingcorner]

A plausible, but again, highly unlikely scenario:

- Supreme Court gets involved with PA and some votes are thrown out, or a recount is done.

- Recount in Georgia gives it to Trump.

- Arizona is still not declared and could go to Trump.

- North Carolina seems to be going to Trump.

[otterley]

I don't know what the word "plausible" means to you, but to most (and in the dictionary), plausible means "reasonable or probable." If something is unlikely, it is also implausible. It is imaginable, of course, but anything is imaginable.