Pat Buchanan's prediction for 2005

[quaoar]

That Bush will be in "the low 40s" in approval ratings, that his administration will be "mired in scandal," and that we will be in a "hellish situation" in Iraq.

He said this on the McLaughlin Group's year-end show.

What is it with Buchanan? About half the time I find myself agreeing with him and the other half I want to choke the living shit out of him.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Pat Buchanan is a freak

but I hope his predictions are correct.

[Moderate Dem]

44. You hope for a "hellish situation" in Iraq?

What is wrong with you?

Will you feel better if more of our troops die?

[spotbird]

46. There is already a hellish situation in Iraq.

What we hope for is that the public becomes aware of it.

Only an idiot would wish for the death of anyone, including Americans.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

49. I guess I could have stated that better.

OF COURSE I don't want the Iraq situation to get worse! What I actually want is for a majority of the US public to recognize that this is what IS happening now and will continue to happen unless the Bush regime drastically changes its policies. Which it won't.

[Moderate Dem]

52. OK, sorry about that...

I've seen inflammayory posts from here quoted on conservative websites and blogs. I just wanted to clear that up, OK?

I didn't mean to overreact...

[Divine Discontent]

79. I didn't get that connotation at ALL from what they wrote.

Over-reactions scare me.. lol. They said they agreed what Buchanan said was what they themselves felt would happen, too.

I know, I know,,,,, Bush has the world confused, it's like we're living in bizzaro world under his "reign".

[TheWatcher]

81. Wow, another "concerned Democrat"

Who sees "inflamatory posts" from DU quoted on Conservative Blogs and Sites.

Transparent as glass.

Visit those Sites a lot do we?

[IndianaGreen]

75. Who's fault is it that our troops are dying?

Blame those American politicians, of both major parties, responsible for our troops invading Iraq.

As long as we refuse to admit the war is lost, and bring the troops home, our men and women in uniform will continue to die or be horribly wounded for no good reason at all.

[montana500]

80. I actually like Buchanan

he seems to have a funny personality, and he doesnt hide who he is.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Let's work for a Democratic Congress in 2 years.

[Emboldened Chimp]

43. Bingo.

Too many are focused on '08. We can take the House in '06. We did in '82, we can do it again.

[nickshepDEM]

54. We definitley cant afford to lose any seats.

[autorank]

58. I watched '82 with a fellow DEM. One of the best nights ever.

We were both very active in politics at the time and furious at Reagan. That was the best night ever for politics. Race after race went for us. I specifically remember Bruce Morrison winning in Connecticut...liberal lawyer in CT (Repuke at the time).

It can happen again!!!!!!!!!!!1

[IndianaGreen]

76. What guarantee do we have they will call for the war to end?

None! We can no longer rely on the Democrats to get us out of Iraq. It is going to take an extraordinary event, something along the lines of mass desertions or outright mutiny, to force an end to this war. We will have to fight the GOP and the Democrats to bring this war to a speedy end!

[liberalmuse]

3. He's so last year.

All that crap has already happened. He should forget the predictions and go back to his day job of being one of the saner right wing shills (as if 'sanity' and 'right wing shill' can even be used in the same sentence).

[Sandpiper]

4. Buchanan is a bigot and a xenophobe, but not an imperialist

And since he is the latter, he has no trouble calling a spade a spade when it comes to neoconservative foreign policy.

[Elise]

30. Yes, he is a horrible

racist, anti-Semitic, xenophobic, homophobic cretin, however, he is good on trade issues. Go figure.

[old blue]

5. Every once in a while

Buchanan shows why someone like Hunter Thompson speaks so highly of him.

[quaoar]

7. What has the good doctor been up to lately?

Besides that column he writes for ESPN that no one ever sees.

[old blue]

10. I read that Thompson recently injured himself

slipped and broke his leg(?) and is having a hard time getting around. Maybe he should find something to take for the pain :)

[quaoar]

12. Welcome to DU, BTW

I wish he'd write a regular column on politics. 'Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail' is the only book I required my journalism students to read.

[old blue]

13. Thanks!

I just finished The Great Shark Hunt. Thompson's a national treasure. He infuses his Page 2 column with politics from time to time. Had some good stuff around election time, but none since. Needless to say, he's not keen on the current inhabitants of the White House.

[spotbird]

50. Hunter Thompson said

that if he'd known he live this long he'd have taken better care of himself.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

59. Fast Asleep in Frog Pajamas...

My first Thompson book...

[Chicago Democrat]

8. Buchanan is the real deal small 'c' conservative

old fashion Thomas Dewey, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Barry Goldwater Republican.

[chicagojoe]

6. A perfect example of the old saying, "politics ...

...makes strange bedfellows".

[NYC]

9. Mired in scandal?

Enough to force resignations? I think it was 1 year 8 months into Nixon's second term.

[spotbird]

I think he is wrong about that also.

There is no governmental branch independent enough to investigate scandal. If there were we'd have seen it already.

[spotbird]

48. I think he is wrong about that also.

There is no governmental branch independent enough to investigate scandal. If there were we'd have seen it already.

[zacho]

55. I like Buchanan

Even though I disagree with him on mostly everything except the war, I still like him. He's candid which most pundits are not.

There are so many different scandals that could tear Bush to the ground:

1. The Anthrax Scare of 2001(this is how we get both * and Cheney out of office, and Rove in a prison for the rest of his life)
2. The leak (Rove will be a goner)
3. Business contracting in Iraq (this is the most likely stuff to come out)
4. The election (its a long shot but there certainly is dirt to be thrown)
5.Bush-bin Laden connections- I don't suspect that the real truth about them will surface anytime soon, but it could.

All of these major possibilities, not to mention the fact that 2005 should be a good year for investigative journalists. Not to mention that
countless CIA agents and cabinet officials are resigning. One of them could be a big muckraker too.

[charlie]

11. Then! Why! Did! He! Vote! For! Him?!

Surely he knew 2 months ago that he was returning an unpopular crooked imperialist warmonger to office.

You make no fucking sense, Pat.

[Sandpiper]

15. His partial explanation

"If Kerry wins, leading a party that detests this war, he will be forced to execute an early withdrawal. Should that bring about a debacle, neocons will indict Democrats for losing Iraq. The cakewalk crowd cannot be permitted to get out from under this disaster that easily. They steered Bush into this war and should be made to see it through to the end and to preside over the withdrawal or retreat. Only thus can they be held accountable. Only thus can this neo-Jacobin ideology be discredited in America’s eyes."

http://antiwar.com/barganier/

[charlie]

17. Aiyiyi

Thanks for the link, I hadn't read that. Pat's a fucking retard. He knows full well the neocons are more worried about taking maximum advantage of the 4-year opportunity to expand their recklessness than worried about the consequences. We may well be in a hot war with Iran and Syria before they're "discredited" and corralled.

[calimary]

20. Most intriguing. Reminds me of something my husband just said.

Just a couple of days ago we were talking about Kerry and my complaints about Kerry's flabby, lackluster "objections" to the vote scandals of November. Man he sure put up one helluva fight, didn't he? Til the last drop of blood, 'eh? Well, Spousal-Unit observed that Kerry probably didn't REALLY want it that badly after all - mainly because he knows what an utter pig-fuck it is (I imagine it helps a little bit having actually BEEN to war, and seen combat and dodged bullets, first-hand) and how he'd have to try to clean it up. And no doubt he wouldn't be able to because he'd be hounded by the sore losermans in the republi-CON party every micrometer of the way.

Maybe it's a good thing - let them eat their own. Starting with the jackass-in-chief. About time bushie-boy had to face, and clean up, his own mess for a change. Because I would like to see him run out of town on a rail over this thing. I would LOVE to see his ass in a sling over this, hung around his neck like a Hawaiian lei.

And by the way, the word "mess" is what I hear EVERYONE saying when discussing or lamenting Iraq. Inevitably the word "mess" ALWAYS comes up. Whether they claim to be against bush or for him. It's a mess. EVERYONE knows it. Either by openly complaining and railing against it or quietly and begrudgingly admitting it in private where you hope nobody will hear you.

[SammyWinstonJack]

31. Sure coulda fooled me.

"Kerry probably didn't REALLY want it that badly after all..."


THEN WHY DID HE RUN if he was just going to bail when the water got choppy? What crap! :argh: Ah well, he has no worries about his future, all safe and snug with boatloads of money. Fame and Fortune, ain't it great? In the meantime, how many more will die because of the Chimp's evil greediness and thirst for power? :grr: :mad:

[nightperson]

16. Perhaps because he thinks the "culture wars" matter more?

Remember, he is a tub-thumping anti-choicer concerned about the Supreme Court, etc..

Despite some overlapping with Buchanan et al on neo-isolationism, etc., I'm (like Howard Stern?) probably a great example of his exact opposite in "the culture wars", and I know from experience that they can be a powerful fuel/base. I think it's a shame the Kerry campaign didn't seem to understand the power:

"Did Kerry give one speech on the subject since the March For Women’s Lives back in April? Did the campaign run a single TV ad about abortion?"

[NVMojo]

22. the catholic thing made that issue touchy ....

... and remember, old smartypants Rove had a plan for that too....

[InvisibleBallots]

42. because that is Pat Buchanan's job

He is a professional Republican. He was as anti-Bush as he could possibly be without losing his job as a professional Republican. Read between the lines.

[Bouncy Ball]

67. Exactly. Very good point Charlie. And I don't care what excuses he's got

either. There's no excuse for voting for the fucked up retard evil moron from Hell.

[vogonjiltz]

14. I found that McLaughlin fell off of the Bush bandwagon nt

[Fed Up]

18. Tweety is the same way. Never know which Tweety will show up.

[wyldwolf]

19. The enemy of my enemy is my friend

when I hear anyone speaking truth about Bush, I do develope a certain respect for that person.

[NVMojo]

21. a freak I also want to choke half the time and agree with half the time...

WTF is up with that kind of a personality???

[Lexingtonian]

23. you never know which Pat will show up

It's a 50/50 split between the powerlusting maniac logic-depleted paleocon side out looking for a hammer or a spear and the intrigued observer quasi-intellectual who wants to smoke a pipe and pour a whiskey. I think he flips a coin every day. Then again, he's such a perfect fit to the reactionary kind of people in the small rural villages of the British Isles (ok, perhaps all of Europe) even in that wierdly psychotic identity flipping that it's probably way outside his control.

That being said, he's quite right even if his prediction is not a real big trick. The Republican believer baseline is a bit under 45% and will go down a point or two over the course of a year. Iraq is tracking the Vietnam warfare pretty accurately in a compressed timescale (about 1:4), with the present matching the conditions in 'Nam and DC of late 1972/ early '73 or so, and at this rate it will be about two thirds of a year until the equivalent of the Fall Of Saigon happens. Obviously a crashout of even half that magnitude in Iraq means crisis in the White House and scandal in the Pentagon.

I agree with Pat. I don't think Bush has any other 'issue' or political capital to tap other than nabbing Bin Laden (grossly unlikely), there's zero chance of Iraq going right for him, and the economy is in an ugly spiral downward. The chicks are coming home to roost all over. After a while Bush's sinking numbers are going to start dragging down the support for his buddies on Capitol Hill too. I predict Dubya's going to head a crashing of his Party worse than Nixon's, even without a particular scandal (though arguably his policies are nothing but scandal in the first place).

[quaoar]

25. Yes, but...

While most presidents would recognize that Saigon is falling and would get the hell out, I imagine Bush would do just the opposite. When the shit really hits the fan in Iraq, he's just as likely to go medieval and start dropping daisy cutters and MOABs and send in another 100,000 troops.

[VioletLake]

28. How do you think he'll manage to send in 100,000 more troops?

Do you remember the protests leading up to the Iraq war?

I very much doubt that the American people will go gentle into THAT good night.

[Stinky The Clown]

24. Pat Buchanan is .... well ...... Pat Buchanan

I can't say he and I would have a lot in common elbow to elbow at the neighborhood watering hole, but he's not bad. I disagree with a great deal of what he has to say, but I also say he's not bad because he is honest and consistent. The term "paleocon" fits him to a Tee. His social views are anathema to me, but he is what he says he is and he doesn't sugar coat. In many ways, he's farther from this administration than we are!

But through all of this one thing is true. He is not is evil.

And often he's right. And that's why you find yourself agreeing with him more than you want to admit (or can allow yourself to believe).

Now ... if you want real evil ... real, no shit evil? You got it.

Chimpus Khan.

[magnolia]

26. Interesting thread....

What predictions did the others on the panel make???

[quaoar]

27. McLaughlin predicted

That Bush and Blair and Putin, etc. will join together to bring about a Palestinian state and that it would do more to undercut Bin Laden than anything else.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

29. Is that low 40s approval rating with or without Bush's "mandate?"

...because if Buchanan didn't factor that in, it could SKYROCKET to the "middle 40s."

The worst part of this is that Buchanan is probably right, but it won't alter the fact that Bush will sit on the throne for the next four years.

I'd LOVE to "eat crow" on DU on the occasion of a Bush impeachment. As of 1/1/05, I hate to say it, but I think that the crowd waiting for THAT one to happen is just whizzin' in the wind.

:grr:

[Democrat 4 Ever]

33. Buchanan evidently swings "both" ways

The self-righteous, blow hard is just unbearable when he is in his "defend Dim Son and the war at any cost mode" but other times he actually shuts down his Jesus freak spiel and makes sense. Too bad the partisan hack shows up much more often than the rational parts of him.

Anybody remember that many people argued that Buchanan is actually "Deep Throat" of Watergate fame? For some reason the discussion was raised again about a year ago with the publishing of a new book. Just can't envision Buchanan defending, voting for and shilling for the Chimp but once upon a time actually ratting out Nixon - even if he did it in a dark, parking garage in DC. And Buchanan's sister, Bay, is just dumb, stupid, hateful, lying, ugly-spirited hag, spending her entire lifetime cruising on the coattails of her brother. What on earth could their childhood have been like to turn out the two of them?

[Donna Zen]

32. 3 Things:

According to John Dean, who is much more sane than Buchanan, and smarter too; there are 3 things necessary to create a scandal:

1) Wrong doing (check..W has plenty of wrong doing floating around)

2) The attempted cover-up (check...in this most secretive of administrations)

3) Media Outrage....:-( Sad, but sorry folks; there will only be the usually media cheerleading and help with the cover-up.

My prediction: Buchanan is wrong. In a way it is not his fault; he caught in some time warp where the media is still functioning.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

36. If there's no media outrage over 100,000+ dead Iraqis...

...then there won't be any media outrage during Bush-Cheney II, no matter WHAT happens.

My prediction is that they're going to get away with it. ALL of it, whatever they want, like kids in a twisted candy store.

Bush will coast through the next four years without a scratch. Then, the "Presidential Library For The President Who Hates To Read" will be built, Karen Hughes will ghost-write MORE books about this "great man," he'll be given "Board of Director" positions in which his only contribution will be his name, Pappy Bush will link him up with every Saudi he knows and the blood money will flow like sweet wine.

This man is going to get away with it all, without a scratch, and at the end of his four years will transition into a fat, FAT retirement, just like his mummified ol' Pappy. If I'm wrong, I will GLADLY retract everything I just said.

[femme.democratique]

47. Or he will die a horrible, painful death....

...at the hands of a McVey-esque type. People hate him THAT MUCH. Junior makes Nixon look like Mother Theresa. I seriously think some associated with this administration will begin dropping like flies, and not from natural causes.

Of course, Agent Mike, I never advocate violent painful deaths for our leader and his minions...

[calimary]

63. Sad to say, I wouldn't be surprised if you're correct.

It would be just the worst injustice in modern history. But who the hell is holding him accountable for ANYTHING? We had a major chance to do so on November 2nd and we all saw what happened. The media is probably not going to wake up until and unless there's a Democrat somehow lucky, or flukey, enough to land in the White House. It's only Democrats' feet who get held to the fire these days.

I hope to God you're wrong, and I will gladly eat crow next to you at the table. But I fear you're correct. We do NOT have an outraged media as we did during the Nixon era. That's the missing link. And it can well be expected to remain MIA.

[autorank]

60. Dean's a smart guy but #3 is wrong. Not "outrage," rather "instructions"

The CM (Corporate Media) needs to get the word from their masters that it's time to open the flood gates. I'd like to think that the Washington Post was just plain heroic but there is more to it than that. Katherine Graham had very strong ties, well known, to the financial establishment and intelligence community. Part of Watergate was supported by journalistic integrity but that was only "allowed" by approval from "management."

Our media (unlike the 70's) that are incapable of outrage. However, they can follow "instructions." When the stories start to get major play, you'll know that the "instructions" have been issues. Conyers, a brave and honest man, has outlined more than enough to toss * out. All the press has to do is cover it. They won't until the "powers that be" decide * is to much of a danger, embarrassment, and impediment. One factor was mentioned on Thom Hartmann today. A very recent marketing survey showed purchases of US goods in Europe are down by 20% and those who are not buying American are doing so in protest of our lousy president. If this stays, watch for interesting "instructions."

Our republic, saved by European consumers. Oh yeah! You gotta love it.

[Donna Zen]

61. Outrage will not occur:

We are all on the same page; and I think that J. Dean would agree with us. For whatever reason: laziness, stupidity, or the most likely, corporate instructions, the media will not show any outrage, and thus, there will be NO scandal.

Compare: Blue dress=outrage, Dean scream=outrage, undocumented but informationally correct AWOL letter=outrage, Michael Moore's statement=outrage curiously directed at Clark

Outing a CIA agent=NO outrage, inaction prior to 911=NO outrage, lying about WMD=NO outrage, lying about connections between Saddam and BinLaden=NO outrage, Swiftboat liars connection to WH=NO outrage, AWOL=NO outrage, Office of Special Plans=NO outrage

Really, both lists are nearly endless. Pat needs to "get a grip" or just admit he's lying, 'cause his prediction was stupid and wrong.

Note: I do believe that the media is capable of carefully considered, faux outrage whenever it suits their master's purpose.

[autorank]

65. A Zen-like message. Here is some hope.

To elaborate just a bit, when I referred to "the powers that be" giving "instructions" I didn't mean that there is ONE power; rather there are factions, maybe not that different but at times they disagree. * is, on paper, excellent for certain interests but starting to look like a disaster for many other powerful aggregations of capital. In this regard, Pat B may be right in sensing that the high-tech, financial sector factions may unleash their dogs to go after *. The press will certainly not do this on their own nor would they be allowed if they tried...unless it suits certain interests. I think that it's starting to look like it will suit those interest. We'll see.

[Donna Zen]

74. Fingers crossed

Also_I think he has pissed off James Baker.

[CBHagman]

71. Don't wait for the Post to act.

Unfortunately, though the Post runs some editorials with the right moral perspective, they are so compromised, cowed, weak, and brown-nosed at this point that I don't expect them to turn on Bush -- this from a paper that never, ever misses a chance to make a cheap shot at Bill Clinton or Al Gore.

Mary McGrory, Katherine Graham and Herblock are all dead, Colman McCarthy has been fired, Judy Mann has retired, and even Dana Milbank and E.J. Dionne only go so far. Granted, there could be an infusion of righteous anger, but I don't plan to hold my breath waiting for it.

I approve of Tom Toles, though. :-)

[hollowdweller]

34. My brother has voted for both Buchanon and Jesse Jackson

Both have quite a few positions that really appeal to union members and american workers who are getting screwed by free trade and wages being depressed to the record influx of immigrants that are driving domestic wages down and weakening the unions.

[IStriker]

37. Your brother is a one issue voter or schizophrenic

[hollowdweller]

82. for voting for which one??

[VioletLake]

35. One thing to remember about Buchanan:

He's Catholic, and he probably hasn't lost the ability to feel guilt. ;)

[Kahuna]

38. Yet, he was elated that * "won" the election.

:grr: :puke:

[ruggerson]

39. These pundits are nuts

Buchanan spent the entire fall lauding Shrub and being venomous about Kerry. Whenever he subbed for Scarborough, he had on his usual coterie of far rightwing Catholics and various Swift Boat Liars to all pile on Kerry.

Now that he has helped W win the election by smearing Kerry, he turns on W.

These people don't have ethics or morals, they're all about their wallets and ratings.

[katinmn]

40. They're also about being

able to appear on the McLaughlin Group's year end show and being in the limelight.

[Patsy Stone]

41. As a Bleeding Heart Liberal

I have to say: "I love this man!"

This is when I knew the US was in trouble, when I started to agree with Pat Buchanan. McLaughlin has always been a Friday night staple in the house. When he came out in favor of Kerry, I had really high hopes for the Repug Party.

Yep, I agree with both Buchanan AND Sharpton. Does that make me insane? No, it's because the world's turned upside down and even Buchanan realizes it.

[mtnsnake]

45. Pat Buchanan is just about the only conservative I can stomach

listening to. When it comes to politics, he seems to tell the truth, and that's something most right wingers don't have a clue about. Lately, when I've seen a few of his shows, he almost seems like he's more sympathetic to the cause of us Democratics than to what's going on with the Repukes agenda. At times, he almost comes off as more hopeful for our side than Bush's.

If he's as bigoted as what some people on this forum say, then I don't like him for that, but for what he's said in recent months politically, I find him refreshing.

[Obviousman]

57. He's a classic case of someone

who you may not agree with, but you can at least tolerate listening to. Heck, sometimes I even agree with him. It's all about how you present yourself.

[davsand]

51. Pat is a hell of a guy--eh?

He's one GOP member that I have loved to hate over the years with his conservative social views. He's been up there on my "list" at times with the hard core guys like Newt--and THAT is really hard for any human being to do.

Pat has also been one of the the few GOP members that I can count on to speak the absolute truth about what he thinks, and that is difficult to do as well.

Pat Buchanan is a conservative Republican, and he's light years away from the left on every conceivable social issue. He also happens to be excellent on trade and labor--partly because his protectionism and isolationist views are exactly the antidote to the mess that bills like NAFTA have encouraged. I know a lot of rank and file labor unions guys who think Buchanan makes a lot of sense. If I'm being truthful, at times I agree with them.

If the Dem party as a whole wants to lock down that labor vote, they better take a hard look at what exactly they are offering up to rank and file labor guys. I'm talking about average workers who could give a crap about most social issues, but worry a whole lot about keeping a job that pays better than Wally World. (A good start would be repeal of NAFTA and GATT along with attempting to get rid of Taft Hartly...) Pat talks about it because as a conservative he GETS how screwed we are all gonna be in a few years when we have no skilled workers and they are all in some other country.

Pat Buchanan was bashing the war in Iraq early on, and he's been real up front with his disapproval of the asswipe's deficit spending. Pat's been one of the few Repubs who dared to stand up and ask WHY the GOP controlled Congress was giving money away hand over fist, and I think he's like a lot of Republicans--he's not happy at all with the way things are going. Pat is one of those guys who sees what one faction of his party is doing, and he is not pleased with it.

If we have a prayer of seeing the asswipe get what he deserves, it is guys like Pat Buchanan who are gonna be the spurs inside the GOP that make it happen. The Dem party alone can't do this, it is gonna have to be the honest to gosh GOP conservatives that make it happen. Make no mistake--as much as we dish on the DLC, the conservatives in the Republican party feel equally unhappy with the neo-cons.

Keep an eye on Pat Buchanan, I think he's gonna be at the center of the upcoming fray.


Laura

[Bouncy Ball]

68. Sounds like, on fiscal and trade issues,

Buchanan is a lower case "c" conservative, a real one, at that.

[hangloose]

53. Buchanan is a true conservative and sees the difference

between his beliefs and the danger of the neocons influence on the Bush administration

[RogueTrooper]

56. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day

[EVDebs]

62. Buchanan is right, just read his article "Suicide by Free Trade"

and you realize that if Kerry had campaigned harder on this he'd have embarrassed most conservatives into dropping the smirking chimp.

"Suicide by Free Trade"
http://www.amconmag.com/2004_04_12/buchanan.html

a snippet : "Indeed, if the issue is jobs, Republicans ought to be thrown out. For not only are they not creating them, they have no idea how to stop exporting them. In their hearts, some of them think it a good thing. They are like the doctors of old who sincerely believed bleeding the patient was the way to get rid of the disease because that is what their textbooks and wise men told them."

[davsand]

64. I hadn't seen that article, but it sure lays it out there.

I don't exactly read the American Conservative on a regular basis, but that is one article that I wish I'd seen sooner. Wow.

"If the GOP persists in this free-trade fanaticism, it is courting suicide. For the policy is not working in the eyes of the people. And if Republicans insist the returns from global free trade—a disintegrating dollar and a merchandise trade deficit of $550 billion a year and rising—are good for America, folks are going to conclude that Republicans are too out of it to govern.

Given that the GOP today controls both Houses of Congress and the White House, this may sound alarmist. Yet GOP dominance today does not approach what it was in the 1920s under Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover, before the wipeout.

If the GOP does not offer ideas to halt the de-industrialization of America and the hemorrhaging of blue- and white-collar jobs, it is going to wind up on a landfill.

The problem with the columnists and think-tank scribblers who make up the intelligentsia of the GOP is not that they believe in free markets but that they worship them. They believe that if NAFTA, GATT, the WTO, and MFN for China mean production goes overseas, the market is telling us where production ought to be. And the voice of the market is to be obeyed, because that is the voice of their god."

Pat Buchanan pretty much laid it out there, didn't he...

I keep coming back to the realization that the Dems by themselves are most likely not going to be able get anything done about the asswipe. I sincerely hope that enough people listen to Buchanan--that maybe the real Republicans can get something done for us all.

Hell of a time to be living in, isn't it? Pat Buchanan is making sense and I'm rooting for him. Thanks for putting that link up!


Laura

[NewsGuyOne]

69. On Jobs, Buchanon is a better Democrat than Kerry or Clinton

Which is why the Democratic party is Screwed.

[davsand]

73. The Dem party is only screwed if we don't wake up.

We have GOT to get our stuff together on trade and labor issues. If we don't, yeah--we will be so screwed we are gonna have to take a bus to get BACK to screwed.

If the party listens and actually selects candidates in the next round of primaries that will run on workplace and economic issues we can still salvage the off year elections (and maybe even gain some seats.) If we put up candidates that allow themselves to be pulled off message by social issues we may as well hang it up.

If THEY say, "Gay marriage..." WE need to say, "Gay marriage does not feed families and pay the bills. Let's talk about jobs."

If they say "Abortion..." we need to say "Abortion has no bearing on the fact that we are losing our skilled trades to overseas. Skilled craftsmen are a national resource and homeland security priority in any time of war or strife."

If they say "Guns" we need to talk about the fact that they have ruled labor unions--our OWN men and women--as being security risks. The backbone of our nation's skilled crafts has been cut out by the GOP...

We CAN turn this around, but we have got to do it now, and we have got to be focused. Pat Buchanan, for all his social oafishness and conservative views, really has given the Dems the road map to success. It is up to us to read that map and follow it.


Laura

[EVDebs]

83. And check out other disheartened Republicans...like

Paul Craig Roberts, a former Reagan treasury official. His writings are posted regularly at http://www.vdare.com/roberts/index.htm a site that isn't "happy" with our nation's current immigration policies, to say the least. In fact, Northeastern University has put out information on exactly who is getting most of the new jobs...immigrants (see http://www.nupr.neu.edu/7-04/immigration_july04.shtml ).

Buchanan, Roberts, and MANY other educated rightwingers are NOT happy with Bush-O-Nomics, but most like Buchanan are beholden due to who pays their salaries to go with the horse that brung 'em, even if they have to hold their noses. Heck, Labor Sec Reich did almost as much to allow the destruction of US jobs via outsourcing as did current Labor Sec Chow ! Virtually allowed US companies to let H1B and L1 visaholders to come into the US, force US workers to train their soon-to-be replacements, and when the time comes (if it ever does) go home with the former US worker's old job in hand while the US worker is left scuffling to find a new job that pays anywhere near what his old one did.

This is coming from someone who found this all out the hard way mind you. My old job was outsourced to Bangalore. I found that the US worker should have been notified that he still had rights (under the old Form 9035 regulations for H1Bs)...once I began looking into this and saw that my old job was NOT supposed to be 'outsourced' if the foreign visaholder was 'displacing' the US jobholder, and that the US jobholder could initiate fraud actions etc via the Office of Inspector General and the then Labor Dept regulations, I noted quickly that the regulations were CHANGED to allow the outsourcing to continue and no fines or investigation allowed ! Want proof ? Read the "Attention please read the following" item number 3 at the link below:

http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/foreign/preh1bform.asp

""A number of statutory requirements and authorities under the INA, as amended by the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998, sunset on October 1, 2003. The specific program changes that occurred included:
A reduction in the cap on the number of available H-1B visas from 195,000 to 65,000 per fiscal year;
The elimination of the Recruitment and Hiring and the Displacement and Secondary Displacement attestations that previously applied to "H-1B dependent" employers and to employers found to have committed a willful violation or misrepresentation of a material fact on the application;
The elimination of authority granted to DOL to investigate H-1B employers if they have "specific, credible evidence" that a violation has occurred; and
The elimination of the $1,000 fee that is required to be paid by employers of H-1B nonimmigrants to support low-income scholarships and job training programs for workers.
The recruitment and displacement attestations noted above, and the instructions relating to them, were previously outlined in Subsections 1 and 2 of Section F. Due to the possibility that these attestations may be reenacted by the Congress, the Department has temporarily blanked out these portions of the application and instructions.

The previous edition of this application form, displaying an OMB Expiration Date in the upper-right-hand corner of 31 AUG 2003, should no longer be submitted by employers seeking to hire H-1B nonimmigrants.""

So DOL eliminated all 'attestations' (made under penalty of perjury mind you !) plus DOL eliminated all fines authority of the DOL to even investigate wrongdoing to the US workers about to be displaced !

Yes indeed. Democrats do better than Republicans. Yeah, right. That's why I registered Green and vote for prayerfully whoever says they will help the US worker. This time I voted Kerry. But I know what the score is.

Democrats can do better.

[Bouncy Ball]

66. Exactly how I feel about him.

I don't and won't listen to him, but yeah. He's against the invasion and occupation of Iraq and has been. On that, he and I agree, which means there are some pigs flying somewhere.

Or it means he has SOME sense in his brain somewhere.

[zulchzulu]

70. Buchanan may want to run in 2008

That's my guess. His latest book pretty much calls Neocons satanists in disguise and he's never been for the Iraq War. That and he's never been for NAFTA or the WTO.

Coming from a former Nixon boy back in the day, he's not one to gladhand with the GOP.

I do hope Buchanan contributes journalistically to his predictions.

[two gun sid]

72. Blow me, Pat

That sounds exactly like chimps first term.

[Dr Fate]

77. Unlike Democrats, Pat knows how to be blunt and speak his mind...

...I may not agree with most of his beliefs, but I admire all Republicans, including pat, for their ability to be blunt and say what they REALLY think.

I'd love for at least one or two DEMS to pick up that trait...

[LittleClarkie]

78. He's about half true conservative/ half social conservative

Like Twoface, it depends on which half is talking.

He voted for Bush for the conservative Supreme Court, but was none too happy with either Bush or Kerry on their stances in the Iraq War. He want an immediate pull out, saying that we are being attacked merely because we are there as imperialists.

He has been predicting a war within the Republican party for a while now if Bush won.

I hope so. It would take the sting out of the loss, as if this was what was meant to happen. Bush will crash under his own weight. If Kerry would have gotten in, any badness would have been blamed on him. Bush will have no one to blame. He'll try, but I suspect his teflon is already flaking.

Meanwhile, I hope our good Senator will be able to get some things done despite being in the minority. I look forward to that health care bill, and asking people if they've heard about the bill that I'm co-sponsoring.

[XemaSab]

84. Dean/Dean '08

n/t

[deadparrot]

85. He's insane, but he's not too far off what I predict.

*'s approval ratings are wavering around 50% now, a period in which he's supposed to have a high AR, shortly after his "mandated re-election."

Given the projection of a long war in Iraq, and assuming that American troops continue to be massacred as they have for the past 2.5+ years, coupled with the crap economy and the fact that the * administration has promised too much to too many groups, we're going to see a backlash, IMO. And I'm sure we'll see a scandal or two; there's too many for a couple not to slip.

[GOPBasher]

86. He's a nut, but he always speaks his mind.