U.S. election about to see a Brexit moment
October 22, 2016 - 10:46 pm
What a great presidential debate put on by UNLV and Las Vegas on Wednesday. Our city shined. Our university shined.
My day began at 5 a.m. with a taste of what the D.C. establishment and so-called “experts” think of the race. I was a guest on Fox News, filmed at the MGM Grand. On one side of me was a Democrat political strategist from D.C. predicting a Hillary Clinton victory. On the other side was a Republican strategist from D.C. predicting a Clinton victory. Both felt Clinton could be heading for a landslide. That’s the thinking from Washington, D.C.
I call it “group think.” A Donald Trump victory is bad for business. Both of these political gurus would probably lose a ton of income if Trump wins. I guarantee they both hang out with all the same kind of establishment people, go to the same parties, read the same newspapers, study the same biased polls that oversample Democrats. No wonder they come to the same conclusions.
Ironically, on the same day I debated Trump’s chances of victory with these political gurus, three new national polls came out. Rasmussen has the race tied at 42-42. The LA Times/USC poll has it tied at 44-44. And IBD/TIPP, the poll that proved the most accurate in the 2012 election, has Trump ahead 41-40. I guess those D.C. experts didn’t notice that Donald is tied or ahead with just under three weeks to go.
So what gives? I wrote it here a month ago. This is our Brexit. Polling showed the British people rejecting an exit from the European Union. But the vote went the other way.
None of the experts saw Brexit coming. Only the people knew.
My friend is a Las Vegas cab driver. She starts every new ride with this conversation opener: “Welcome to Vegas. Now let’s talk about the election. Who are you voting for?” In the privacy of her cab, with no one watching or judging, every single passenger in the past two weeks has whispered “Trump.” Yes, all of them.
Only days ago William Hill, one of the largest legal bookmakers in the world, warned that betting patterns in this election look exactly like Brexit. All the big bets are on Clinton. The money is overwhelmingly on Clinton. Which is why Hillary is a 6-to-1 favorite in the United Kingdom. Just like Brexit.
But the small bets are overwhelmingly on Trump. The rich and smart establishment is betting on Clinton. The little guys are betting on Trump. Guess who determines the outcome of elections? The little guy. They’re betting their $5 and $10 on Trump.
Just like Brexit.
I’ll take the Vegas cabdriver’s poll over the fancy D.C. pollsters any day. I’m putting my money where my mouth is. I just made a big bet on Trump.
Because I can feel it in the pit of my stomach. This is our Brexit.
Wayne Allyn Root is a best-selling author and host of “WAR Now: The Wayne Allyn Root Show” from 3 to 6 p.m. daily at 790 Talk Now. His R-J columns run Wednesdays and Sundays.