Your narrative has been that Trump is liberal.
....not quite. My argument has consistently been that Trump is
instinctively liberal. Actual modern leftism / liberalism / progressivism / however-you-wish-to-describe-it is a mature political philosophy with established a priori's and conclusions that flow logically from them. Trump doesn't do that, because that would require requisite reading and reflection, and Trump doesn't "do" "thinking". What he spews instead reflects the streams in which he is swimming - urban New York.
Which is why, over his long history in the public eye, he has consistently been on the left side of issues.
Of the positions you've cited, two or three positions were actually shared by Sanders and Trump, only one of which I could find was unconditional. All the rest you were dead wrong about.
Really. I am dead wrong when I state that Trump has argued in favor of Single Payer? I am dead wrong when I state that he has argued in favor of Gun Control? I am dead wrong when I point out that he was to the
left of Mitt Romney in 2012,
on the issue of immigration, no less? I am dead wrong when I point out that the man was a Hillary Supporter in the 2008 Democrat Primary? I am dead wrong when I point out that Trump was in favor of the bailouts?
Again, when one bothered to investigate each claim individually. You were so wrong, in fact, that you actually called Trump a "pro-abortion extremist"
No, I stated that he had said he would like to put a Judge on SCOTUS who is a pro-abortion extremist. Which he did, because (and, this is such an excellent way to decide who should go on the Supreme Court Bench) she was his sister.
and a gun control advocate
And he
was. :shrug:
Then, some time last late spring, he decided he wanted to run for President on the GOP ticket, and now claims to be a conservative.
The man wrote
The America We Deserve in 2000, and took positions supporting abortion (but willing to entertain a partial birth abortion ban), support the "Assault Weapons" Ban and longer waiting periods for gun purchases, single payer healthcare, and a wealth tax. In 2007 he was a booster for the Hillary campaign, and in particular supported her healthcare plan. This isn't some kind of secret conservative conspiracy stretching back for years, anticipating and wishing to knock off his candidacy - it's the mans own words.
And, again, this isn't to suggest that Trump has really sat down and weighed different ideological positions and come to meaningful conclusions about what Truth is. It's just to point out that, when taking positions, reliably his instincts are to jump a bit left. Regardless of what positions he thinks he has to take now in order to play in the GOP field, that's his history.
And every candidate tries to draw voters away from their opponents. That's what "campaigning" is.
Except Sanders isn't running against Trump. He's running against
Hillary. And he's not trying to boost his numbers by appealing to Cruz fans, or Carson fans or even (assuming he could find some) Huckabee fans. He is reaching out to Trump fans because
he sees the overlap there that he can take advantage of.
:shrug: and he is right.
Look, I get it. You like Bernie, you don't like Trump, you therefore want them to be juxtaposed. I like Rubio, and I think our debt is dangerous. I wish Rubio's tax plan didn't add to the deficit. It does. I don't get to simply wish that away by claiming that everyone who points that out is lying. Reality isn't that kind to our preferences.
