Has Ronald Reagan passed the Republican Party baton to Donald Trump?
I suggested as much a few days ago, critics objected that I was blaspheming the Gipper. They said his ideas of limited government, individual freedom, lower taxes and peace through strength will live on forever.
Amen to that. Yes, Reagan's ideals should always be the guiding light of the GOP. Radio talk show host Mark Levin, reminded his listeners that Reagan won two landslide elections, while Trump so far has won one narrow victory. Levin says that Reagan was a real conservative, and Trump isn’t, "Shame on you, Stephen Moore," he lectured.
But the critics are entirely missing my point. Trump won with states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which the GOP has rarely, if ever, carried since 1984. He put together a working-class coalition that included many longtime and union Democrats in a way that few Republicans — even George W. Bush in his two victories — were able to do. He appealed to these voters with a somewhat different set of policy promises than Reagan did.
It is true that many of the voters who crossed over to the GOP were the old Reagan Democrats. But I met many union workers who told me they voted for Trump and who never before voted Republican....
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
