Pat Buchanan Speaks Out

Thursday night the Phillips Center for Performing Arts hosted a very special guest appearance by the Reforms Party presidential candidate Pat Buchanan. In the year of presidential elections the two popular candidates George Bush and Al Gore really don’t lash out on each other, which makes this years debates boring and long. Pat Buchanan is refreshing to the sense he doesn’t care what he says about the other candidates. Pat Buchanan’s history includes serving as an assistant to Richard Nixon, and also to Ronald Regan. An accomplished journalist in his younger career, Pat Buchanan wrote speeches for the Reykjavik summit with Mikhail Gorbachev, and Richard Nixon’s popular speech to the opening of China in 1972.

A solid Republican through many years in the White House Pat Buchanan saw a growing problem and decided to do something about it. Buchanan says, ” The other parties do not realize the problems in America, we are loosing our country and what we stand for”. Buchanan wasted no time on stage knocking both Gore and Bush, because they are failing to talk about real problems in the United States. “These guys stand up here and are scared to death to step on each other toes and tell the Gods honest truth”. Buchanan feels that he left the Republican Party because they will not fight for American rights.

Buchanan really focused his ideas with building America back to the nation our founding fathers wanted. He pointed out the problem with America’s heritage taking Washington’s day and changing it to President’s day. Buchanan explained, “When did we stop celebrating our first President of United States, and start celebrating Presidents such as Bill Clinton”. He also argued the problem of changing Christmas break to Winter break, and Easter break into Spring break. What’s more surprising is his views on why America is changing and what he will do to change America back to the land of liberty. Buchanan blames the change in United to States to the problem with immigration. “With too much immigration we are loosing communication with each other, we should teach all new immigrants English and emphasize American history first and foremost’. Buchanan feels that, “English is what as Americans brings us together, so everyone who lives in America should know English”. Buchanan also offered a strict policy on immigration on his new plan.

Under Buchanan’s new plan he will cut foreign aid and also pull troops out of Europe and the Middle East. Buchanan said,” If I ever reach that oval office I will pull troops out of Bosnia and put troops on the border of places like Texas, and California”. Buchanan put a strong emphasis on border control, and immigration regulation letting everyone know we are falling apart as a nation. Buchanan feels,” We are one nation and one people, so immigration must be slowed down”. Buchanan also believes that global cooperation groups such as United Nations, and the WTO, and NATO are a problem plus a threat to the United States.

Buchanan’s view on global groups like the UN is that these groups are brainwashing and are taking time away from the American public. “The UN is totally materialistic and as the new global community they are trying to take over”. He feels that these groups are creating a global community where Americans will loose all sense of heritage. Buchanan also said,” I believe the new generation will stand up and say no to what the UN portrays in the present society”. When asked what he would do after he pulls troops out of Europe and there is an invasion afterwards on the remaining American troops, Buchanan responded by saying,” You don’t need 100,000 troops because the United States is a powerful nation”.

Overall Pat Buchanan’s speech was to reach out to the new generation, and the students that occupy Gainesville. Buchanan stressed,” If you vote for me your not throwing away your vote, yet your voting for something you believe in the new Party”. With a wide variety of people attending Buchanan handled all the comments quite calmly, and even had a wide variety of jokes about the other nominees to keep the crowd entertained. If you have never been out to see a speaker it is valuable about what you learn, and it may even inspire you to get more involved. We all have the choice to get involved and to control our own future.