2016: The year of the outsiders

It seems that in the 2016 presidential election, no political resume is the best kind of resume to have.

This election hosts career politicians like Jeb Bush, who has been governor of Florida for nearly a decade, and Sen. Rand Paul, who has served in Kentucky since 2010.

And then there’s Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina and Dr. Ben Carson — a businessman, a businesswoman and a neurosurgeon.

Trump, Fiorina and Carson seem like the most unlikely within the pool of applicants to gain momentum in a presidential race. The record of political outsiders who have won office is very slim. The last outsider in office was Dwight D. Eisenhower in the ’50s.

Today, anger against the so-called “Republican establishment” dominates the presidential race.

Many Republican party voters and activists think establishment Republicans are more interested in appealing to Democrats and maintaining  harmony with the media than preserving conservative ideals. These outsider candidates are doing better than anyone would have originally imagined because of anti-establishment Republicans finally putting their foot down.

According to the polls, the two leading Republican candidates are Trump and Carson, with the third outsider, Fiorina, close behind. The resounding approval from Republican voters stems from an anti-politican sentinment.

This sentiment isn’t some well-kept secret. When a CNN poll conducted in 2013 found that only 13 percent of Americans say they trust the U.S. government, it became clear that the country views politicians more as deceitful liars than as the knights in shining armor they try to make themselves out to be.

Republicans specifically have come to resent the Republican establishment, who have broken promises of repealing Obamacare and ending illegal immigration and have allowed budget stalemates to halt progress. The GOP promised that if they took over Congress, policy would be made, but they have produced very little. These days, the GOP Congress seems to be on the verge of a meltdown.

Americans have grown increasingly jaded by the grandiose promises politicians have made and repeatedly fallen short of keeping, holding especially true for Republicans. A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that only 36 percent of self-identified Republicans believe their party’s lawmakers will make good decisions.

From city council to President of the United States, politicians have demonstrated a lack of faithfulness and transparency that Americans are desperately seeking in a leader, continuously making headlines for scandals such as the Bridgegate Scandal that surrounded Chris Christie in 2013.

This disenchantment has led to Americans favoring a new breed of politicians — the non-politician, or the outsider.

Trump dominates the polls, acting as the brash and loud-mouthed billionaire who Americans love to hate and hate that they love.

When asked why they support Trump by media outlets, voters’ answers varied drastically. One Trump supporter claimed that Trump’s drive for perfection is an especially appealing quality in a prospective president, and another supporter said he supports Trump because he would “make the speech police go away,” referring to the politically correct script many politicians adhere to but Trump dismisses.

Trump leads the polls with 28 percent, the highest tally and widest margin for any Republican in the election. He has only seemed to pick up momentum as the election goes on despite his multiple gaffes, such as the disparaging Twitter remarks he has made toward women.

What Trump supporters all seem to love according to Ben Shapiro, a Townhall columnist, is that Trump’s brashness and unwillingness to back down in the face of critics. Trump is a big middle finger to the establishment, a change of pace and possibly the next American trailblazer.

The other two outsiders who have picked up momentum are Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard executive, and Carson, a retired John Hopkins neurosurgeon. Carson, who is third in the polls, currently trails only Trump and Bush.

Political commentators determined Fiorina to be the biggest winner to come out of the debate, with a favorability rating that shot up post-debate from the No. 14 spot to the No. 3 spot.

In the first debate, Fiorina demonstrated a sharp knowledge of various issues. As a result, viewers began to see the businesswoman as a capable leader with an international network of high profile individuals that could rival that of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic party’s most popular presidential hopeful.

Fiorina brought attention to her platform while also calling out Clinton for her shady track record and allegedly lying about the September 2012 Benghazi terrorist attacks. Fiorina is also the only woman running as a Republican, which appeals to women voters. Clinton can no longer control that turf.

Commentators have also called Carson out for being a political novice prior to the first debate. He also caught the viewers’ attention with his non-traditional and logical solutions to many of America’s most pressing issues. Carson’s campaign focuses on “Fiscal responsibility, fair taxation, intelligent environmental and energy policies, strong international leadership, evidence-based educational policies [and] cost-effective health care that is readily available to everyone.”

Not only do Carson’s very humble beginning and hardships — which he conquered after living in a poor family to an uneducated mother — appeal to Americans, but Carson’s non-antagonistic demeanor and tastefully conservative platform make him the third most popular GOP candidate.

Carson doesn’t pander to corporate or special interests like most politicians. When speaking to a group of supporters gathered in front of the Arkansas state capitol on Thursday, Carson declared, “I think the only special-interest group is the American people.” This divorce from special interests constructs a direct channel to Americans themselves rather than to the billionaires who make politicians beholden to them for their backing.

The three outsiders with relatively no political experience have accepted a daunting task — running for President of the United States against veteran politicians. But it seems being a rookie at politics is exactly what Americans want.

Marlo Safi primarily writes about politics and public policy.

Email Marlo at mes260@pitt.edu.