Quote (IceMage @ Aug 15 2017 10:19am)
How so? The only real difference between Trump and standard Republican ideas is more trade protectionism, less focus on being a leader on the international stage, more hesitation to get involved in conflicts overseas, and tougher immigration policy. That's a more populist, Pat Buchanan-esque message.
Also Trump has pandered to evangelicals both in rhetoric and policy.
I think the country as a whole has moved left but the Republican party certainly hasn't. Reagan and Bush 1 couldn't win a primary in today's Republican party.
Its not just Trump vaguely channeling the Kingfish like Sanders on trade and globalism and foreign policy, its the social moderate pandering to evangelicals is far left of an evangelical moderating his tone. The republicans considered him a RINO for being too far left, and heck, he's been aligned with the democrats and reform party before the right wing. Populism, embracing workers, supporting gay marriage- and no matter how much he postures he's been pro-life his whole life and the evengelicals knew it- these are further left than the positions of a fairly moderate right candidate of the past decades like Bush, let alone one of the classical rightwingers like Rick Perry. Or even Mike Pence for that matter
It followed Reagan that the evangelicals pulled the country- both parties- right. Lets remember that the entire third way democratic movement like Clinton was a rightwing lunge to fill the moderate gap, and now the pendulum is just swinging back
This post was edited by Goomshill on Aug 15 2017 11:41am