The polls say it all for the GOP — with Trump in their number one spot (as of October 20th in several states), I'd be squirming in my seat if I were a Republican. There isn't a ton of real weight carried by the polls. I mean, at the end of the day, the party has their pick as to who is representing them with the Iowa primary on the near horizon, but wouldn't they want to choose someone popular to secure their party a spot in the White House?
This is where those numbers speak volumes about popular vote and have Donald Trump confidently adjusting his squirrel of a hair piece. Not so fast though: as of now, there's room for more than one business mogul in town. Carly Fiorina, ex-CEO of Hewlett Packard (forced to resign after an unsuccessful merger with Compaq Computers), securely holds a number three position in the most recent set of polls after her buzz-worthy performance in the Republican debate.
Sandwiched between the two in the number two position is Dr. Ben Carson, former Johns Hopkins nuerosurgeon and author. He's notorious for several remarks along the lines of hypothetical holocaust denial and banning abortion no matter what, even in the cases of rape and incest. What a guy, right?
What do these three have in common? None of them, the top three contenders in the Republican polls, have any experience in office. The most political experience we are looking at is Fiorina's failed attempt at running for a seat in the California Senate. What I'm saying is that, at a glance, these people all seem grossly unqualified.
Is this what the GOP has come to? The party itself doesn't even trust its elected officials enough to keep on electing them, so we are putting a reality TV star, a doctor, and a former CEO into the ring to try and win over personality- and celebrity-obsessed America.
Historically, the Republican party has prided itself in traditionalism, patriotism, and fiscal conservatism, which makes it appear even more unclear as to why Jeb Bush isn't the clear choice this election. In fact, he bounces between a number four and number five position in the polls —a sad standing for someone with two generations of presidency before him.
You would think, in consideration of Republican ideals, they would turn to one of their own for guidance and a way to fix the mess they are creating for themselves. The Republican party is self destructing, and the only representatives they are hoping can fix it are people in the House of Representatives such as Paul Ryan, currently the "consensus choice" for Speaker of the House.
If you know me at all, you know how much of a problem I have with Paul Ryan Maybe it's because I don't think he's the greatest at his job in the House, or maybe it's because he referred to rape as a "method of conception" in an interview once upon a time. Either way, he was most recently in the news as the beacon of light that the Republicans are looking for to save their House takeover, as he has been recently approved to run for Speaker of the House (a prospectively challenging roll), replacing John Boehner.
Looking at the polls has become something head-shake worthy for most college students. Regardless of whether you sway left or right politically, it is without a doubt that based on who America thinks is fit to run this country, the GOP is in a mode of self-destruction.