So I’ve been running a few Google Consumer Surveys about election-related topics. Last week, I found out that only about half of Americans can correctly locate Aleppo as being in Syria. Gary Johnson apparently has company in the American populace.
This week, I asked people to describe the two major-party presidential candidates in one word or short phrase. Perhaps not surprisingly, the top words are overwhelmingly negative, for both candidates.
It’s somewhat shocking to me that Donald Trump is considered honest by anybody, considering he’s been sued by almost every business partner he’s ever had. USA Today did a report on 4056 lawsuits he was involved in over the past 3 decades. To paraphrase Hunter S. Thompson, Donald Trump is so crooked he needs servants to help him screw his pants on every morning.
On the other hand, describing Hillary Clinton as “qualified” seems like the least positive way possible to complement her. It reminds me of this scene from The Office where Keith’s only strength is “accounts”. It’s technically correct (the best kind of correct), but not the kind of correct that drives votes.
Not a single person described either candidate as “deplorable”. I wonder if that will change by November.