Wednesday, October 21, 2015
The Trump Poll Numbers Lie
America has a fascination with anything - or anyone - out of the ordinary. This is nothing new. In the case of the 2016 election cycle, this "out of the ordinary" thing just happens to be Donald Trump. But election after election, there has almost always been a Donald Trump - someone who captures America's attention for a time being, before getting boring. Now, almost everyone thought the American people's obsession with Trump would be long over by now. But, much to everyone's surprise, Trump is leading the polls - with a large margin in some cases. However, it's just a matter of time before Americans come to their senses and back someone not shiny and new, but tried and true. What does America's obsession with anyone different say about Americans? Is the fact that we so desperately want someone new necessarily a bad thing? Does placing so much emphasis on someone without a chance of winning hurt the Democratic process?
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American's obsession with anyone new and different (in this case, Trump, even though he's not new) seems to me that we are looking for new ways to solve problems. As we learned in class, we have been experiencing a steady decline in trust of the government. This can eventually lead to finding an outsider to fix things. And Donald Trump is definitely an outsider.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that we want someone new is definitely not a bad thing. I think that it just means that we want to try another way, that we are not convinced that what we are doing currently is the best way.
I think that emphasizing Trump so much does hurt the democratic process. Because instead of reading articles about real candidates' policies and beliefs, we are reading about how ridiculous Trump is and when will he leave and "wow that rude comment the other night", etc. We are not being properly informed of candidates who have a chance of winning based on past elections. I can only say that I hope that Trump drops out soon or that his polling numbers go significantly down. President Trump just sounds scary.
I would argue that our capacity to support candidates that some people may view as "different" is something that makes this country great. It says that we are open to new ideas and people and is in no way a bad thing. Supporting a candidate, whether he/she be polling at 1% or 99%, can't be anything but good for our democratic process because it allows for different candidates to at least get their diverse messages across and infuse their parties and the American people with new ideas. So I do not mind that Trump gets attention because clearly he has a message that a large number of people agree with and their voices deserve to be heard as much as anyone else's, regardless of his chances of actually winning.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Trump will probably not be the Republican presidential nominee. Although he appeals to a large number of people, I believe that the rest of the party will narrow down the candidates and once they are down to one or two, Trump will be out. He has a very particular point of view and I do not believe that more people will suddenly jump on the Trump bandwagon. If you support Trump, you have supported him from the beginning. It is a very interesting statement about Americans though. We are a nation obsessed with the "next big thing," from the next iPhone model to the new car. Also, as trust in the federal government is declining, we recognize the need for a change, although I definitely believe that Trump is not the right kind of change.
ReplyDeleteI don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing that Americans want someone new to lead our government. It does show that people aren’t satisfied with the current politicians in office, but it also shows that they haven’t entirely given up on the US political system all together. I think some of the supporters of Trump truly believe that he could make a positive change, but I think many of the people voting for him in polls just want him as president because he is new. Having a person with no political experience as president can be a good thing because they would bring a new point of view on many situations. Our government needs a new change in perspective, but I don’t think Trump would be a positive change. I don’t think the emphasis on Trump hurts the democratic process, but it does take some of the focus off of other candidates.
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ReplyDeleteAmericans' obsession with different people shows that they are willing to consider a variety of candidates instead of just sticking to the ones they know best. It's not necessarily a bad thing, it just shows that Americans have flexible mindsets and willing to adapt to different people. I think this kind of hurts the democratic process because it draws the attention to candidates like Trump. As a result, we don't get to hear as much about more important candidates, such as Jeb Bush, that are more likely to be nominated.
ReplyDeleteThe obsession that American's have with new and different people shows our willingness as a country to try new things. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that Americans want someone new to lead our government. The supporters of Trump would truly believe in the potential change the government so desperately needs. This decline in trust in our governement keeps plummeting and that needs to change. I think people believe that someone new like Trump will allow for a postive change. Although Trump is new, many people might just be voting for him for that reason alone, not knowing that with his little political experience might bring to our country. Placing so much emphasis on someone without a chance of winning, I think does have some effect on the Democratic process since there is less attention on the other candidates. It might hurt the other Democratic candidates, because there's more focus on Trump and we don't get to hear as much about the other potential Democratic candidates like we should.
ReplyDeleteWith an ever-increasing decline of trust in government, it is not surprising that Americans want to bring new people in, and this is not a bad thing, as new people bring new perspectives. However, if someone has never held a political position before and is a front-runner among the presidential candidates, then that is quite disconcerting. It doesn’t shock me that Donald Trump is leading the polls right now, yet I believe that when it comes time to pick one GOP candidate, it will not be Trump. As the article stated, people will know that Trump is not the right candidate, and they will go with someone more practical.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree that everyone’s voice and opinion should be heard, I believe that by spending so much time on one candidate who will most likely not be the presidential nominee is hurting the democratic process. Americans have a much larger focus on Trump and all that he is doing/saying rather than some of the other candidates, so much that they don’t really know what the other candidates are doing/saying.
Hopefully the focus will be taken off of Trump soon, and Americans will realize that Trump is not realistic.
Carson, Trump, and Fiorina all don't hold legislative positions yet they all seem to be prevailing in polls. I think this shows that Americans are fed up and untrusting of the politicians in office now and are more open to looking outside the "normal" ring of candidates for better leadership.
ReplyDeleteI think change is good. It might be a good idea to have someone with a different set of ideas and a different political mindset to work in the Oval Office. Yet we've never really had that before so who's to say if it'll be a good idea or a bad idea?
As the article said, I think Trump will eventually die out as Republican party backs a more sensible choice. Then America will focus on the more pertinent and real candidates. This just showcases the democratic process in full!
One thing to add: Trump is a wealthy guy, so basically he can say anything he wants without being reprimanded. Although most of what he says is totally inaccurate, brash, irrelevant, or just plain crazy, some of it rings true and I think that's why some Americans actually agree with him and "support" him (at least for now.)
I feel like Trump being a front runner for so long has been a bad reality tv show. That doesn't say anything good about the American people who are letting this happen. I guess it isn't necessarily a bad thing that people want some that's different. It can promote change and progress in our country, assuming it's for the better. But than things like Donald Trump happen. It's almost like people want to see the run for president become a reality which is disappointing. And placing so much emphasis on someone with no chance of winning does hurt the democratic process be almost making it a joke.
ReplyDeleteTrump's popularity is nothing different than the popularity of a new iPhone, a Top 40 Hit or even Honey Boo-Boo. He is the shiny new thing that is distracting America's short attention-span. America gets tired of the same old "stuff." It longs for something new and different and then it obsesses over it. Before long, it gets sick of that. Then what does it do? It does one of two things. America will either move on to another new thing or it will realize that the same old, same old is worthwhile and move back to it. But in a way, isn't that human nature? We all try new things. That's how we form opinions and make decisions. We experiment with new ideas until we decide what we like. Has this experiment gone on for way too long? Yes. Does this hurt the Democratic process? No. Imagine what could happen if Trump's surge in popularity happened closer to the primary. If America hopped on the Trump bandwagon then, there wouldn't be time to get tired of him. He could easily get voted in. As stated in the article, he is a fad. Fads go out of style. Hopefully Trump will find himself (and his wall) out of style along with Crocs and Hammer Pants really soon.
ReplyDeleteThe popularity of Trump, in my opinion, mirrors a trend we are all familiar with, a growing distrust in the current state of politics. While this does show a very negative aspect of our current political standing, it is not necessarily a bad thing to want someone different. It does show some extent of political awareness, and generally implies a better and less conforming public. However, I would certainly argue that there are cases to be made for not completely throwing everyone with any political background out the window, and the sweeping generalization that politicians should not be elected to office is a bad one indeed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I definitely think that focusing on one person so much more than all the others hinders the democratic process, as it causes an unfair distribution of odds and power. Furthermore, it causes the public to be less informed when it comes time to actually vote, which then causes the election to not always produce the best candidate as the one elected. Overall, I think that the massive amount of publicity given to Trump is stoking the fire that is allowing him to stay in the race for this long, and should be lessened so as to actually let the voters make up their minds as to who they support in the coming election.
"Out with the old and in with the new" isn't as simple as it used to be. As Americans we can't settle or lean a certain way without concidering the inputs of other weighing effects. In reference to Trump, he was the hidden M&M in bag of trail mix. Now we all know how we feel when we find something appealing and unexpected in a place of conformity and order. We get excited and jump at the chance to take that M&M or go down the unknown road to see what it could lead to. America is entrigued by what Trump jas to offer and is tuning in to see if it is worth following. i think that Trump's popularity in the polls and among people will begin to die down when Americans realize that yes Trump does have a lot of great ideas to offer at the forefront, but in the long run, will he be able to sustain our country? I think not. Trump's popularity could have not came ata abetter time becaise as brought up by some previous comments, I think that Americans will have time to ome to their senses and realize that Trump's true potential is slim to none in his field. It us surprising that he has been so successful to this point, but don't look away for too long or you might miss it; Trump no longer on top.
ReplyDeletePeople are getting tired of the current political system, plain and simple. America is probably the most corrupt country in the world, people know it, and they are tired. They want someone who has not been in Congress or otherwise held prominent political leadership and that's why many people want Trump to become President. Regardless of whether you agree with his views or not, he is a very wealthy man, he has reality shows (I remember watching The Apprentice as a kid and I found it hilarious when Trump would say "you're fired" to someone), businesses, a beautiful wife, etc. and while those qualities don't necessarily make someone a competent politician, people see that he made this empire for himself and naturally assume he will do the same with the nation- build it up. His promise to "make America great again" seems like a realistic possibility especially when looking at what he has done with his life.
ReplyDeleteDoes this hurt the Democratic process? Absolutely not! Anyone can run for president, regardless of occupation... And considering how tired everyone is of the current government, it is easy to see why outsiders are gaining popularity.
It makes sense that Trump is so popular. Many people are losing trust in our politicians to do the right thing and be truthful. Many americans view politicians as sketchy, power hungry people who just want to get in power and will lie to the public in order to get things they want done. This is very alarming. Yet even with this obvious distrust of government and politicians, many politicians are ingoring this. However, this does not hurt the democractic process in any way, shape, or form. The people do not have to vote for politicians, they can vote for whoever they feel will be best. This shows that the american people are somewhat politically competent since they don't just blindly follow politicians.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to encourage change is not by any means a bad thing. I think the support of something so drastically different comes as a result of the reality that many voters are continually unsatisfied with the current condition that their votes have engendered. Also, the voter's right to place an emphasis on any candidate they choose to despite their odds of victory is the opposite of detrimental to the process. Although the idea of Trump in the house is ridiculous and even scary, it will be interesting to see what happen's to this "HUUGE" contender's numbers as the race escalates.
ReplyDeleteI have never really followed the presidential campaign, especially not this early in the competition. Maybe because it I was 13 during the last election or I just never found it interesting. But this year it is different. One reason being some of the candidates are more... interesting then in years past. This years GOP front runner Donald Trump probably the most interesting of them all. it amazes me how someone who has never been involved in politics can be leading the polls with such large numbers of support. My main question and im assuming many others is can he keep this pace up. As we get closer and closer to primary's will people realize he isnt the person we want running our country or will it be the opposite. Will more people hop onto the trump bandwagon? Only time and accurate polling will tell.
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