Trump Deeply Unpopular With Independents In Swing States

Not good, not good at all.

A different poll, by USAToday, poses a a key question -- would you consider voting for Trump? -- 63% nationally say they would not even consider it. (Obama's figure is 46% -- bad, but as you can tell, 46% is less than 50% so he could still win with such a high no-consider figure.)

So why the heck is Rush boosting him every day?

Maybe that's not fair; maybe he's boosting him the way I am -- merely knocking away unfair attacks and saying, "Well, I'm glad someone's out there treating Obama like a run of the mill politician instead of an untouchable Emperor of America."

However, Rush seems much more taken with him than just that. His praise is positive, not merely knocking away others' negative statements.

Does Rush not know the man has given mostly to Democrats? That his "pro-life conversion" story sounds as if he made it up on the spot? That on a whole host of issues, Trump has not only taken the liberal position but the fringier outlier of the liberal position -- like pimping for universal health care or enthusiastically endorsing the Kelo decision as the state just making you move so that it can allow developers to create economically-useful properties?

Okay, let's say Rush just wants a winner. I can understand that.

How about these distressing poll numbers?

What is Rush's plan here, exactly?

And I repeat, it is not true that "Trump is the only person taking Obama" on. A lot of people are. Palin. Bachmann. Even Boehner.

Even Romney. Romney in always very, very critical of Obama.

And of course Gingrich, who has never had a kind word for Obama (unlike Trump, who once had plenty of kind words).

It is simply not true that "no one" is taking on Obama. Others are, but the media's not covering them.

That is not their fault.

And the media is not covering Trump because they figure he has the best chance of unseating Obama. Surely Rush understands that.

Now, Trump has an engaging and entertaining way of speaking. I like his persona. I've been watching his stupid, stupid show on and off but largely on for like ten years or whatever it is. Something about the guy, I admit, is appealing.

But we're not picking based on whether something about someone appeals to us.

We are nominating someone with a very specific job to do, and that job is to beat Obama.

And if Trump looks like he is unlikely to beat Obama -- and he does look like one of the least likely to do so, based on these poll numbers -- then why the hell are we talking him up as a contender?

As I said, I like the guy. He's got charisma. There's an attractiveness about his brash swagger, even if it frequently sounds like he doesn't know what he's talking about -- hey, at least the guy is confident on the stuff he's shaky on.

But that doesn't mean he's the best, or even a marginally good, candidate to beat Obama.

You know that that is? That element of genius I've just demonstrated?

Sure you do.

Integrative Complexity

It's the New Hotness neologism for the Old and Busted former neologism "Negative Capability," but the left's been saying that for 40 years and it doesn't sound smart anymore now that everyone knows what it means so on to the next deliberately overcomplicated jumped-up term for a simple idea.

posted by Ace at 02:35 PM

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