WASHINGTON – The most surprising revelation in recent presidential polling is not that Donald Trump has low favorability in key states – a welcome indicator of national sanity – but rather that Hillary Clinton’s numbers are almost as bad. Put another way: A vacuous, gaffe-prone, xenophobic, conspiracy-minded reality television star whose nomination, by most accounts, would destroy the GOP has about the same approval ratings in Colorado and Iowa as the prohibitive favorite for the Democratic nomination.
A recognition begins to dawn: Democrats may be coronating a wounded queen.
Michael GersonHorse race polling conducted early in a presidential contest means very little, as President Fred Thompson and President Howard Dean can attest. But while early polls are not predictive of outcomes, they can be indicative of weaknesses. In a recent CNN/ORC poll, 57 percent of adults did not consider Clinton honest and trustworthy. According to an AP-Gfk poll, only 31 percent of likely voters think the word “honest” describes Clinton well.
Clinton’s response? “People should, and do, trust me.” A statement not particularly worthy of trust.
One of the lively debates among conservatives over the last several months has been: Is Clinton a strong candidate or a weak one? I have been on the “strong” side. She is knowledgeable, tough, experienced and certainly imaginable as president. She has almost managed the remarkable achievement of clearing the Democratic field through a perception of her own inevitability and a reputation for remembering disloyalty.