Face The Nation's John Dickerson Not Ready To Declare Election Over
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - John Dickerson, the Moderator of Face the Nation on CBS, is not ready to declare the election over, despite a significant polling lead for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.
Dickerson acknowledged in an interview with Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT that Clinton appears to have a real edge, but is holding off on calling the race for her.
"We don't know until it's over, but I think you can look at the measurements and the polls do show that Hillary Clinton is doing a lot better in a lot more states than Donald Trump. There are a lot more traditionally Democratic states, so she's got that in her pocket. She's doing better in more states in the early vote, and by better, I mean more Democrats are turning out in the early vote than Republicans in more of the early states than in hers. While I also talk to a lot of Republicans who are involved in House and Senate races who are operating on the assumption that everything we see in the public polling is true, which is to say that they think Donald Trump is going to lose. So all of those facts are out there but I still, I don't know, it ain't 'til it's over."
He discussed the latest Wikileaks revelations about the Clinton Foundation, concluding that a Republican candidate like Mitt Romney would have been able to make them more of an issue but that Donald Trump has made so many missteps on the campaign trail that this story gets buried.
"It would certainly be much more painful for her. There would not have been the diverting, the kind of constant diversions that Donald Trump has created for himself and by constant diversions, I mean the things that give pause to traditional Republican voters and have really, all along through this campaign, but in quick and sustained fashion since the Republican convention. So, Mitt Romney just wouldn't have done that."
Dickerson does not think another scandal will have that much impact on either side as we move closer to election day.
"The question is the incremental disclosure on the kind of Achilles Heel issues for both candidates, the question is whether what that really does to the race? Because there's been conversation about either the Clinton Foundation or the server for months and so it's harder for people, I think, to process new information, even if it's more important than all the previous information they've heard because they think they've, sort of, heard it before. I think the same is true with Donald Trump, whether it's about the accusers, a new person comes forward, who can keep track,or whether it's some incendiary thing he's said, people have priced in, I think, these things with the two candidates."