The 2016 Presidential Election season continues to move into crazy mode – the Republican Tea Party (GOTP) clown bus continues to swerve all over the political road – while the Democratic Party plods steadily forward.

Where are things as we slide towards August of the 2016 campaign season?

Nationally, Donald Trump continues to lead the GOTP pack – five polls in a row from 9 July to 25 July, he is the current snake oil salesman and the GOTP is loving what he’s selling.

In the most recent polls, the CNN/ORC Poll, conducted by telephone of 1,017 “registered voters” from July 22 to 25, 2015 has the seating in the GOTP Clown Bus lining up as follows:

Donald Trump 18%
Jeb Bush 15%
Scott Walker 10%
Ted Cruz, the Junior Senator for Ottawa 7%
Marco Rubio and Rand Paul 6%
Mike Huckabee 5%
Ben Carson, Chris Christie and John Kasich 4%
Rick Perry 3%
Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal 2%
Carly Fiorina and Lindsey Graham 1%

The PPP (D) Poll, conducted by telephone of 1,087 “registered voters” from July 20 to 21, 2015 has the GOTP Clown Bus lining up this way:

Trump leads at 19%
Walker 17%
Bush 12%
Rubio and Carson 10%
Huckabee 8%
Cruz, Paul and Fiorina 4%
Christie and Kasich 3%
Perry, Santorum and Jindal 1%
Graham at 0%

Trump is currently in second place, behind Walker, in a NBC/Marist Poll in Iowa, but leads in the same poll in New Hampshire.

According to the rules of the first Republican/Tea Party 2016 Debate sponsored by Fox News and set for 6 August 2015, only candidates who place in the top 10 in an average of the five most recent national polls prior to the event will be on the stage.

The averages for the 16 contenders in the GOTP Happy Meal Box are as follows:

1 – Trump 18.2%
2 – Bush 13.7%
3 – Walker 11.7%
4 – Rubio 6.8%
5 – Huckabee 6%
6 – Carson 6%
7 – Cruz 5.7%
8 – Paul 5.7%
9 – Christie 3.0%
10 Kasich 2.2%

The rest get to watch from a nearby pub crying into their beer

Perry 2.0%
Santorum 1.5%
Jindal 1.3%
Fiorina 1.3%
Graham 0.2%

On the Democratic side, CNN/ORC Poll has:

Hillary Clinton still way out in front with 56%
Bernie Sanders at 19%
Vice-President Joe Biden 15%
Jim Webb 1%
Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee 0%

The PPP (D) Poll shakes out as follows:

Clinton 57%
Sanders 22%
Webb 5%
Chafee 3%
O’Malley 2%

According to CNN/Opinion Research Poll, if the General Election was today:

Clinton 56/Trump 40
Clinton 53/Walker 44
Clinton 51/Bush 46

Sanders 59/Trump 38
Sanders 48/Walker 43
Sanders 47/Bush 48

According to the PPP (D) Poll, if the General Election was today:

Clinton 50/Trump 37
Clinton 48/Cruz 40
Clinton 47/Carson 39
Clinton 47/Fiorina 37
Clinton 46/Huckabee 40
Clinton 46/Christie 38
Clinton 46/Walker 41
Clinton 46/Bush 41
Clinton 46/Rubio 41
Clinton 45/Paul 42

Sanders 47/Trump 37
Sanders 39/Walker 40
Sanders 37/Bush 44
Sanders 36/Rubio 41

According to recent polling data available, if the election was today Hillary Clinton would be the 45th President of the United States, and the others would still be footnotes in history books.