If you've been reading this blog for a long time and the poll below looks familiar to you, you're right. It was posted here on February 21, 2007. I didn't think much of it then as an accurate gauge of the electorate but let's look at it with an awful lot of hindsight…
Back then the number of people who were okay with a presidential candidate being Donald Trump's age was only a smidge higher than of that presidential candidate being gay. The latter was still a majority and I'm going to guess that today, when folks are a lot more accepting of gay marriage than they were in 2007, it would matter a lot less.
But there are two main points I want to make about polls like this, one being that there's really only one correct answer to the question, "If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be [see below], would you vote for that person?" That answer is "It would depend on who the person was, who would win if they didn't, and how those two folks stand on certain issues that matter to me."
We don't vote for a Hispanic or a 72-year-old person or a thrice-married person. We vote for a specific person who happens to be Hispanic, happens to be 72 or older, etc. For each "see below" above, there are candidates for whom I'd vote and others for whom I wouldn't. And of course, the alternative would matter because in many cases, we don't vote for someone as we vote against their opponent.
I dunno who the Democratic nominee will be but I'm sure there are voters who'll vote for him or her largely because he or she is not Donald Trump. The more I read about Mike Bloomberg, the less I like the idea of him as President of These United States. But I'm starting to think he'd be the hardest of the current contenders for Trump to beat and that might turn out to be the silver lining in his getting the nomination if that were to happen. (Note to Mike, who I'm sure devours this blog every day: Start answering every question about Trump with the phrase, "Well, speaking as an actual billionaire…")
As I've stated, I don't know whether to mark my ballot for the person I think would make the best president or for the person who is most likely to oust our worst. I was hoping that by the time I had to decide, I'd be convinced they were the same person and I wouldn't have to make that decision. Doesn't look that way…
And then there's also the other point I want to make. I haven't seen a current poll on how many people wouldn't vote for a homosexual but if someone conducts one, I hope they also ask this relevant question of those who answer that they wouldn't: Would you vote for Pete Buttigieg if he had the exact same qualifications and platform but he was straight? I'm guessing that most voters who wouldn't vote for a gay man or woman are voters who also wouldn't vote for a Democrat. Mayor Pete's sexual orientation might not cost him many actual votes. I'm curious as to how many.
Before I go: This actually came to me in a dream the other night. It was Trump debating his rival, Buttigieg…and I'm not predicting Buttigieg will be the nominee or that Trump will even debate whoever is. Hell, I'm still reminding folks that it's not impossible that before August when the Republican Convention convenes at the Spectrum Center — named like so many convention centers for some company that can't get our Internet connections to work right — a scandal or criminal charge will drive Donald from the ticket. That's not a prediction. I don't think it'll happen. It's just fun to remember that it's not impossible.
Anyway, in the dream, the two men are debating and Donald makes some crack about his opponent not being a real man or a moral man or someone whose lifestyle God would approves of. And when it's Mayor Pete's turn to talk, assuming Trump lets him have one, he says, "I know you don't understand this, Mr. President, but I am devoted to my mate in every way. For instance, if he were to take ill, I would be at his side to take care of him instead of…oh, say, going out and banging a porn star!"
I don't think it will happen but, again, it's just fun to remember that it's not impossible.