Donald Trump continues to confound the pundits by leading in the polls of Republicans in a super crowded field. He even leads Jeb Bush, who anyone would guess will be the ultimate nominee.
Actually, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is currently polling just ahead of Bush.
(Trump 20 percent of sample Republican voter responses, Walker 13, Bush 10)
But in current polling on matchups for the general election, as the Daily Kos blog put it: “Everybody beats Trump and Hillary beats everybody”.
Back to the Trump phenomenon:
I read the other day that one must remember that when a poll is cited it is measuring a snapshot in time which usually has been taken a couple of weeks or so prior. And I think it is correct to say that even though Trump is riding on top of the Republican heap of candidates the polls were taken before some of his latest controversial statements and stories of his past indiscretions.
And the biggee to me is what one story noted, many who answer poll questions may not be likely voters.
I have run across several people in my lifetime who spout off stuff about politics, right and left, but who have never or at least seldom voted.
Nonetheless, it would be wrong to deny Trump is not having some success and an effect on the presidential race.
And it’s strange how some supposedly potential voters complain about how politicians lie and then will turn around and support a man with a proven track record of being less than honest. “He tells it like it is,” is the common phrase used by supporters. Well perhaps he does find things that push the right buttons in the minds of some of the disgruntled, but does he really have a solution? He does not even attempt to spell that out, so far at least.
My speculation, though, is that when the going gets tough Trump will move on.
I would speculate his appeal is because voters are jaded and worn out and super cynical. They are tired of talk and no action and empty promises or action with unclear results — I mean we do have some form of national health care now, but it seems rife with problems and way complex. We do have a peace agreement with Iran but we do not know how good or effective it is and whether we have just been bamboozled.
And the economy — well take your pick. We are doing great. We are not. It’s situational. We could do better (that’s a catch-all).
And how did Willie Brown put it this morning on KGO Radio in San Francisco? He said the flamboyant real estate mogul is a super salesman who will lie to you, overcharge you, and then not deliver. Even so, Brown, the former state speaker of the assembly and mayor of San Francisco, observed that Trump seems to have some kind of hold on people he cannot explain.
Personally, I think those who claim to support him do so more as a protest vote against all others.
It will be interesting to see how Trump does in the upcoming Aug. 6 debate on Fox. Will he come off as more serious and thoughtful or will he continue with his normal bombast and invective and platitudes with no substance whatsoever, and for that matter little truth? He is into the big lie. He’s a salesman…
P.s.
And maybe the Trump candidacy does serve some useful purpose. I mean if his opponents cannot out debate him they don’t deserve to win. So maybe it will make them better, help them polish up their acts.
But if they do outshine him in debate and he still wins the votes in the end, the voters will have deserved what they have created, except I won’t because nothing in the world could ever make me vote for such a person.
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Note:
I actually do try to proof my own stuff before posting it but sometimes stuff just slips by. I made a lot of small corrections in word usage and syntax and so forth on my last post (the looking for a gift in the big city one) about 24 hours or more after first posting it. Hope it reads better now.
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