WaPo's Philip Bump aggregates four different polls, from their previous to most recent points, and charts this:
Bush, all in all, perhaps a bit better; Carson, much better; Fiorina, meteoric (an oddly used word in the English language, since meteors don't rise); Rubio, a clear improvement; Cruz, essentially flat; and then Trump, who, in Bump's words, is "not doing well — or, at least, he's not doing as well as he used to be doing."
Bump adds that "it's rare in recent primary elections for a candidate to suddenly spike, then fade, then spike again. In most cases, the candidate that suddenly spikes never spikes again, with the exception of Newt Gingrich in 2012."
Trump — and we — have the slide-stopping hope of his appearance on "60 Minutes" this Sunday, but that hope is a slim one. Papal speech or no papal speech, I'm sliding into the sin of despair.
Don't despair. The recent movements aren't enough of the total information to indicate trends. Trump will certainly go down for the count, but it hasn't necessarily happened yet.
Posted by: Bob | September 24, 2015 at 03:48 PM
He still is clearly leading. He's not going away anytime soon.
Posted by: mark | September 24, 2015 at 07:01 PM
As a remedy for despair I recommend doing what I just did. Which was cruise the Pacific Coast highway from Coronado to Malibu. Thence inland through Topanga Canyon into Los Angeles. California can be ethereal in the early morning light and just as beautiful at dusk. You probably won't instantly be able to replicate that experience so maybe ....painkillers? Ah well it was not so inspiring that I could resist checking in to see how the world is fragmenting. It would be a shame if The Donald exited stage left so early but I have high hopes for Carly and some of the other towering midgets so all will not be lost.
Posted by: Peter G | September 24, 2015 at 11:43 PM
When my wife and I left CA we drove the PCH from San Diego to Vancouver. If you're in the area I highly recommend the Oregon coast. It's like nothing else in The States.
Posted by: Bob | September 25, 2015 at 08:36 AM
Sadly I must fly out of LAX on Sunday and must save the rest for a snowy day.
Posted by: Peter G | September 25, 2015 at 09:46 AM