-Caveat Lector- Dear Brigade -- This column is GREAT - Read it! GO PAT GO!!! Linda PS - Remember to spread the word - forward our Brigade emails across the USA !! -------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 18:23:43 -0400 From: Mark / Martha Zatezalo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: John Bender's article on Pat Linda, Caught this article on ETHERZONE.com. . Bender is one of only a few that realizes the blue collar support for Pat. Go Pat Go!..........martha z. from blue collared Weirton, WV ---------------------------- A THIRD PARTY RUN BY BUCHANAN IS SERIOUS By: John Bender There seems to be little question that Pat Buchanan will leave the Republican Party and run as the Reform Party nominee for president. The real question is how will this affect the election next year. Some pundits and columnists are saying Buchanan will help the Republicans by leaving. They opine that Pat represents a group that the party is better off without. Buchanan and his supporters are the ones driving the party to the right at the expense of attracting moderate voters who are more in line with the leadership of the party today. An exodus of the most conservative part of the party will free candidates to run on a more moderate platform. The idea is ridiculous. The party cannot win the general election without the conservative base. The professionals, who run campaigns for a living, know this and are worried. The latest polls show that a three-way race breaks down with Bush at 39%, Gore at 36% and Buchanan at 16%. These numbers are now, before Buchanan gets his hands on the $13 million in matching funds the Reform Party has coming from the government. They are also before any debates, and before the public gets interested in the election. Buchanan is a skilled campaigner. He is either the best or second best speaker in politics today. Some would argue he is second to Keys, but no one would argue that Bush or Gore is as good behind a podium as Buchanan. He is also good in interviews. Buchanan does not make mistakes like Bush does, and does not talk down to people like Gore does. One must also consider the Buchanan Brigades. No political figure in the nation has a more dedicated base. The numbers in the Brigade may be small but they are passionate. They work and they vote. There is little passion for Bush or Gore. The largest number of Bush supporters support him because they think he can win and is slightly better than Gore. The largest number of Gore supporters, are voters who want a Democrat and think Gore stands a better chance of winning than Bradley. Add it all up and it equals a volatile campaign. Elections are unpredictable at best. The addition of a well funded, skilled candidate, who has a passionate following, running on a third party ticket is not attractive to those running against him. Anything can happen. Buchanan pulls support from the Republican base who do not think Bush is a conservative. They do not like his record as governor. They point to things like his support for School to Work, his support for more state control of charter schools and his teacher pay raise that was not tied to merit. His public support for the Department of Education and an increased federal role in education reinforce their concerns. Other conservatives point to the fact that Bush's lack of leadership on the Texas parental consent abortion bill, allowed the pro-abortion forces in the Texas legislature to turn the bill into a parental notification bill. They see the fact that he is not ruling out picking a pro-abortion running mate as further proof that Bush is not a real conservative. Buchanan offers these people a candidate they can be sure is a conservative who shares their views. He is consistent on these points and makes no apologies for his stance. The little secret that no one is talking about is Buchanan also draws from the Democrat base. He is the only candidate who is against NAFTA, GATT, and WTO. He is popular among the blue collar and union voters. Democrats remember Reagan took more than 60% of the union vote in his two runs for president and it scares them. Rather than buck the membership and look weak, the union bosses may back Buchanan. The AFL-CIO is saying they may not back the Democrat ticket in this election. They say they may just back individual candidates. It is possible they could back Buchanan. It is also possible the Teamsters would back Buchanan. The Democrats conspired with Ron Carey to defeat James Hoffa, Jr. in the 1996 union election. There is no love lost between Mr. Hoffa and the DNC or between him and Al Gore. It is also important to remember that Mr. Hoffa's father supported Reagan in both of his campaigns. The union vote would be a big gain for Buchanan and a devastating loss for the Democrats. It is even possible Buchanan can pull almost as many Democrat votes as Republican votes if the unions support him. There is one more item that makes Buchanan dangerous to both major parties. The middle aged, middle class, males in this country are the only group who had a decrease in real wages in the 90s. It is not clear whether or not this will translate into votes, but Buchanan is in the best position to benefit if it dose. He is the only candidate who is talking about the plight of these men and their families. A third party run by Buchanan may or may not draw many votes from any of these groups. He may only attract the 16% he now enjoys. On the other hand, betting he will not draw a substantial vote is foolish. Bush has the most to worry about, but is in the best position to insulate himself. In fact Bush could assure that Buchanan takes more Democrat votes than Republican votes. To do it he must move to the right and be more solicitous of the party's core. He cannot afford to let Buchanan pull the conservative vote without a fight. He must pick a running mate who has impeccable conservative credentials. If he picks a moderate like John Engler, or a pro-abortion liberal like Christy Todd Whitman or Elizabeth Dole, he can kiss the presidency good-by. In fact picking the wrong running mate could cost Bush so many votes he could run third in a three-way race. All this boils down to the simple fact that Buchanan running on the Reform Party ticket is a serious threat. Anyone who says otherwise either is foolish or whistling past the grave yard. At the very least, Buchanan will draw enough votes to assure the Reform Party will get federal funds for the 2004 election. If he draws enough votes to put him in second place, he will change the face of politics in this country for the next hundred years. This will be one of the most interesting elections in many years. It has the potential to shake up Washington and produce some odd coalitions. People better take it seriously. --------------------------- John Bender is a columnist and staff writer for Ether Zone Online. He is also a political commentator who appears regularly on radio and television. He is a sought after speaker, addressing groups and organizations about politics and current events. He may be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Published in the September 14, 1999 issue of Ether Zone Online! Copyright © 1999 Ether Zone Online (http://etherzone.com). Reposting permitted with this message intact. --------------- end --------------------- Help Pat and the Brigade in our Battle for the White House... Go to: http://www.gopatgo2000.org/000-v-helppat.html Spread the word -- forward this email across the USA! *********************************************** Don't Miss Out - Join the BRIGADE Email List! - Visit: Official WebSite for Patrick J. 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