THE OUTLIERS – AT 9:12 A.M. ET:  We are one week and four days away from a national election.  The RealClearPolitics of polls shows Clinton up 5.2%, just a bit lower than where she's been recently, but still with a substantial lead.  Making up that lead in ten days, especially when Trump is such a poor candidate, would be extremely difficult.

As readers know, we've been following the "dissenting" polls – IBD/TIFF, Rasmussen, and L.A. Times.  Where do they stand this morning?

IBD/TIFF: 

Hillary Clinton extended her lead over Donald Trump to three points in the latest IBD/TIPP Presidential Election Tracking Poll, 44%-41%, in a four-way race. She's also up three points unrounded, 43.8%-40.8%, up from 1.2 points the day before.

Libertarian Gary Johnson gets 7.3% while Green Party nominee Jill Stein has fallen to 1.8%, with 2.2% for "other" and 4.1% for "not sure."

In a two-way matchup, Clinton leads 45.2%-41.8%, or 3.4 points.

I'm not sure we can still call IBD an outlier, as it's moving closer to Clinton's overall lead.  Fox, too, puts Clinton three points ahead.

RASMUSSEN: 

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are dead even in the latest White House Watch survey.

The new national telephone and online survey shows Clinton and Trump each with 45% support among Likely U.S. Voters. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has fallen to a new low of three percent (3%), while Green Party candidate Jill Stein earns two percent (2%) of the vote. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and another two percent (2%) are undecided.

But the Los Angeles Times still has a razor-thin lead for Donald Trump, 45.2% to 44.5%. 

COMMENT:  Please note that Both Clinton and Trump are still in the forties.  In only two national polls, ABC and Pew, does Clinton hit 50%, and only that. 

We have an unhappy electorate, but my belief stands:  Any respectable Republican candidate could have defeated Hillary Clinton, and probably defeated her decisively.  Peggy Noonan wrote today that both parties have let America down.  So true, so true.  Hear anyone cheering?

October 28,  2016