The nearly inevitable GOP nomination of Trump has sparked a cringe-worthy game of "would you rather," thanks to a new survey conducted by Public Policy Polling. By the looks of it, Trump's opposers would rather face an array of disgusting obstacles than see him move into the Oval Office. Most horrifyingly, according to the poll, voters preferred Nickelback and lice to Trump. It doesn't end there. In fact, voters would take the political fall only to avoid hemorrhoids and cockroaches.
How did Public Policy Polling come to this atrocious conclusion? Between May 6 and 9, the organization surveyed 1,222 registered voters. 80 percent of them responded on the telephone and the remaining participants filled out the survey online. As with all polls, this one in particular has an estimated margin of error. However, when applied to each of the comparisons, that margin of 3.2 percent wouldn't change a single one of them.
The official release of the poll included others that were equally hilarious. For example, Public Policy Polling asked Trump supporters which political conspiracy theories they do and do not believe. Nearly 60 percent of them still believe that Obama was not born in the U.S. Equally as concerning, over a quarter believe that vaccines cause autism and have not yet ruled out the possibility that Antonin Scalia was murdered.
Some of those opposed to a Trump nomination are establishment Republicans like Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, and John McCain. Though he has dominated in Republican primaries, inspiring both Ted Cruz and John Kasich to promptly drop out, Trump is not a crowd favorite among politicians. The extent to which this will divide the party has yet to be seen, but the future doesn't look particularly bright for those who want to maintain the status quo.
This divide within the GOP Party is reflected by other Public Policy Polling reports. One in particular found that only 34 percent of voters like Trump. It may not be a majority, but it can't be dismissed because, chances are, Trump's supporters are dedicated followers. That's the thing with him: Trump's either intensely loved or vehemently hated. These head-to-head comparisons are a satisfying crack-up, but the truth of the matter is that this man does have legitimate support and might become president if he manages to mobilize a majority. The nation underestimated his appeal until it was too late once already.
Now he will surely be running for president. Let's not make the same mistake again, especially now that some people claim they would prefer root canals to Trump.
