Almost every Republican currently running for the office of President has name-dropped the almighty Ronald Reagan. The former President is referenced on a variety of topics and has quotes attributed to him, regardless of whether he actually said them or not.

The near worship of the Republican presidential candidates for Reagan is not surprising. What is surprising though is what Reagan’s daughter said her father would really think of the current crop of Republican contenders.

In an interview broadcast on the SiriusXM Progress station, Patti Davis said, “My father would be so appalled at what’s going on. He would be so appalled at these candidates.

Davis’ belief in her father’s disgust even led her to say, “I don’t think he would be a Republican. And if another Ronald Reagan came along right now, I don’t think the Republican Party would accept him.

While such a statement may be jaw-dropping to some, a look at her reasoning and the beliefs of the Gipper support her assertions.

Former President Reagan actually supported gun control and restricting access to guns. This is likely due to the assassination attempt on him in 1981. One of the biggest pieces of gun control legislation passed was named after Reagan’s former press secretary who was shot and paralyzed during that 1981 assassination attempt.

Davis cites the fact that her father came out in support of the Brady bill in 1991, before it was eventually passed in 1993, mandating federal background checks. Reagan also supported the 1994 passage of the federal assault weapons ban, which has now been allowed to expire.

What would likely be even more surprising to the current Republican presidential candidates would be the fact that that Nancy Reagan was “very happy” at the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage.

All of this information by Davis will likely not dissuade the 2016 Republican candidates from name-dropping her father. However, it is extremely interesting to hear what the sainted Ronald Reagan might really think of the shenanigans currently occurring in the Republican party.

Featured image via WikiCommons. This image is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

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