The 2016 Presidential Election careens forward – the Republican Tea Party (GOTP) clown car has graduated into the 2016 GOTP Clown Bus (probably a 1960’s era VW Bus) currently 17 occupants at last count, as the Democratic Party tiptoes along, picking up a contender here and a contender there.

Where are things as we slither slowly into the first August of the 2016 campaign season?

Nationally, in the past six polls the “Joker” of GOTP comedy – “The Donald” – has not only taken the lead, but is holding it in spite of outlandish comments.

A NBC/WSJ Poll, conducted by telephone of “registered voters” from July 26 to 30, 2015 has the GOTP Clown Bus lining up thus:

Donald Trump leads at 19%
Scott Walker 15%
Jeb Bush 14%
Ben Carson 10%
Ted Cruz, the Junior Senator for Ottawa 9%
Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee 6%
Marco Rubio 5%
Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Rick Perry 3%
Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal 1%
Carly Fiorina and Lindsey Graham are not showing on the radar at 0%

In a Quinnipiac Poll, conducted by telephone of “registered voters” from July 23 to 28, 2015 has the GOTP Clown Bus lining up this way:

Trump leads at 20%
Walker sits at 13%
Bush 10%
Paul, Carson, Huckabee, and Rubio 6%
Kasich and Cruz 5%
Christie 3%
Perry and Jindal 2%
Santorum, Fiorina, and Graham 1%

Lastly, in a Rasmussen Poll, conducted by telephone of “registered voters” from July 26 to 27, 2015 the Clown Parade is as follows:

Trump way out in front at 26%
Walker 14%
Bush 10%
Cruz and Huckabee 7%
Carson, Rubio, and Kasich 5%
Paul 3%
Christie, Perry, Jindal, and Santorum 2%
Fiorina and Graham 1%

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 17 contenders in the GOTP Debate Happy Meal Box are as follows:

1 – Trump 20.8%
2 -Walker 13.3%
3 – Bush 12.6%
4 – Carson 6.2%
5 – Rubio 6%
6 – Cruz 6%
7 – Huckabee 6%
8 – Paul 5.8%
9 – Kasich 3.5%
10 – Christie 3%

The rest get to watch from a nearby Clown Pre-school crying into their milk and napping on their little mats

Perry 2.5%
Jindal 1.5%
Santorum 1.5%
Fiorina 0.7%
Graham 0.5%

On the Democratic side, the Quinnipiac Poll has:

Hillary Clinton still way out in front with 55%
Bernie Sanders at 17%
Vice-President Joe Biden 13%
Martin O’Malley and Jim Webb 1%
Lincoln Chafee 0%

According to a McClatchy/Marist Poll, conducted July 22 to 28, 2015, of “registered voters,” if the General Election was today:

Clinton 50/Huckabee 41
Clinton 50/Christie 40
Clinton 49/Carson 39
Clinton 49/Kasich 39
Clinton 49/Bush 43
Clinton 49/Cruz 40
Clinton 48/Trump 36
Clinton 48/Paul 43
Clinton 47/Perry 40
Clinton 47/Rubio 42
Clinton 44/Walker 43

The poll did not ask voters about a match-up between Clinton and Fiorina, Santorum or Graham.

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.