Sarah Palin was a foot soldier in Buchanan’s Brigade

Posted  by AzBlueMeanie:

Patrick J. Buchanan was considered too much of a wing-nut fringe extremist for most conservative Republicans when he ran for president in 1992, 1996 and 2000.  "Pitchfork Pat" did have his rabid foot soldiers in his "Buchanan’s Brigade" for those elections.

So take a guess who was one of the foot soldiers in Buchanan’s Brigade wielding a pitchfork for Pat in 1996?  That’s right, the lovely Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin, Buchananite

From an AP report in 1999:

"Pat Buchanan brought his conservative message of a smaller government and an America First foreign policy to Fairbanks and Wasilla on Friday as he continued a campaign swing through Alaska. Buchanan’s strong message championing states rights resonated with the roughly 85 people gathered for an Interior Republican luncheon in Fairbanks. … Among those sporting Buchanan buttons were Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin and state Sen. Jerry Ward, R-Anchorage."

During MSNBC’s Hardball, Pat Buchanan was asked by Chris Matthews whether Palin was a member of his Buchanan’s Brigade, "wielding the pitchforks" for Pat.

"They were at a fundraiser for me," Buchanan said of Palin and her husband. He called her a "terrific gal" and a "rebel reformer."  Watch it:

So if Pat Buchanan was too much of a wing-nut fringe extremist for even conservative Republicans in the 1990’s, why should we believe that one of the foot soldiers in his Buchanan’s Brigade is now to be considered reasonable, rational or safe?  Governor Palin’s political positions put her on the wing-nut fringe of the Republican Party.

Patrick Buchanan has a well-deserved reputation for being a racist.  He is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and he has made numerous racially-charged remarks throughout his career. He was a "states rights" crusader. Buchanan also has his own page on the website of the Anti-Defamation League, which says he has "racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Israel and anti-immigrant views" and offers quotes going back well before 1996, including his 1990 description of Capitol Hill as "Israeli-occupied territory."

Remember the 2000 Florida recount?  "I don’t doubt a number of those ballots of those votes that were cast for me probably were intended for Vice President Gore," Buchanan told CNN’s "Larry King Live." CNN.com  Buchanan was jokingly referring to the many thousands of Jewish voters in Miami-Dade Counties who mistakenly cast a vote for him because of the butterfly ballot design.  Buchanan was acknowledging the simple fact that Jewish voters despise him and would not have voted for him.

So how do you think that Governor Palin, who was a foot soldier in Buchanan’s Brigade, will be received by Jewish voters in Florida (and elsewhere) once they learn about her history?  And should someone not ask her whether or not she shares Patrick Buchanan’s extreme views on race?