La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Let’s slow down and stop the name calling. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders defines himself as a democratic socialist. He respects people enough that he is not afraid of anyone looking closely at his proposals, his record and his words. His 40 year career since first elected mayor of Burlington is plain to see.

So is the record of our president, Donald Trump. He is the real radical in the race. He is hiding in plain sight.

By definition, radical change is fundamental and historic. That is what Trump has objectively done. His tax cuts reduced revenues $1.5 trillion dollars. The ten year Treasury Department projection is another $1.5 trillion lost, ballooning to $2.3 trillion if the tax cuts are made permanent. A balanced budget is impossible without huge tax hikes and brutal, to the bone, budget slashing. Yet this radical action: killing the quest for a balanced budget, has gone largely unnoticed. It is a coup against conservative fiscal policy.

His foreign policy has turned upside down 75 years of multilateralism. His country-to-country trade deals are unprecedented. The United States, the nation that goes it alone. That is drastically different, unheard of in 2015.

His nuclear weapons policy calls for building more, an unthinkable approach five years ago. The Doomsday Clock is now set at 90 seconds to midnight.

The immigration policies he has enacted were never considered by anyone before he rolled them out.

His judicial appointments meet the primary criteria of stringent anti-abortion adherence.

His embracement of Russia follows no playbook and has no European state in agreement.

There is already a proven radical in the White House. He has shown himself to be a bomb thrower.

Like Rudolph, but in a very different way, President Trump will go down in history as unique, having broken most of the rules.

By comparison Sanders is a milquetoast. Tio Bernie, Uncle Bernie, Hispanics call him. Yes, he does raise his voice, shake his fist and pound on the lectern. But radical as this president? Disruptive and running amok? No way.

Voting is underway in the Washington presidential primary through 8 p.m. March 10. – ken stern