Reagan was a Liberal, just like Johnson. We don't know what Trump would be. My guess is he's a Liberal too.
Well said.
Although I think Reagan was conservative rhetorically, he governed like a liberal.
As governor of California he passed the most liberal abortion policy in the state's history. He was extremely pragmatic when it came to moral issues, and he had no problem accommodating the rising tide of sixties feminism.
As president he didn't think that markets should be constrained by conservative principals. For instance, he claimed to be "pro family", but his economic policies - by liberalizing trade and freeing capital to bypass American Labor for Chinese sweatshops - were poisonous to the American family. He broke the postwar compact between capital and labor. He put profits and free markets ahead of the American family.
Reagan grew the federal government's workforce by 3x Carter, and his spending and debt levels were 3x Carter. He was a HUGE spender. He was a HUGE believer in military Keynesianism. The insane number of defense sector jobs he added to places like San Diego & Orange counties would have made FDR proud.
Reagan passed the largest Amnesty Bill in American history. He did it partly to break Union control and/or wage inflation in Southwestern Agriculture, food service and construction, but he also did it because he emphatically didn't share the Rightwing belief in the superiority of the white race and American culture.
Reagan was a globalist and a liberal world saver. He did more to increase Washington's global influence than any president since FDR. He expanded American intervention and basing by 150% over Carter. Reagan not only wanted to make the world safe for American capital, but he was on a quasi-liberal mission to save the 3rd world using Washington's centralized financial & military power by imposing a universal free market structure on every corner of the planet. Only a liberal could have the Soviet faith required to remake the world's economy top-down from Washington.
Don't bother talking to Republicans about this. They can't name one piece of legislation passed by Reagan.
Ask a Republican about the legislation that Reagan championed for the globalization of the textile industry and the number of American families who got fucked so that capitalists could get their clothing manufactured for pennies by enslaved Taiwanese peasants. Have you ever met a Republican who could speak in depth about Reagan's trade legislation?
This is why Republicans are vulnerable to Trump. Their information comes from talk radio, TV and the Internet rather than a university classroom where you have to research ACTUAL policies before your speak.
Welcome to planet Trump. Stupidity has won.
(Psst: Trump supporters: you've been lied to)
