The charts above are from a Gallup Poll -- done between September 14th and 18th of a random national sample of 931 registered voters, and has a 4 point margin of error.
I thought it was interesting. It shows how the general public sees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on the political ideology scale.
One thing that seems a bit odd is that while Donald Trump was nominated by the teabaggers (the most rabidly conservative wing of the Republican Party), less than half of the general public views him as a conservative (only 47%). He is also viewed as less conservative than any recent GOP candidate -- Romney (60%), McCain (62%), Bush II (68%), or Bush I (59%).
The reason for that is because Trump has flip-flopped on many issues, and the public is probably confused as to just where he really stands.
The public also sees Hillary Clinton as more liberal than her husband Bill (58% to 42%) -- a substantial 16 point margin. I think this is true. Hillary is a solid liberal, while Bill was the ultimate pragmatist.
I also thought it was strange that Barack Obama is viewed as more liberal than Hillary Clinton. My personal view is just the opposite. While I liked Obama (and voted for him twice), I view him more as a moderate. Also odd was that John Kerry is viewed as liberal by less than half of the public (48%). Except when it comes to issues about Israel, Kerry is a very solid liberal.
What do you think? Did the public get it right in this poll?
