By Kevin Price, Publisher and Editor in Chief, USDR.
For most political pundits and and those that listen to them on the street, the 2016 Presidential election is all but history. We are daily being told that Hillary Clinton will be the next President of the United States and will finally obliterate the glass ceiling that women have long wanted to see broken. For all of those who want to declare this election all but over, I think it is important to consider some reasons why it may not yet be even close to done By the way, for disclosure purposes, I want the reader to know I do not support Clinton or Trump. I believe neither one of them are what the United States needs nor wants. Don’t be surprised if we are also shocked by low voter turnout for these two unpopular candidates.. My purpose is to simply shed light on some things that the mainstream media is failing to observe that could have a bearing on the results.
The Media is Polling the Wrong People
Libertarian candidate and former governor, Gary Johnson of New Mexico has been pointing out for quite some time that the media had been polling the wrong people. He argued, in a recent email I received from the campaign, that approximately “90 percent” of those who would be voting were not being polled. He did not provide a source for this number, but there is no doubt that pollsters are having a difficult time determining who to question. There are millions who are participating in this year’s elections that have never voted before. The lack of understanding among Trump’s supporters is so significant that educational videos had to be made on how to participate in a caucus. Historically, polling is done based on past elections. This has proven to be very faulty as people were shocked to see the Trump campaign accumulate victory after victory during the primaries thanks to many people who have never voted before. There is no doubt that many who will vote in this election have not voted in a general election before.
Voters can Say One Thing and do Something Entirely Different
It is quickly being believed by many in the media that distrust of journalists could play a factor in this election. It was pretty obvious to many Americans that most in the media expects, and even wants, Clinton to win. As a result, some are speculating that many who are being polled are saying that they support Clinton (or even the Libertarian’s Johnson), but are intending to vote secretly for Trump.
Many — if not Most — Are Tired of the Cultural Nanny State
Millions of Americans have grown tired of a political and cultural environment that has become oppressive, in their eyes. They believe that “hate speech” is exactly the type of communication that was supposed to be protected, according to the First Amendment of the Constitution. In fact, it is the only type of speech that requires protection, they argue. If a business does not want to bake a cake for a gay couple, they should have the right to decline, even if those polled will not share that view publicly. Many American have felt like children in kindergarten because of a culture that puts enormous pressure on them to behave a certain way. Donald Trump is the poster child of bad manners, which is (oddly) a positive thing to many who feel like they have been harmed by political correctness.
The Democrats Seem Tone Deaf When It Came to the Old “Reagan Democrats”
According to polls, the number one issue in this election to Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, is the economy. In the minds of many, there was only one candidate offering an alternative to what Obama has pushed the last several years. Many who might show up for Trump are similar to the “Reagan Democrats” of the 1980s. These were people that were long term Democrats, but ultimately put economic opportunity over partisanship. Democrats do not seem to realize the plight of these voters who felt impoverished by years of Obama’s policies. Many key states for Democrats that fit this bill — Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and others; are not getting the attention from Clinton because they virtually always vote Democrat. This could easily come back to haunt them. In particular, labor unions that have long supported the Democrats have seen both jobs and even the possibility of future employment, evaporate under the Democrats. Don’t be surprised if these type of voters and the Blue states they represent, come back to haunt Hillary.
There is little doubt that this election is going down in history as one of the most negative ever. It will also be one in which the media might appear clueless as far as the intentions of the voters they are suppose to report on. In fact, I will not be surprised if the biggest loser in the race for the White House is the media itself.
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