Few things give me more sorrow than to see a movement and a party that once held Reagan up as an icon turn and follow a man so completely opposite of what Reagan stood for.
This post is a brief summary accompanied by a link to an article written by Justin Stapley for Saving Elephants, a blog operated by Josh Lewis with the goal of reigniting conservatism for millennials. For more links as well as insights, short-posts, and general ramblings from Justin Stapley (editor and owner of The Liberty Hawk), visit The Editor’s Corner.
Whether perusing my articles here at The Liberty Hawk or ones I’ve written and had published at other sites, there are two things that I hope are crystal clear: first, that I am a credible, well-read, and thoughtful liberty-minded conservative and second, that Donald Trump and Trumpism don’t fit into my view of what liberty-minded conservatism is.
In case there’s any out there who need more evidence of either assertion, I thought I’d offer a link to an article I wrote two years ago for my good friend Josh Lewis and published at his blog, Saving Elephants.
The article was ultimately a push-back against the once popular idea among conservatives and Republicans that Trump was some sort of second-coming of Reagan. The similarities are barely skin deep. A true assessment demonstrates there are stark fundamental differences between these two men.
In so many ways, Reagan represented the kind of leadership a free republic should have. He was a pragmatic idealist with solid character and a wholesome respect for tradition and for the independence of the people he served. Trump, on the other hand, is the antithesis of this kind of leadership. He is a crass, brash, and non-ideological chameleon who revels in gas-lighting his foes and tearing down norms while belittling everyone who doesn’t kowtow to his sense of ego. Trump believes that having a sense of character or having principles just makes you a sucker.
Few things give me more sorrow than to see a movement and a party that once held Reagan up as an icon turn and follow a man so completely opposite of what Reagan stood for.
Read the full article:
He’s No Reagan
While there are definitely some circumstantial similarities, these are predominantly surface parallels. A deeper inspection would reveal that Ronald Reagan had very stark fundamental differences with Donald Trump which amount to distinct underpinnings of ideological disagreement and dramatically alternate visions for the direction of the country. (read more)
Do you have a response to Justin’s article? Would you like to offer your own take on this topic? Feel free to submit your own article or offer a comment below.
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