has
nobody else noticed
that the mainstream media
literally assigned themselves
the role of calling US elections
because
I don't think that's how the system should work
not saying they called it wrong
just
not how the system should work

To those asking "how should the system work?", the first alternative that comes to my mind is: legally, states certifying their electoral slates; and for reporting it when it "seems 99% certain", legalizing a prediction market with interest-paid so it can assign 1% probabilities.

To people asking "What's your problem since the MSM has no legal power?", the part that gives me the weird feeling is the part where Biden announces he is now president-elect at the point where AP News calls it, and not before nor after

In a monarchy, being King isn't a genetic property. The King is whoever everybody thinks is King. So at what point can you call yourself President-Elect without looking stupid? When everybody knows you're *supposed* to be PE, i.e., after AP News announces the social reality.

The New York Times doesn't determine what everybody really, actually believes. People don't trust them that much now, maybe never did. But the NYT still has the power
to determine what people believe *other people* believe; which, humans being human, determines an awful lot.

So Biden thinks he can call himself President-Elect without looking stupid... exactly as soon as AP News calls the election for him. Then he's not a madman, he's not jumping the gun, he's the person *AP News* said was President-Elect; so Biden thinks that's what everyone thinks.

This is a function some part of society needs to have, yes, if there's going to be a President at all. I am questioning whether the determiner should be AP News; and noting how this arrogated power fits in with the MSM's role of deciding what people believe other people believe.

Dear people arriving in this thread who have absolutely no idea who I am:
- I voted for Biden.
- I'm not saying the AP News called it wrong.
- Prediction markets are, not the best, but the most *objective* system I currently know of, for predicting what will become known later.