Sunday, May 6, 2018

Cinfici Was Polled on the Pennsylvania Republican Gubernatorial Primary and Donald Trump


I was polled at the end of last week by Susquehanna Polling and Research on the Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial primary and on Donald Trump.  I do not know if the poll was a public one or an internal one commissioned by one of the gubernatorial candidates.

I responded that I disapproved of Trump’s performance as President.  Like any president, some of his policies have been beneficial and some harmful, but his overtly poor character and illegitimate election through deception, intimidation, hostile foreign assistance and other election law violations means that he can never merit overall approval.  Furthermore, regardless of whether his policies are good, Trump is damaging the Republican Party and the conservative movement.

On the gubernatorial primary, I responded that I had a favorable opinion Laura Ellsworth and did not express a favorable opinion of the other candidates.  I responded that I would likely vote for her.  Even though she may be somewhat less conservative, the pro-life, pro-right to keep and bear arms attorney and business leader was the only candidate not to vote for Trump, which has become an essential standard of measurement.  Alas, in Pennsylvania, as elsewhere, GOP primary elections have become contests of who can be the most Trumpist.  Therefore, I responded that I was dissatisfied with the overall field of candidates.  I also responded that I disapproved of the television advertisements in the gubernatorial primary, even though I have not viewed them, as I have read about them.  As Trump is, the ads have been personal and negative, even though character has been abandoned as an issue by the Republicans who nominated and elected to the highest office in the land and are following the leadership of and defending someone who manifestly is of poor character.  

I was surprised I was not polled on my opinion of Governor Tom Wolf, the liberal Democrat running for reelection.  I would have expressed an unfavorable view.  Wolf has been up to his usual efforts to single out one industry upon which to impose an additional extra tax, on top of the impact fee, on Pennsylvania’s lucrative natural gas industry.  Such a tax would be in addition to the applicable business taxes the industry already pays, which are higher than those of many other States.  Wolf is unpopular, but Trump is dragging the Republican Party down in Pennsylvania to such a degree that Wolf nevertheless leads his Republican rivals in the polls.  Last year’s county and municipal elections in the Keystone State were a harbinger of doom for the Trumpified GOP.

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