What Americans do not want in a President

Bob Lehrman:

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Not so fast, Democrats. A more measured look at what’s ahead should include the results of an illuminating Gallup poll from mid-May.

“What do Americans not want in a president?” Gallup asked. The answers should worry Democrats, because they point to vulnerability in all four of the above candidates.

For Sanders, the issue is ideology — that is, socialism. He not only declares himself a socialist but gave a recent pugnacious speech defending it. Yet, “socialism” turns out to be what Americans loathe most: 24 percent of Democrats, 48 percent of independents and 80 percent of Republicans say no to a “socialist” president. “Gay or lesbian” finished sixth. Americans would prefer a gay president to a socialist. Nominating Sanders could cost his party 10 million Democrats and 15 million independents. That is a staggeringly high hurdle.

Meanwhile, Warren and Harris should worry about a second set of numbers from the Gallup poll: 9 percent of Republicans, 6 percent of the 31 million independents and 3 percent of the roughly 40 million Democrats would not vote for a woman — even one qualified and from their own party. That means, in an otherwise even race between Warren or Harris and Donald Trump, about 2 million nominal Democrats would vote for the man. In races often decided by 1 or 2 percent, that is a huge risk.

Finally, there’s Biden: 37 percent of Americans — just about evenly divided between Democrat, Republican and independent — say they would not vote for a candidate over age 70. Well, Biden and Trump are both over 70. Don’t they cancel each other out?

That question drives home the real lesson from the president's July 4 performance: Donald Trump, schooled in “The Apprentice,” knows that a speech involves more than words.

That’s why, painful as it is for this speechwriter to admit, the critics made a mistake by focusing on his words. Despite having to speak behind rain-streaked bulletproof glass, despite his words, and certainly despite his age, Americans heard an energetic man paying tribute to others, powerful enough to order military flyovers and a military band to play.

They saw, in other words, something Trump could do, and what Joe Biden has yet to demonstrate: a president, perfectly capable of serving another four years.

Lehrman is a former Al Gore speechwriter, so he is a Democrat sending a warning message to Democrats.  If you read the whole article it is clear that he does not support President Trump.  Other polls have also pointed out that most Democrats are not as liberal as the candidates.  That suggests they are about to make the same mistake they did with Hillary who today's candidates seem to think was too moderate.