Saturday, October 10, 2015
Poll: Donald Trump, Ben Carson hold onto top 2 spots
Ben Carson and Donald Trump dominate this recent poll at 22% and 26% of the support of the Republican party respectively. The rest of the candidates fail to break double digits with the next closest being Marco Rubio who is at 8%. On the left, Clinton received 45%, Bernie Sanders received 23%, and Joe Biden (who has not announced his candidacy yet) came in third with 17%. What does it say that over 50% of the Republicans who were polled are supporting candidates who have never held political office (Fiorina, Trump, and Carson combined for 55%) and that the majority of Democrats are supporting establishment politicians (including a vice president and a former secretary of state)? What does it say about the Democrats that Joe Biden has 17% of their support without announcing his candidacy?
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I think the fact that three GOP candidates are people who haven't held office before are coming out because they feel the government needs change, and some of the American people might feel the same too. This also shows the dysfunction and chaotic nature of the Republican party as of recent.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats feel the government is going in the right direction, and thus they're supporting people in positions of power in the government.
I think it says that the Democrats don't have much faith in or have quite a few reservations about Sanders and Clinton if they are backing Biden, someone who hasn't declared running for office. Clinton is facing lots of controversy from her time as Secretary of State among other issues.
The Republican Party is in turmoil, divided over every issue and rejecting every policy. I believe that in general, Republicans know that this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and perhaps getting new blood into the GOP offices will make at least make some difference. The Democrats, on the other hand, believe that their policies are good and that, given more time, the positive effects of the policies will be brought to light for more people. By voting for experienced politicians, the Democrats show their faith in their policies. Although he hasn't declared his candidacy, it is possible that Democrats are voting for Joe Biden because they believe that he will best continue President Obama's work.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I think that it is extraordinarily telling to see that the top three Republican candidates all have no political background. The fact that the Republican party could not come up with a suitable frontrunner that would be able to gain the public's support shows both the party's disarray and it's continual movement further to the right. Also, this shows, as far as the public is concerned, a strong distrust of government as it currently is, something that we have clearly seen but not to this extent. To me, this is quite startling, and it is frightening to think that it is looking more and more like we will have someone running for the Republican party who has never held any sort of political office before. As for the Democrats backing Joe Biden without his announcing his candidacy, that shows a want for a continuation of the status quo, be it due to contentedness with how things currently are or for lack of a better option. I tend to think that it shows very prominently a distrust of Hilary Clinton and an uncomfortableness with Bernie Sander's platform in general. In any case, Biden is viewed as the safest option, and many people would like to take that option if given to them.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Republican Party is in chaos with it being divided by issues that are debated and rejected. The need for new people in the GOP will make a big difference considering they are people who haven't ran for office before. Their positions will give a new perspective and will give the governemnt the change it needs. This is kind of intimidating to think about, because these people running for these positions don't have much experience in the government, but I feel as though it would be a good change getting new perspectives at the same time. The Republican Party is in need of new political members but the opening for these three GOP offices shows this distrust in the government, and how Republicans would give people with inexperience the power to make important decisions.
ReplyDeleteCompared to the Republicans, the Democratic Party stays true to their beliefs and have trust in the experienced politicians to represent the people. This shows the faith that the Democrats have in supporting Joe Biden without even him announcing his candidacy. The Democrats have the trust that Joe Biden will continue on what President Obama has been doing and continue down the path of the Democatic ways. There seems to be some distrust with Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and it looks like most people view Joe Biden as the safest option.
The Republican party as must of us know is in disarray at the moment. So when it comes time to choose their candidate I think they will go with someone who has experience in elected positions. This meaning they GOP will stay away from candidates such as Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson for the more experienced Jeb Bush and Chris Christie.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that the GOP's current frontrunners are people who have never held political office shows the anger and distrust many conservatives direct toward the government. I think they feel that our current government is synonymous with inaction, and that it is slowly trying to take away the rights of the common man. This leads to them supporting candidates who both appear just as angry as they are, and who have not previously been apart of this inactive government. They feel that a change needs to be made soon, and that the same old politicians who have been around for years aren't going to be the ones to make it.
ReplyDeleteThe Democrats, on the other hand, are seeking to hold onto the established government for fear that candidates like Trump or Carson will ruin it if elected. They want to make change, but only to policy. They don't want to shake up the governmental structure as the Republicans seem to do. In this regard, it appears as though the two parties have reversed on each other: the Republicans are seeking change while the Democrats are trying to maintain some sort of order within the government.
This really shows how the GOP has become a reactionary party. They are so desperate to fight the Democats, the most radical and inexperienced candidates gain popularity. However, it's likely that many GOP supporters and conservatives want the government to change. This could be why we see candidates like trump gaining so much popularity. It seems many GOP supporters are increasingly disliking the government. The Democrats are just as bad right now. They must think that our current government is best the way it is right now because of the candidates they are promoting. When I saw that Hillary had 45% of the Democrats support I was shocked. She is the candidate that would not change a thing about our current government. This is quite disturbing to me as there is a lot that can be fixed in our government. Both parties are not doing a very good job.
ReplyDeleteI think that the fact that the leading GOP candidates have never held a political office shows how much of push backwards GOP party members want (essentially a reactionary party). They obviously want change and lots of it, backwards towards what life in the USA used to be like. However, the fact that none of the leading candidates have ever held a political office could also lead to a lot of trouble if one of them is elected as candidate, never mind their beliefs and policies, as they have not been as involved in the political world as Clinton and Sanders have been for example.
ReplyDeleteOn the Democratic side, I think it is very interesting that people right now are favoring Clinton, since we have never had a female President before and considering the scandals involved with the Clintons. The fact that 17% of Democrats support Biden when he hasn't even announced anything about running is puzzling. How can you support someone who might not even run? However, it does show that Democrats have faith in our current government leadership and would like Obama's policies to continue under Biden.
Although this poll may shock many, it is not surprising to me.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Republicans, many have realized the ineffectiveness of the party and the great shift to the right-wing extremists. That being said, it is not unreasonable for members to want new people with a (somewhat) different perspective to come into politics. However, the fact that roughly 50% of people are in favor of candidates (Trump, Carson, Fiorina) who have never held any political position before is quite concerning. To me, this shows not only the lack of what the party has to offer to its people, but also the complete disarray of the party as a whole.
As for the Democrats, it is not surprising that Clinton is polling twice as many votes as Sanders is. Despite the scandals, Clinton is more in the middle of the party, whereas Sanders stands to the left, so more people are in favor of her. Even though Biden has not announced his running yet, it is not shocking that he is polling almost one-fifth of the democratic votes, as some would like to continue the current White-House status of Obama under Biden.
The fact the the top candidates for the Republican Party are new to politics shows the lack of faith that people have in the current Republican Party. It says a lot about the Republican party that people who have never held office positions believe that they can do a better job than the people who have. Having new people who haven’t yet been corrupted can be a good thing. They would see things from a new perspective and may actually bring some positive changes. However, the fact that they have no political backgrounds is slightly concerning.
ReplyDeleteIt isn’t really surprising that Clinton is polling higher than Sanders since she has had higher positions than Sanders and she is closer to the middle of the political spectrum. Sanders has some good ideas, but he is too far left and is trying to make too many changes. It also isn’t surprising Democrats are supporting Biden; if he were president I think people would expect him to continue the work of Obama.
The fact that Fiorina, Trump, and Carson are polling at 55% shows how divided the Republican party is. About half of them support the new, inexperienced candidates, and the other half support the other ones. This shows extreme polarization within the Republicans. In contrast, the fact that Democrats support establishment politicians shows that the Democrats are less divided. If they wanted changes in their party, they wouldn't be giving 17% of their support to Joe Biden, the current vice president, because he would most likely have similar ideas to Obama.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that surprising to me that so many Republicans are in favor of voting for non-politician candidates. The Republican party has been so dysfunctional that many members are finding inexperienced newcomers as more favorable. Republicans must be fed up with the established politicians that are running because of all the dysfunction that has been such a problem in recent years. It's funny how the democrats are the opposite and have the most established candidates as front runners, especially with Biden polling so well and not even officially running. The Democrats might be too invested in someone like Biden and there could be some craziness if he doesn't hold up to expectations.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that surprising to me that so many Republicans are in favor of voting for non-politician candidates. The Republican party has been so dysfunctional that many members are finding inexperienced newcomers as more favorable. Republicans must be fed up with the established politicians that are running because of all the dysfunction that has been such a problem in recent years. It's funny how the democrats are the opposite and have the most established candidates as front runners, especially with Biden polling so well and not even officially running. The Democrats might be too invested in someone like Biden and there could be some craziness if he doesn't hold up to expectations.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I'm just so sick of hearing Donald Trump's name. Almost as sick of hearing him speak. His whiny cries of not being treated fairly by the media make me nauseous. Please, American voters, please stop. I get it, I really do. A couple of years ago I, too, wanted an outsider candidate who might finally buck the "politics as usual" trend. But Donald Trump is not the way of going about that. A platform characterized by vicious personal attacks, bigotry, and racism is not one that I want my next president to stand on. And as for Ben Carson, I thought maybe he was the answer. And then he spoke. It seems that every other sentence that comes out of his mouth is filled with homophobia or islamphobia. He's a smart guy, he really is, but then why does he have to be so stupid?
ReplyDeleteOn the other side of the isle, the Democrats best shot of winning is, none other than another Clinton. People cry about political dynasties and say that they'd never vote for another Bush, but what makes Clinton any different? She has flipped and flopped too often for me to accept her pleas that "people's opinions evolve". To me, it seem that the evolution of her opinions match up just a little too well with the evolution of the constituents' opinions.
I've been raised in a Republican household all my life. But, who knows, maybe I'll vote for Bernie. At least he seems to stand for something.
Yes. Tanner. Come to the light! ;)
DeleteTo me, the fact that the majority of Republicans are followers of non politicians is very interesting. I view it as the people wanting change from the typical Republican philosophy of slowing down government and causing crisis. People are looking for change, and they crave it so much that they look to candidates with agendas as crazy as their hair.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, many Democrats are crazed over a candidate who hasn't announced his campaign yet. We all know that Joe Biden has the standing to be a formidable candidate, possibly enough to tip the scale against Clinton, but his door is closing to run. This is a shame because it is not crazy to believe that the excitement around Joe Bidens candidacy could produce as much excitement as Bernie Sanders or Barack Obama in 2008.
The corruption of the Republican party is directly translated in its top three GOP candidates. It's simple, the Republican party is desperate for change, something to save them from the chaos that has taken over their party and in their eyes the answer to all of their problems are those that have no previous relations with the political world. However, I find it very ironic that the Democratic party is the complete opposite of the Republicans in that more that 50% of Democrats favor Hilary Clinton, as expected, however I was surprised by how many people are behind Biden even though he is not a definite candidate. However it does make sense in the aspect that Americans hope to continue the actions that have been enforced under Obama.
ReplyDeleteYes, most of the Republican candidates did not hold political office, but also look at who the candidates are. Who doesn't know Donald Trump? My family overseas only know about him and Hillary Clinton. I read his name even in foreign newspapers. One doesn't need to have former experience to be President. While experience would make a more favorable candidate, anyone who can afford the funds to create a campaign can run. Any American citizen above the age of 35 can run for President.
ReplyDeleteEveryone here is harshly critical of the Republicans, but the Democrats aren't innocent either. The Democratic Party has a fluctuating ideology and I can't seem to grasp what their central beliefs are anymore. Every single candidate from both parties largely differ in their opinions. Neither party has presented compelling candidates, and both parties are just taking a downward spiral. I could go on and on with my criticisms of American politics, but I think my point is understood.
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