DONALD TRUMP, LIBERAL

Pat Bagley / Salt Lake Tribune

By Rick Jensen

Is this your candidate?

“Everybody’s gotta be covered… Universal health care. The government’s going to pay for it.”

“… single payer, it works in Canada; it works in Scotland.”

“I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun.”

“I am very pro-choice.” When asked about banning partial birth abortions, the answer was unequivocally, “No.”

On who would make the best deal with Iran: “Hillary has always surrounded herself with the very best people. I think Hillary would do a good job.”

On Nancy Pelosi: “I’m very impressed by her. I think she’s a very impressive person. I like her a lot.” “She was really gonna look to impeach Bush and get him out of office, which, personally, I thought would have been a wonderful thing.”

“The economy does better under the Democrats than it does under the Republicans.”

The candidate supported the failed stimulus, auto bailouts and bank bailouts, saying it was “what we need” and praising Obama’s failed schemes of “building infrastructure, building great projects, putting people to work in that sense.”

The candidate declared, “…the government should stand behind (the auto companies) 100 percent” because “they make wonderful products.”

“Something that has to get done.,” was how the candidate referred to the bank bailouts, noting the government “can take over companies, and, frankly, take big chunks of companies.”In 2009, the candidate shared these views on President Obama’s stimulus plan with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News: “I thought he did a terrific job. This is a strong guy; knows what he wants, and this is what we need. First of all, I thought he did a great job tonight. I thought he was strong and smart, and it looks like we have somebody that knows what he is doing finally in office, and he did inherit a tremendous problem. He really stepped into a mess, Greta.”

Think it sounds like Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton?

These are the words of the presumed Republican nominee Donald Trump.

It takes a lot of faith to believe he has dramatically changed his views, especially when it comes to executive actions, something constitutional conservatives rail against.

“I won’t refuse it. I’m going to do a lot of things,” Trump said when asked if he would use executive orders in an interview on “Meet the Press.”

“I mean, (Obama)’s led the way, to be honest with you.”

Of course, Trump claims with no uncertainty that HIS executive orders will be for the “right things.” How do we know? Because Obama’s executive orders are for the “wrong things?”

Who decides what the “right things” and “wrong things” are? The President?

No. It is the people through their elected representatives.”But I’m going to use them much better and they’re going to serve a much better purpose than he’s done,” Trump said.

Who says? You? Certainly not the framers of the Constitution.

When Obama’s executive orders are added to his presidential memoranda, which have as much authority as executive orders, Obama has, indeed, issued more presidential actions than any other U.S. president in history.

As Trump is so impressed with Obama’s leadership, expect even more government by executive fiat by Trump.

Not that Hillary would be any better.

No, it’s easy to predict Hillary would expand on all of the worst of these practices to the detriment of the country.

This is why Republicans believe they need a much better candidate.

Or do they?

Trump is responsible for increased Republican Party registrations around the country. There is no other compelling reason for people to sign up.

On March 15, more Republicans voted in all 5 states than in 2012. North Carolina GOP primary turnout was 16 percent higher. Ohio posted 68 percent more voters.

Democrats, meanwhile, saw their turnout drop in all five states. In Ohio, 50 percent of the 2012 Democratic primary voters stayed home.

Republicans have momentum, while democrats must frighten people to vote against Trump, not for Hillary.

Should Trump win, his cabinet needs to make this the best government possible.

Should Hillary win, we will experience the Chinese curse of “living in interesting times.”