Donald Trump polling at an all time high

[PorkChop]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/peopl ... 34631.html

In a poll of Republicans backing him to be president, Trump is on 41%, his nearest rival is on 19%.

This is happening.

[Everlong]

Yeah it's pretty much guaranteed that he'll be the Republican nominee at this point.

This country is filled with fucking morons.

[Str8Shooter]

Every time I see people on CNN or any other outlet showing clips of Trump and then talking about him like a legitimate candidate I feel like it's some huge prank, or an SNL skit or something that's just gone on for months and months.

It's literally absurd that he is going to be running for President and so many people are behind him. I'm not sure the US has ever looked as ridiculous as it does right now.

[Everlong]

He actually said while campaigning the other day that he could go outside and shoot someone and wouldn't lose voters.

And the sad thing is he's probably right.

[Messiah]

This makes me optimistic about this country's future.

[ChrisCrossed]

Can't stump the Trump!

[AkydefGoldberg]

If he can win the Republican nomination, there's a big chance he could go all the way. All hail President Trump!

But fuck, it's crazy. Hope Democrats have got a strong candidate otherwise Trump's hate-mongering schtick will pick up votes, that's for sure.

[DBSoT]

It surprises me how much people believe in these BS polls. You can not take an accurate depiction of how people will vote by polling a minimal percentage of society. I am sure Trump's base is strong, but it isn't at all as strong as people make it out to be. Find any random 10 people and I bet no more then 3 would vote for Trump. These polls sway voting because people are sheep and will vote for the front runners. People don't agree with Trump, they just believe he is polling high enough to stand a chance again the democrats. If I changed every poll to say Ted Cruz is leading, then he would win the primary just on that. Perception is reality. You can even go with it the other way. Everyone kept saying Hilary will beat Bernie Sanders, then Sanders polls well in Iowa and the story becomes "Sanders is closing the gap."

[Everlong]

You can not take an accurate depiction of how people will vote by polling a minimal percentage of society.

Basically every election in our lives says otherwise. Polls, while not perfect, are very reliable in predicting election outcomes. Now, the results of polls can change over time (A year out from the elction in 2008, Hillary was vastly outpolling Barack, which changed by the primaries) but for the most part, polls done by these institutions are very good indicators of how people will vote.

[Everlong]

Here are some stats about Gallup polls: http://www.gallup.com/poll/9442/electio ... tions.aspx

Since 1936, all but two presidential elections have been correctly predicted by the Gallup final poll, and those two were missed by a percent... within the margin of error for the poll.

[DBSoT]

^ Think of it this way. If I told you that a candidate was leading in every poll and you knew nothing else about those candidates, who would you vote for? Polls look accurate because they influence the voting. the average voter knows nothing about the candidate besides basic information. If they see a candidate out in the public eye more often, then they are more likely to vote for them. People vote for what they know. That is even more the case now with social media. We are hit in the face with quotes from top polling candidates. How often do you hear about Ted Cruz or Dennis Kucinich? Not as often as Trump, Hilary, or Sanders. Trump's loud mouth drives up polling because he is recognizable to the average person. He is also recognizable because of his high polling numbers. If i put out a major report that said Trump is behind Ted Cruz in all polls, then I could influence enough people to vote for Cruz.

I also have very little faith in the American voter. A majority of people in this country have no idea who they are voting for or what they are voting on. It is sad, but it is very true.

[Everlong]

I don't really think polls influence voters as much as you say they do. It's marketing campaigns by the big name candidates. It's all name recognition and personal branding. The big-name candidates have more money to spend to get their message out there. They've succeeded in somehow making a name for themselves over the course of their careers/lives.

Hillary Clinton isn't the favorite to win because the polls are dictating it. She's the favorite because of her name.

The big-time candidates have more support from private groups as well, especially Clinton, who's basically owned by the big banks. This, in turn, influences the amount of media coverage they get. Time Warner, for example, is one of Hillary's biggest supporters. Obviously, there's going to be a conflict of interest there when it comes to the amount (and type) of coverage they give to her.

It's way more than just polls. Polls are miniscule and for the most part don't have much of an effect on voters. It's the entire election system we have in place, how easy it is for candidates to sell themselves to corporations and then use that corporation money for greater exposure and power.

[War Daddy]

Donald Trump is a false flag type campaign for him to drop out at the last second, to secure a victory for Hillary.


Call it now.

[Westcoastvibes]

He actually said while campaigning the other day that he could go outside and shoot someone and wouldn't lose voters.

And the sad thing is he's probably right.

I think if he shot Obama, he may gain voters

[SortaCreative]

Trump needs to feel the Bern.

[VaderBomb]

In my opinion, Trump is in cahoots with the Clintons to destroy the GOP party from the inside out. They're all good friends, attended each others weddings, went golfing together, their daughters are best buddies, etc.

Trump isn't a real republican and likely doesn't believe a word that he says. The Koch brothers hate him, which is quite telling that he's a Democratic puppet. For anybody who doesn't know, the Koch brothers are oil tycoon billionaires who essentially own the GOP party.

Good thing for us is that Hillary doesn't stand a chance against Bernie, no matter how hard the media tries to bury him and hype her stupid cunt up. Bernie is the only human being in the race who isn't a puppet for big oil or wall street. Not only is Hillary going to lose to Sanders in the primaries, but Trump doesn't stand a chance against the Bern. People are waking up and this election is helping the issues just as much as it mocks them.

[Everlong]

Good thing for us is that Hillary doesn't stand a chance against Bernie, no matter how hard the media tries to bury him and hype her stupid cunt up. Bernie is the only human being in the race who isn't a puppet for big oil or wall street. Not only is Hillary going to lose to Sanders in the primaries, but Trump doesn't stand a chance against the Bern. People are waking up and this election is helping the issues just as much as it mocks them.

Man I really want to believe you're right, but I feel like the only Bernie supporter who thinks Hillary has it in the bag.

[VaderBomb]

Good thing for us is that Hillary doesn't stand a chance against Bernie, no matter how hard the media tries to bury him and hype her stupid cunt up. Bernie is the only human being in the race who isn't a puppet for big oil or wall street. Not only is Hillary going to lose to Sanders in the primaries, but Trump doesn't stand a chance against the Bern. People are waking up and this election is helping the issues just as much as it mocks them.

Man I really want to believe you're right, but I feel like the only Bernie supporter who thinks Hillary has it in the bag.

I have faith. So many people don't trust Clinton (for good reason) and the people that are brainwashed by her campaign are fewer and further between at this point. All these claims of Hillary winning TV polls and debates are all fake. It began as a media hoax to manipulate people into ignoring Sanders but he's gained so much popularity that they can't ignore him anymore. He clearly has won every Democratic debate (despite what the media says) and is ahead in Iowa and NH and his support is overwhelmingly positive. The power of the people will prove it's strength and Hillary won't get the nomination over Bernie.

[UTK]

You can not take an accurate depiction of how people will vote by polling a minimal percentage of society.

Basically every election in our lives says otherwise. Polls, while not perfect, are very reliable in predicting election outcomes. Now, the results of polls can change over time (A year out from the elction in 2008, Hillary was vastly outpolling Barack, which changed by the primaries) but for the most part, polls done by these institutions are very good indicators of how people will vote.

Historically speaking? Yes, polls have been accurate. But the accuracy of polls in the past few years alone has dropped dramatically. In the UK not a single major national poll predicted the Conservative Party's victory last year. Same thing happened with Netanyahu's victory in Israel.

Why is that happening? Because nobody has landlines anymore. Majority of polling is done by calling you. And since it's illegal for pollsters to call you on your cell phone, all they have is the internet. You might think the internet would make it even easier to poll people, but it isn't. Now pollsters have to wait for people to come to them instead of the other way around. You lose the "random" effect you get from auto-dialing people's homes. People are willingly seeking out polls...and only surveying those types of people won't get you anywhere.

I don't really think polls influence voters as much as you say they do.

Research from the University of Michigan says otherwise. Besides, polls matter now more than they ever have. Hell, Fox News chose who would participate in their GOP debate based on polling, which has never happened before. Sanders, Clinton, and ESPECIALLY Trump keep putting polling in people's heads more than I've ever seen a candidate do. I bet if a political scientist decided to do research on the 2016 election in a few years time they'd find that polling had a pretty sizable impact on voters.

[DBSoT]

Pretty much exactly what @UTK said