Good rule of thumb: if someone is claiming Trump is running to Clinton's left on health care, or

[geek tragedy]

trade, or any other issue, they're either a malicious intruder or so ignorant about the basics of policy that we should feel sorry for them.

Trump--when he's in Demagogue Trump mode instead of Transnational Plutocrat Trump mode--is an economic nationalist/isolationist in the mold of Pat Buchanan, with his policy agenda being that of Paleo-Conservatives who trace their ideological lineage back through Pat Buchanan all the way to the original America Firster, Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh.

Trump's health care plan is a hodge podge of Republican goals--repeal the ACA, and allow a race to the bottom in terms of insurance regulation by allowing insurers to sell across state lines, which means they'd all base themselves in the least regulatory-minded state in the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/01/upshot/the-problem-with-gop-plans-to-sell-health-insurance-across-state-lines.html?_r=0

The idea of developing a more national market for health insurance has become a major part of Republican health reform orthodoxy. A bill to allow interstate insurance sales was introduced in Congress in 2005, and, since then, has been a part of the platform of every Republican presidential nominee. Mr. Trump is not alone in his view: Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal have all endorsed it. Aside from repealing the Affordable Care Act, allowing insurers to sell their products across state lines appears to be the most popular health policy idea among the G.O.P. candidates.

It’s such a perennial suggestion that when Len Nichols, a health policy professor at George Mason University and the author of a 2009 paper on the subject, was asked for comment, he said: “Are you kidding me? We’ve been through this about 30 decades ago.”

There's nothing progressive or to the left about Donald Trump. It's just rightwing evil from a shameless demagogue's voice, instead of a country club one. And you should disregard anything anyone has to say if they try to convince you otherwise.

[MaggieD]

1. Or someone upset that Bernie lost

[geek tragedy]

3. lots of people are upset Bernie lost without degrading themselves to the point where they pimp

Donald Trump's policies.

[MaggieD]

4. True, but...

Some can't seem to contain that upset or be rational about it.

[emulatorloo]

7. Helps to remember it is very very loud minority.

[MaggieD]

9. Regardless - they have no business posting here

Whatever their numbers, this is a site to support Democrats. Not a site to make the argument that Trump, a complete right wing tool/asshole, is to the "left" of our nominee. It's foolish and absurd.

[geek tragedy]

11. exactly. the vast majority of Sanders supporters who were motivated by policy

understand what Trump is, and what he isn't.

those who are now pimping him as the less evil and more progressive alternative are not motivated by policy

[uponit7771]

2. +1, especially he's been a damn liar on everything including him saying he "used to be one of them"

[emulatorloo]

5. Correct. The man is a fucking Birther, FFS. There is nothing 'leftist' about him.

These people who sell this shit are either stupid or disingenuous liars.

[HassleCat]

6. We'll see how clever he is.

His best bet is to confuse voters. One way to do this would be to get to Clinton's left on some issue, or make it loo that way. then pick on her for calling herself a liberal, a progressive, a friend of the little person, etc. Remember, he doesn't actually have to advocate or support a position to the left of Clinton. He just has to make people believe it's so.

[geek tragedy]

8. the only people who think he's to her left are the dumbest, most toxic

extremists on the left side who have allowed themselves to be consumed by hatred for Hillary Clinton.

No one else is buying this.

[BobbyDrake]

10. In other words, don't send that Ignore button on vacation just yet! nt

[geek tragedy]

12. Don't ignore, alert. nt

[sufrommich]

13. Or sore losers. nt

[geek tragedy]

15. there's being a sore loser and then there's pimping the birther in chief

which takes the toxic stupidity and dishonesty to an all new level

[Jim Lane]

14. Trump is so all over the map that sometimes he IS to the left.

Wasn't it on reproductive rights that he took four positions in five days?

The real criticism of Trump is not to deny that some of his positions are to the left -- because sometimes and in some respects he IS to Clinton's left on trade. The real criticism is that, on the vast majority of issues, he is to the right and there's nothing progressive about him; and that, to the extent he occasionally voices a progressive view, it's merely what popped into his head at the moment and doesn't accurately predict what he would do as President.

In politics, there's always this tendency toward us-versus-them thinking. Its essence is that each actor on the political stage must be evaluated as either totally good or totally evil, with no in-between shades of gray allowed. We saw this with Ronald Reagan's "Evil Empire" speeches. We see it today on DU whenever anyone mentions that Ron Paul voted against the Iraq War Resolution. Ron Paul wants to destroy the social safety net! (That's true.) He's not a progressive! (That's true.) Therefore it's wrong to praise him in any way, I'm sticking my fingers in my ears, la-la-la-la I can't hear you! (That's stupid.)

So, what would Trump do on trade if he were in office? Well, he fancies himself a dealmaker, he cares about his ego more than anything else, and he has no patience for wonkishly mastering policy details. I think he'd respond to entreaties from corporate America and go along with the attacks on democracy represented by the modern "free trade" agreements that actually have very little to do with free trade. The difference would be that he would get some unimportant provision changed slightly and would tout this as a great success, proof of his consummate negotiating skill.

Hence, my assessment is that he is often to Clinton's left in terms of stated positions on trade, but his actual performance in office on this issue would be essentially indistinguishable from hers.

[geek tragedy]

17. The better comparison for Trump and trade is not to Ron Paul on Iraq, but rather

Ron Paul on the border wall with Mexico.


Ron Paul would sound sane for a moment when he'd oppose the border wall, until you realized it was because he was worried it would be used like the Berlin Wall--to keep US citizens held captive inside their own borders.

Demagogue Trump is a straightforward xenophobic America Firster. No one talked about how Pat Buchanan ran to anyone's left on trade, and they shouldn't talk about Trump in those terms. He opposes worker and environmental protections in the US, so his beef with trade is not the lack of such protections.

[MohRokTah]

16. You left out a possibility.

They could also be a Jackass Laughable moonbat.

[1StrongBlackMan]

18. Whenever I hear someone say that trump is to the left of HRC ...

I just shrug my shoulders and ask, "How can you tell what policies a trump would pursue?"

[Schema Thing]

19. It was a wtf moment to hear Jeff Sessions tell the audience at the Texas GOP convention

that Trump was "to the left of Hillary on trade!". I mean, I knew by then that that was the position Trump was taking, but to hear a GOP Senator say it, while attempting to sell Trump to a Repug group that doesn't like him much.. bizarre.

[FrenchieCat]

20. Agee!

Doesn't matter which direction he runs in, he's still a blatant racist Ahole!