Rasmussen is considered a “right-leaning” polling firm the same way PPP is considered “left-leaning”. Consequently all data, especially this year, should be taken with a grain of salt. Raw data -when honestly collected- is of value; but the espoused interpretations of that data should be viewed skeptically regardless of delivery vehicle.

Today Rasmussen’s weekly tracking poll finds Donald Trump (40%) slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton (39%) and easily within the margin of error (+/- 3). Of additional interest, Rasmussen joins with a growing number of other data sources to seek the answer to the possibly hidden Trump voter (ie. the monster vote).

By surveying “likely voters” about their willingness to share who they are voting for, Rasmussen discovers 25% of Independent voters are not willing to tell others who they are voting for. 17% of Republican likely voters are also unwilling; only 10% of Democrat voters feel the same way.

Because Rasmussen doesn’t delve into “why” people are reluctant, the issue remains an unquantified unanswered question. However, a person doesn’t need to be all that politically in-tune to recognize the vitriol and hatred spurred on by the constant MSM antagonisms toward Trump supporters is one most likely factor.

Social media is filled with examples of Trump supporters lawn signs resulting in theft, vandalism, and sometimes worse. Similarly, putting a candidate bumper sticker or supportive emblem on a vehicle is, for many, considered a risk or invitation to find their vehicle damaged.

As indicated in the rallies, speaking events and various Trump venues, the overwhelming majority of this type of Alinsky violence goes one way, Trump supporters are attacked. Liberal ideologues are generally predisposed to violent outrage whenever they are challenged. It is a common and historical refrain:

…Free speech liberals do not support they call violence. Violence liberals do support they call an expression of speech…

This weird incapacity to ever consider an alternative to the indoctrinated herd world-view is what underlines the world of the “triggered” sensibility crowd. Educational safe spaces are needed when shallow minds become risk adverse toward hearing opposing points of view. Leaders of the herd mindset support the avoidance, because it helps them to continue teaching an odd and incompatible ideology.

Law of the farm -vs- Law of the school. You can’t cram for a test on a farm and harvest a crop. You have to do all the necessary hard work: seed, fertilize, nurture, cull etc. The rules of successful farming are natural laws. However, it’s entirely possible to skip class, blow off studying, then cram for exams and gain a college degree. The diploma is not a natural evolution; it’s a man-made precept.

Therefore, it’s a safe hypothesis to state the majority of those “independent likely voters”, who are holding back expressing their political opinion, are Trump supporters simply making a decision to avoid engaging with the traditional “triggered” leftist community. Who want’s their car keyed, and who needs the annoyance of a barking moonbat howling at them on the sidewalk.

Most Trump supporters have jobs to continue in order to pay taxes for the non-Trump supporters shallow life choices which are generally dependent on some form of tax subsidy.

Will 2016 be the year when the host is finally finished with allowing the existence of the parasite?

Only a few more months to actually find out. However, Rasmussen like all other predictive entities have a business model of data sales, and there are a lot of Wall Street customers right now willing to pay exorbitant prices to find an answer to that question.