Trump Is Crushing the G.O.P. Lilliputians [View all]

[Liberal_in_LA]

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, or at Jeb Bush’s campaign office, when the latest opinion poll from Fox News came in over the weekend. It showed Donald Trump in first place, with twenty-five per cent of likely Republican voters backing him. Ben Carson, the surgeon-turned-politician, was in second place, with twelve per cent. And Ted Cruz, the Texan ultra-conservative, was in third, with ten per cent.

Where were the “serious” G.O.P. candidates? Bush, the establishment favorite, was in fourth place, with nine per cent. Governor Scott Walker, of Wisconsin, who not so long ago was vying with Bush for the lead, was in fifth place, and Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, tied in fifth place, with six per cent. Carly Fiorina, the businesswoman, was in seventh place, with five per cent.

These are pitiful numbers, but others did even worse. Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, and John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, whom many pundits hailed as the victors of the televised debate a couple of weeks ago on Fox News, were locked in a dismal embrace at four per cent. Kentucky senator Rand Paul and Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, both got three per cent. Senator Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, one of the few Republicans to criticize Trump directly, scored zero per cent—yes, zero.

Come on, you might object,that’s just one poll. But it isn’t. On Tuesday, CNN released its latest poll of Republicans and independents who lean Republican, which showed remarkably similar results. Once again, Trump was way ahead of the field, at twenty-four per cent. Bush came in second, at thirteen per cent; Carson was in third, at eight per cent: Walker and Rubio tied for fourth, at seven per cent; Paul was in fifth place, at six per cent.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/trump-is-crushing-the-g-o-p-lilliputians