San Diego Newspaper Endorses ... Ronald Reagan

Paper looks to send a message to the GOP, Trump
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 3, 2016 2:35 PM CDT
San Diego Newspaper Endorses ... Ronald Reagan
President Reagan works at his desk in the oval office of the White House in 1985.   (AP Photo/Scott Stewart, File)

A San Diego newspaper is endorsing a pretty unlikely presidential candidate: Ronald Reagan. Not in the hopes that the former president, who already served his two terms and died in 2004, might actually be elected, but to send the GOP a message. "Certainly, the Republican Party has an argument for the presidency," declares a San Diego Union-Tribune editorial. "Today, the principles of the party of Ronald Reagan are as relevant as ever: a stable border, a strong military, and economic policy focused on low taxes, less bureaucracy, and limited regulation." But Trump isn't fit to lead the country, the editors write.

If Reagan was the Great Communicator, Trump is "the Great Excommunicator." But he's also the party's presumptive nominee, so it's tough to advise Republicans who can't support him on what they should do when California votes Tuesday. "We can’t recommend voters don’t vote at all because that’s a waste, and we can’t suggest voting for another candidate because it accomplishes nothing," the editors write. Hence the paper's odd endorsement: "If you are voting in the GOP primary Tuesday, write in Ronald Reagan for president. Maybe Trump will get the message." Meanwhile, the Washington Post calls Paul Ryan's endorsement of Trump "a sad day for the GOP—and America." (More Election 2016 stories.)

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