Posted on 07/15/2015 10:17:02 AM PDT by Kaslin
On the heels of Monmouth University’s recent polling offering, which showed Donald Trump in second place with 13 percent of the total vote, a new USA Today/Suffolk University survey released on Tuesday indicates that we have a new Republican frontrunner.
To quote a famous 90s hit classic, say it ain’t so:
Donald Trump has surged to the top of a crowded Republican presidential field, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds, but the brash billionaire is also the weakest competitor among the top seven GOP candidates against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
In the nationwide survey, Trump leads at 17% and former Florida governor Jeb Bush is second at 14%, the only competitors who reach double digits. Trump's edge, which is within the poll's margin of error, is one more sign that his harsh rhetoric about immigration and toward his rivals has struck a chord with some voters.
It's true. So those afraid Donald Trump is on par to win the GOP nomination and the general election can rest a little easier as that’s exceedingly unlikely to happen. In this poll, after all, he trails Hillary Clinton by 17 percentage points (51/34) head-to-head, which is by far the worst showing out of any of the “serious” Republican presidential candidates. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio do the best, however. Bush and Rubio only trail her by four percentage points and six percentage points, respectively. Rubio also has the added distinction of being Republican primary-goers’ favorite second choice pick, earning 17 percent of the total vote on that question.
And yet, however, one wonders how long Donald Trump will enjoy his newfound frontrunner status. To put it bluntly, his favorability ratings are in the toilet. While 23 percent of respondents “approve” of The Donald, a whopping 61 percent...do not. And unlike other candidates, many of whom are relatively unknown to the public, only two percent of respondents have “never heard” of the business mogul. This means that most Americans have already made up their minds about him, and don't like what they see.
How, then, do we explain his rise and popularity? Perhaps Commentary Magazine’s Peter Wehner hit the nail on the head when he wrote:
Any other Republican with this record [of flip-flopping] would find his candidacy crippled. Yet for Trump, it hardly seems to matter. He operates in an Accountability Free Zone, where past stands, past statements, and past financial contributions are forgotten or forgiven.
The reasons for this, I think, is that Trump’s supporters don’t care about his past, his governing philosophy, or his governing agenda; all they care about his style. They believe he’s fearless, a fighter, politically incorrect, anti-establishment, hated by liberals, a man giving voice their frustration and rage at the political class. They believe the nation is collapsing, government doesn’t work, America is being beaten at every turn – and no one expresses that better than Trump. This deep disenchantment is what Trump is tapping into and what explains his appeal.
I’d further add that his supporters love the fact that he is self-funded, and therefore not dependent on, or beholden to, rich donors. This gives him leverage to say whatever the hell he wants, without repercussions. Indeed this is something he even bragged about in his announcement speech to build support for his campaign. Not surprisingly, I believe it really struck a chord with voters.
Again, though, how long can he survive as the frontrunner when most voters do not approve of him — and probably just want him to go away? My suspicion is not very long, but we’ll see.
The milquetoast GOPe, who pander to their wealthy backers at the expense of the American people and the country, take it in the shorts.
Lesson to be learned here...
I’m really getting sick of these smarmy ass op-eds from people on our side regarding Trump.
We get it conservative blogs, you dont like him. Fine.
How about you spend more time telling the person you are backing to try making a better case for themselves or try growing a frigging backbone and address these SERIOUS issues Trump is and maybe you wouldn’t even have had him in the race.
Cruz seems to get it, and has treated Trump with respect, but that seems to be too much for even conservative websites to pull off.
If Trump starts laying into Hillary like he lays into Mexico, he won’t be down 17 points.
Obviously, Trump is by far the most famous in the race. So, why aren't we hearing the “name recognition” theme now? Because, the Dems want to hang Trump around the GOP’s neck and the Perotista types who actually take Trump seriously think it's great. Plus, he's ratings gold for FNC and talk radio. And MSNBC and the MSM.
It's too early to be worrying about the campaign anyway. This is all reality TV.
Trump also leading all in the recent Economist/Yougov poll and tied in the Roooters/Ipsos poll.
I am a Cruz supporter, and I have said that trump is teaching a valuable lesson to anyone who is watching.
If you want to catch fire, this is how you do it. You want to base to support you and vote for you? Then support what they care about, otherwise to Hell with you.
Cruz is doing okay, but so far he has not caught fire. He has hurt himself in a number of ways instead.
If a candidate loves America and wants to help America exorcise her demons, then let’s get to talking about what the real problems are, otherwise there is no need to even apply for the job.
Democrats and GOPE are dead to me.
Exactly
It’s just laughable to me to think a guy telling the truth (which everyone knows), can’t beat a hag like Hillary who is lying (and everyone knows).
Writers, Right or Left, if you want the rest of your articles to have some slim chance of being taken seriously, don’t put the “but they can’t beat Hillary” tripe in there.
That’s nonsense even if you are too mentally challenged to grasp it.
The rest of us aren’t. Wake the hell up!
Sarah Palin was likewise, brave and not intimidated. Only she (her family, children, parents), etc were attacked virulently through her every appearance. It is a very high price to pay for a Mother of young children to see ones parents attacked and her older children too. Dirty politics.
Sarah stood tall. Sarah has my vote should she run again.
“...Trump’s supporters don’t care about his past, his governing philosophy, or his governing agenda; all they care about his style. They believe he’s fearless, a fighter, politically incorrect, anti-establishment, hated by liberals, a man giving voice their frustration and rage at the political class. They believe the nation is collapsing, government doesn’t work, America is being beaten at every turn – and no one expresses that better than Trump. This deep disenchantment is what Trump is tapping into and what explains his appeal...
I’d further add that his supporters love the fact that he is self-funded, and therefore not dependent on, or beholden to, rich donors. This gives him leverage to say whatever the hell he wants, without repercussions. Indeed this is something he even bragged about in his announcement speech to build support for his campaign. Not surprisingly, I believe it really struck a chord with voters.”
T H E N:
“... how long can he survive as the frontrunner when most voters do not approve of him — and probably just want him to go away?”
Well... Mr. ‘Journalist’... which IS it? It can’t be both! Or do you TOO want it both ways, like Liberals?
I am sick of reading stuff like this that is NOT focused or consistent.
“It’s just laughable to me to think a guy telling the truth (which everyone knows), can’t beat a hag like Hillary who is lying (and everyone knows).”
>>> Ever hear the saying a cannibal people will always vote for a cannibal king? Liberal liars absolutely will vote for Hillary and her lies since they are peas in a pod. Let’s hope the real Americans (silent majority I hope??) step up to the plate and VOTE this time around.
It’s too early to be worrying about the campaign anyway. This is all reality TV.” -——
You have a calendar based opinion.
The fact of the matter is that unadulterated, simple truth sells. When it is delivered pugnaciously and deliberately bellicose for effect, the truth becomes at last audible and translates into VOTES and POLLING RESULTS, and taken all together, it exudes CONFIDENCE and renews hope that truth spoken with simplicity, but with plenty of obnoxious volume is not dead.
If your interests are confined to the calendar and to the horse race aspects of the season, then you’ve just missed the “movement” quality of the message, and of the people who are hearing the truth finally break out, rudely.
Whatever becomes of Donald Trump, the truth has been heard. What he has said and the way he has said it, matters. It’s the template we need for more rude awakenings, for gaining more confidence, unafraid to give it bombastic delivery. The Trump manner of speech has all the right people trembling.
Maybe people are just that fed up with political correctness and carefully choreographed speaking which painstakingly says nothing over a long enough time to get through an interview.
I don’t believe for a second that he is down 17 points now. The GOP-E is just as truthful as the ‘rats are.
Donald Trump has never been a conservative and he isn't one now. He's just trying to keep Ted Cruz from getting the nomination by posing as one.
He probably has no intention of running for President for real but even if he does and is elected, does anyone actually see him as a conservative President?
And this nonsense about Trump being the worst choice against hillary? Seriously, now. What Trump will do to hillary in debates will be epic.
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