5 Reasons to Ignore Trump’s Lead in the Polls

Nate Silver says the “election” recent polls describe is hypothetical in at least five ways:

• They contemplate a vote today, but we’re currently 174 days from the Iowa caucuses.
• They contemplate a national primary, but states vote one at a time or in small groups.
• They contemplate a race with 17 candidates, but several candidates will drop out before Iowa and several more will drop out before the other states vote.
• They contemplate a winner-take-all vote, but most states are not winner-take-all.
• They contemplate a vote among all Republican-leaning registered voters or adults, but in fact only a small fraction of them will turn out for primaries and caucuses.

“This is why it’s exasperating that the mainstream media has become obsessed with how Trump is performing in these polls.”