Americans already hate the next president

Source: Washington Examiner | September 22, 2016 | Philip Klein

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It’s true that every four years journalists write columns lamenting the pitiful choices facing Americans on Election Day. But this election is special because of how overwhelmingly negative public views are toward the two major party candidates.

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In the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll cited above, just 37 percent of respondents said they had a positive view of Clinton, compared with 52 percent who had a negative view — and that was actually a marginal improvement over the August poll. Meanwhile, Trump was only viewed positively by 28 percent, compared with 61 percent who viewed him negatively. Among undecided voters, just 13 percent had a positive view of Clinton and 5 percent of Trump.

The net favorability numbers for both candidates (-15 for Clinton and -33 for Trump) are significantly worse than those of the losing candidates in the previous five presidential elections in the same poll taken every September dating back to 1996.

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This makes it likely that whoever does get elected will take the oath of office as historically unpopular. Gallup keeps an archive of its initial poll taken after presidents were sworn in for their first term going back to President Eisenhower. On average, presidents have started with an approval rating of 61 percent, and the range has been a high of 72 percent under President Kennedy and a low of 51 percent, shared by Presidents Reagan and the first President Bush.

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A President Trump or President Clinton will enter office facing united opposition from the other party, and with low enough poll numbers to make members of their own parties in competitive states and Congressional districts feel comfortable defying them.

This failure to deliver any results will likely only harden Americans’ fundamental distrust of whoever ends up winning this November.

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