I think the worst thing Trump has done, is pulled the lid and let out, even helped normalize, the crazies on BOTH sides of the aisle. He's a dumb, less charismatic, less compelling and interesting, version of The Joker.
Good lord. You have no clue. FWIW, I think Trump is pretty smart and perceptive. From the Arctic, to NATO, to the Middle East, to nukes in Iran,to Venezuela, to domestic regulatory and economic affairs, his emphasis and goals are spot on. He is just way too hamfisted in his approach. He is not persuasive and cannot muster coalitions to finish most projects.
With your screed you overlooked (or, more likely, don’t understand) the most damage Trump and the Republicans have done to the viability and long term functioning of our government. The trend started with Obama, paused during Trumps first term, and then it progressed with Pelosi and Biden, then Trump took it to even greater levels. I think this single item is the largest threat to the policy and functions of Congress and the executive and it is unsustainable. I severely criticized the Democrats and Republicans, about this. All I get from the shallow silly Trump critics, including prolific ones like @aloha-hoosier, is crickets or stupid posts like yours.
Do you have any clue what I’m talking about?
Reagan was a man of great character who loved America and tried his best to be President for all Americans. Trump is the opposite.
That Reagan had a much more pleasing personality than Trump is not even worthy of comment. Despite the stark differences in style and personality, the two men had remarkably similar policy positions. Bombing Libya. “Bombing starts in five minutes”, Deregulation. Tax reform. The list is a long one.
Reagan had character. Integrity. Principles. Trump has none.
Reagan didn't shill for trophies, medals, his name on buildings, vanity projects, a Qatar-gifted luxury jet, etc. He put country first. Trump puts Trump first.
A list of differences in governing could fill a book. Reagan valued NATO and our alliances. He didn't ridicule and antagonize European and Canadian leaders but rather developed personal friendships and worked with them to promote a better, stronger partnership. He publicly criticized and challenged Soviet leadership ("Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!") and would NEVER suck up to an autocrat like Trump does with Putin and other dictators. Reagan didn't criticize the pope (unlike Trump who declared he's "not a fan" of Pope Leo) but rather respected the pope and worked with him. Both men (Reagan and Pope John Paul II) were instrumental in the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Reagan and Trump were vastly different on trade. Reagan supported free trade and viewed global trade barriers as ultimately harmful to American workers and consumers. Trump's approach is broad, aggressive protectionism. Reagan correctly noted that tariffs create "artificially high prices" and are harmful to American consumers. (Reagan did temporarily place tariffs on some Japanese electronics but only because Japan had broken a specific trade agreement. This was an exception for Reagan, not a regular policy). He repeatedly warned that high tariffs lead to foreign retaliation, fierce trade wars, shrinking markets, and ultimately job losses. He would be railing against Trump's tariffs if he were alive today.
I could go on but time doesn't allow and there's little point.
Why do people feel the need to make obvious statements?
The premise "Reaganism and MAGA are absolutely not the same" is no different from "Water is wet".
The list is a long one.
There's a solid ~15 positions that are similar, but there are plenty of differences in terms of trade, Russia/China, geopolitics.
That being said, policy positions are just one element. Approaches for implementation and execution differ significantly.
@iunorth times are so different than when reagan was in office. It’s really a silly comparison. Rush Limbaugh wasn’t even on the scene yet much less 24/7 News social media on and on.
@bar-down To an extent, for sure. But character should matter. I guess it is impossible to know how past President's would have led, with today's factors like Social Media. To be fair. What would Trump's version of Truth Social posts have been back in the early 80s? Hard to compare. And even further, he probably wouldn't have ever been a thing, without today's dynamics. But... its hard to keep deflecting, explaining, downplaying, how awful he is. I tried to take the dogshit human element away, and just judge him based off things that might be more impactful and important. With the context of the position he holds... He is dumb. He is, likely willfully, ignorant on way too many important topics. He doesn't have the proper temperment. And in many situations, its pretty obvious he doesn't have the ability to judge well, and then to lead on those judgements. I think the person that he is, his character, plays a role in many of those things.
And while I agree that its hard to make the comparison, and the OP doesn't do a great job of providing "proof"... Reagan was a better person than Trump isn't any sort of outlandish claim, or hot take. He just was.
@iunorth I hear ya. Character just isn’t anything I think about. The Dem party committed the largest fraud in politics in my lifetime. So I’m supposed to worry about Trump? Mean tweets. I care about outcomes. Nothing more. I don’t like Trump bc his outcomes are bad. The rest is noise
Not even close to the same. You didn’t. Read it, did you?Reagan was a man of great character who loved America and tried his best to be President for all Americans. Trump is the opposite.
That Reagan had a much more pleasing personality than Trump is not even worthy of comment. Despite the stark differences in style and personality, the two men had remarkably similar policy positions. Bombing Libya. “Bombing starts in five minutes”, Deregulation. Tax reform. The list is a long one.
Why do people feel the need to make obvious statements?
The premise "Reaganism and MAGA are absolutely not the same" is no different from "Water is wet".
I’ve had MAGA friends say Reagan would be MAGA today and it’s obviously BS. Reagan would very likely despise Trump.
Nope.
Reaganism is a body of political policy and ideas that some agree with and some don’t. It wasn’t a unifying message. MAGA is a slogan which Trump put on a hat. MAGA started post civil war and a number of politicians have used it in different ways. I don’t buy your, and others, using it only as a pejorative.
lol. MAGA is not synonymous with Trump.
Edut:
Why do people feel the need to make obvious statements?
The premise "Reaganism and MAGA are absolutely not the same" is no different from "Water is wet".
I’ve had MAGA friends say Reagan would be MAGA today and it’s obviously BS. Reagan would very likely despise Trump.
They're MAGA friends. Why are you listening to them?
@co-hoosier It is a pejorative, and understandably so. I predict people who are proudly MAGA and Trump supporters today will deny they were either in three years. It'll be like Peter denying knowing and following Jesus. It'll be a total embarrassment to admit to being MAGA or Trumpster.