[Hoot Gibson]

I gave Trump a chance. I cannot in good conscience vote for the man. Trump has nothing in common with Ronald Reagan. After decades of advocating conservative positions and two successful terms as a conservative governor of California, nobody doubted that Ronald Reagan was a conservative before he decided to run for president.

Trump is a political opportunist. There is no hard evidence that Trump is a conservative. In fact, there is no hard evidence that Trump is not the same liberal that he was at age 60+. I don't think Churchill or Reagan would have fallen for Trump's claim to be a conservative. Actions matter and all we have on which to judge Trump are words.

Reagan treated his political opponents with respect and never resorted to vicious personal attacks on people who dared to disagree with him. I remember how Reagan's most vocal critics acknowledged that he was a likable man who treated them with respect and good humor.

The comparisons of Reagan to Trump make no sense. Trump is used to using getting his way by using his wallet. When Trump's money does not get the results he wants, then he falls back on childish insults or lawsuits. Take Trump at his word. He equates political donations with bribes and boasts about how many politicians he has bought in the past. Trump's behavior will not change, given control over a $4 trillion/year budget. He will continue to spend money to wield influence but it will not be his own money that he will be spending.