Reagan vs. Trump? Not even close.

Of all the arguments pro-Trump conservatives have been waging in support of The Donald’s candidacy, one of the most absurd is the comparison they draw between him and Ronald Reagan. Forgive me, but it’s not even close.

In Trump, we have a “soulless self-promoter” taking advantage of an opportunity for reasons yet unknown (Better ratings for The Apprentice?  Simply as an ego-satisfying exercise? As a means of laying the foundation for his friend Hillary Clinton to throw down a primary challenge to Obama?) and the anti-communist crusader who switched parties when he realized his own had left him and his political philosophy in the dust.

Yes, it’s true that Ronald Reagan was once an FDR-supporting Democrat, but it is also true that as early as the 1940s he began to devote his life to fighting the anti-freedom, communist forces in Hollywood — a long-standing effort that continued throughout the 1950s during his “mashed potato” circuit; in the 1960s as governor of California taking on the Berkeley radicals; and in the 1970s and 1980s as he challenged the establishment GOP’s policy of “detente” and successfully led the effort — along with Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II and Lech Walesa’s Solidarity Movement — to free a billion slaves from their communist masters.

It’s really hard for me to imagine Donald Trump dedicating his life to anything other than the promotion of Donald Trump and crony-capitalism.

In 2004, the film In The Face of Evil: Reagan’s War in Word and Deed, was released. Based on the book by Peter Schweizer, the film is a “hard-hitting look at leadership and moral courage.” Having read Schweizer’s excellent account, I highly recommend it for anyone who may be new to the conservative movement and not as familiar with The Gipper as those of us raised in “Reagan conservative” households. The author also appears in the film, which provides a shocking but accurate history of the 20th Century — the bloodiest in human history, beginning with Bolshevik Revolution and effectively setting the context for Ronald Reagan’s emergence as a leader with moral clarity and conviction.

Can anyone seriously imagine Donald Trump making a speech like this?

Or this?

As clearly demonstrated, Reagan, though initially registered with the wrong party, had always been a man of principle. As early as 1961, he spoke out forcefully against socialized medicine, knowing that healthcare was one of the most effective methods by which statists could control entire populations of people. As recently as the year 2000, Donald Trump called for a Canadian-style healthcare system — a statement I’ve yet to see him revoke.

To the best of my knowledge, Reagan never abused eminent domain, or supported far-left candidates against conservative candidates (as Trump did with Crist and Reid against Rubio and Angle) in the name of “business”.

I have asked the questions repeatedly of my conservative pro-Trump friends, many of whom would rather attack the messenger than engage the valid arguments:

Where was Trump in the run-up to the 2010 midterms when Sarah Palin and the grassroots were rolling up their sleeves and putting money, time and effort into electing Tea Party Republican candidates? No one can effectively explain why he’s late to the party, so to speak. Remember, we’re not talking 20 years ago, but last year.

If the birth certificate (which I believe is a losing issue, strategically speaking) was so damned important to Trump, why wasn’t he harping about it three years ago? Two years ago? Last year? Why is it now that he’s pounding his fists over it — perhaps on behalf of his friend Hillary? Let’s not forget that the original perpetrator of the “birther conspiracy” was Philip Berg, a 9/11 Truther and Hillary Clinton supporter.

Why is it ok to overlook Trump’s sizable donations to far-left progressives like Rahm Emmanuel and Anthony Weiner in the name of business? Do conservatives suddenly believe it’s ok to help elect candidates hostile to the United States Constitution all in the name of self-serving business interests?

Do conservatives care about private property rights anymore? Or is eminent domain abuse in the name of business also ok now?

Why is it that legitimate anti-Trump voices such as Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin, Club For Growth, Jonah Goldberg, Cal Thomas, Glenn Beck and others are suddenly not credible to some conservatives?

Where’s the concern over Trump’s defense of far-left gazillionaire George Soros?

And why oh why are many on the right falling for a cult of personality? I want Obama out of office just as much as anyone, but I also want to replace him with a leader, not a “deal-maker”. If Trump supports Canadian-style healthcare, does anyone really think he’d support repeal of Obamacare?

The answers to these and so many more questions I’ve yet to discover, but suffice it to say, anyone who compares a stalwart leader and champion of freedom like former President Ronald Reagan to a shallow opportunist like Donald Trump is drinking some pretty strong Kool-Aid. Like every human being and United States President, Reagan had his faults. Unlike Donald Trump, however, there was never a question that The Gipper acted in the genuine interest of the American people and those enslaved by communism. Trump’s motives, are at best unclear and at worst driven solely by ego. Pardon me, but I’ve had my fill of narcissistic presidents for one lifetime.