Why the Left Targeted Pat Buchanan
Disclaimer: This is a contributed piece written by Red Alert Politics contributor, not a paid Red Alert staffer. We do not necessarily endorse the opinions of contributors, but we respect their first amendment right to have them.
Noted conservative strategist and political commentator Pat Buchanan became the left’s latest casualty after he spoke a few truths too many in his new book Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025.
Buchanan, a former Republican presidential candidate and Senior Advisor to Presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon, made headlines earlier this month when he was dismissed as a political contributor on MSNBC after 10 years of service.
The writing was on the wall after MSNBC indefinitely suspended Buchanan in January. At the time MSNBC President Phil Griffin said the arguments made in the book should not “be part of the national dialogue, much less part of the dialogue on MSNBC.”
Of particular concern were two chapters titled “The End of White America” and “The Death of Christian America,” which drew criticism from both the left and the right.
The liberal jackals smelled fresh blood on the savannah and turned the dial on their hissy-fit monitor into overdrive. MSNBC caved in after a wide scale pressure campaign from the professional wing smear artists at Media Matters, the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Color of Change.
Unfortunately many on the right do not seem to understand why Buchanan was let go or what ramifications this has. Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro claimed Buchanan was hired to mischaracterize all conservatives as closet bigots. He asserted he was let go after he outlived his usefulness in this role. Shapiro uncharacteristically misses the mark and is misinterpreting the entire situation.
As former Representative Tom Tancredo pointed out in The Daily Caller:
Buchanan is one of the prodigal sons of the conservative movement, and in his later years has been looked upon as a respected elder statesman of American politics. He was a popular draw on MSNBC, and his analysis of current political events was rarely mixed with his personal views.
Buchanan did not outlive his usefulness but was specifically targeted as persona non grata by the left, which forced MSNBC into eliminating him from their programming. The goal of these liberal organizations is not just to “blacklist” Buchanan. Their ultimate goal is to make all political discourse to the right of Bill Clinton unacceptable.
The Buchanan Brigades of the 1990s frightened the left because they were a legitimate appeal from the right to the interests of the working class that helped propel Ronald Reagan to two resounding presidential victories. Likewise, Rick Santorum has been making news by running a Buchanan-like campaign on similar issues.
Media Matters and their liberal cronies understand the true threat Buchanan poses to their voting block, which is why it was imperative that they silence him before a revolt occurred in their already fragile ranks ahead of the 2012 presidential election.
Buchanan retorted The American Conservative that while this was a victory for the “blacklisters,” he is not yet beaten. Let’s hope for the good of the conservative movement that he’s right.
