General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWho would'a thunk it? "Republican Voters Kind Of Hate All Their Choices" (538)
...
So even though the battle between Donald Trump and the Republican establishment has been a story since the summer, we should still pause now and again to gawk at the spectacle. On Thursday, Mitt Romney, the previous Republican presidential nominee and the closest thing the GOP has to a party elder, denounced Trump in the strongest possible terms. Trump responded by making what sounded to me like a blow job reference.
This is really happening. At least I think.
But as spectacular as the clash between Trump and Republican party elites has become, the coverage of it tends to obscure another, perhaps equally important part of the story. Trump does not just divide rank-and-file voters from Republican poo-bahs. Hes also extremely divisive among Republican voters, much more so than a typical front-runner. In exit polls so far, only 49 percent of Republican voters say they would be satisfied with Trump as their nominee remarkable considering Trumps lead in votes and delegates. But compounding the GOPs problems, Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz would leave only slightly more Republican voters happy.
...
You might wonder whether this sort of thing always happens during a nomination campaign. The short answer is that it doesnt. By comparison, 79 percent of Democrats this year have said theyd be satisfied with Hillary Clinton as their nominee, while 62 percent have said so of Bernie Sanders.
Eight years ago, the battle between Clinton and Barack Obama was much tenser. With a few notable exceptions in Appalachia, however, both Clinton and Obama were widely acceptable to Democrats in 2008. On average in the 35 states where the exit polls asked the question, 69 percent of Democrats said theyd be satisfied with Obama as their nominee, while 71 percent said so of Clinton.
...
Not only is Trumps 49 percent satisfaction rating lower than any recent party nominees, its also lower than almost all the losers. Rick Santorum in 2012 was more widely acceptable than Trump, for example. The only exception was Ron Paul in 2012, although the exit polls asked about him in only two states.
No recent precedent for a front-runner as divisive as Trump
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/republican-voters-kind-of-hate-all-their-choices/
patricia92243
(12,595 posts)It makes the republicans spectacle look even worse than it already is when compared to us Democrats.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)What an embarrassment to be a Republican. I'd never admit my party affiliation in public for fear of mockery..
hollysmom
(5,946 posts)Right now I know two people who want to vote for Trump and one person who is cheering Cruz and another who thinks that Kasich is a moderate. Breath of fresh air.
Surya Gayatri
(15,445 posts)a diverse slate of candidates for some time to come.
milestogo
(16,829 posts)and they hate Barack Obama. They hate blacks and gays and women and Muslims and so on....
Maybe hating is just something they love to do.