Trump is more extreme in his rhetoric, more offensive in his assertions, insults, and opinions, more bombastic and more disingenuous than other Republicans we have seen at the very top. But his noise and ugliness and lies are at about the same level as the lower-level Republicans we have come to know for decades, and especially in the Tea Party era, such as Joe Wilson, Joe Walsh, Paul LePage, and so many other senators, reps, and state-level GOP pols.
DONALD TRUMP AND THE GOP ARE ONE AND THE SAME!! We are just not used to THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES being this ignorant and uninterested in learning, fixated on his phobias and dysfunctions, lying to this degree and about this subject matter, and insulting and whining like a damaged child.
However, if you compare Trump’s policies and his belief systems, he is not unlike Bush, and all of the GOP leaders who have come before him. The difference is only one of style and delivery. In fact, the only reason Republicans don’t like Trump is because they fear him. They fear he is exposing them, pulling back the curtain on their long-entrenched wizardry of racism sexism and xenophobia, gerrymandering and voter suppression, elimination of social contract necessities and fundamentals, and lack of concern for the environment and objective science and reason.
Trump is stoking fear and division, and that is exactly what Bush did to get us into Iraq. Trump has his own boondoggles (eg: the wall, and increased security spending: Trump’s Iraq), expenditures designed to make billions for a select few people, and explode our debt. Projects stoked by fear and threats of un-American status to all of those who oppose. This is exactly what Bush did to get his costly and unsound agenda enacted.
Furthermore, just about all of Trump’s agenda is backed and endorsed by the entirety of the Republican House and Senate. Certainly, Trump’s VP is a GOP-standard-bearer, Mike Pence. Certainly, no Republicans are alarmed about Bannon and Trump’s family, the only real outsiders in this entire mess. Certainly, Trump’s cabinet — dredged from the swamp — was almost unanimously approved by the Republican Congress. Certainly, Mitch McConnell himself just stated that he is very happy with Trump and his actions and his agenda. He just wishes Trump would tone down the “extra communication”.
SO REMEMBER AS 2018 APPROACHES: TRUMP IS NOT AN OUTLIER, BUT RATHER SIMPLY A LIAR! HE IS JUST ANOTHER REPUBLICAN, ONE WHO ROSE FROM THE RANKS OF BUSINESS RATHER THAN GOVERNMENT. But he is governing as a Republican.
Trump IS the GOP, and the GOP IS Trump!