Gretchen's Take: Success of non-politicians isn't a shock

Why are 'experts' so surprised by rise of Trump, Carson?

Covering politics has always been fascinating because the polls and the candidates who are up or down can change on a dime. But this election cycle I've been fascinated with how many so called political experts seem to be so dumbfounded by the non-politicians finding success in the polls.

Here are some of the quotes:
Donald Trump's flipping his favorability rating from negative to positive in just a month "defies any rule in presidential politics that I've ever seen." (Patrick Murray, Monmouth University)
"Throw out the rule book when it comes to Trump." (Patrick Murray, Monmouth University)
"I can't imagine the mistakes he would make that would disqualify him." (Lee Miringoff, Marist)

But why is it so hard to comprehend that non-politicians are doing well? politicians in general aren't always popular people.

Approval ratings for congress sit at just 14 percent. To me, though, the most undersold story in the recent polls, is the rise of Dr. Ben Carson. another non-politician. He is now a consistent 2nd place behind Trump in most of the recent polls. Add in Carly Fiorina at 5 percent and you have 45 percent of the Republican electorate saying at least right now they want someone whose never served a day as a politician.