Was Reagan elected to office as a Democrat?
It’s one thing to be a lowly staffer in your 20s for a Democrat (see: Bachmann), it’s another to be an elected Democrat legislator (see: Perry).
And your best argument is that Al Gore wasn’t as bad in 1988 as he is now?
No, but Reagan was a union boss for 7 years (president of the screen actors guild), including the period immediately before he changed parties.