----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2000 2:26 PM Subject: Buchanan wows Harvard > worldnetdaily.com > Pat Buchanan's Manifesto > > by Dr. Lenora Fulani Dr. Lenora B. Fulani twice ran for president of the U.S. as an independent, making history in 1988 when she became the first woman and African American to get on the ballot in all 50 states. Dr. Fulani is currently a leading activist in the Reform Party and chairs the Committee for a Unified Independent Party. > > > I went to Harvard's JFK School of Government > to join Pat Buchanan at his policy address on > political reform last week. There he presented > "A Plague on Both Your Houses," a stinging > rebuke of the two parties and the swamp of > political corruption they have created. > > The Harvard students had come to hear Pat > Buchanan, some fully prepared to hate him. > Several came with Buchanan dossiers, ready to > challenge him on his conservative views on > social issues during the question and answer > session, which they did. > > But when Pat hammered home his indictment of > the Democratic and Republican parties, the > crowd responded supportively, almost in spite > of itself. "Neither Beltway party is going to > drain this swamp at all, because to them it is not > a swamp," said Buchanan, "but a protected > wetland and their natural habitat. They swim in > it, feed in it, spawn in it." > > The impact of Pat's remarks reverberated well > beyond the halls of Harvard. By the time he > appeared on "Crossfire" that night, both the > Gore and Bush campaigns had issued > statements denouncing his comments about > their parties. Here was a political insider, a > former Beltway comrade-in-arms taking both to > task for "singing from the same corporate song > sheet." > > But Pat went beyond the mere standard critique > of the corrupting influence of big money in > American politics to what was perhaps the > central -- if underreported -- point of his talk: > There is an independent movement in the > country, of which he is now a part, that holds > both parties accountable for the corruption of > government. "... There is hope," Pat explained, > "because the iron is hot and both parties know > it. Both are aware that there is an independent > movement to clean up, or clean out, > Washington. The 19 million who voted for Ross > Perot in 1992; the economic patriots, union > members and environmentalists who derailed > Fast Track; the millions who rattled the > Republican establishment this year -- they're not > going away." > > Buchanan persisted, arguing that the Beltway > parties "can't change the system. But we can. We > are free, as the other candidates are not, because > we are outside the system." > > The media response to Buchanan's political > reform manifesto was more quizzical than > contentious. The New York Times, in classical > style, suggested that Buchanan was merely > trying to pick up on the themes popularized by > John McCain, missing the point that it was > McCain who picked up on the themes of > populist independents from Ross Perot to Jesse > Ventura, themes which are the foundation of the > Reform Party which Buchanan left the > Republican Party to join. > > On CNN's "Crossfire," Mary Matalin was other > than her normally caustic self and actually > seemed curious about what Buchanan had > done. Referring to campaign finance reform and > political reform in general, she said to Pat, "This > was never your issue." > > On the one hand, as Pat pointed out in > response, he'd begun raising issues about > campaign finance reform in 1996, not to mention > that he'd authored turgid columns in support of > term limits -- part of the reform program that he > presented at Harvard, along with ballot access > reform, same-day voter registration, initiative > and referenda, and opening up the debates to > include independent candidates. But the point > is not whether Pat has taken any of these > positions before. The point is that he's never > been in the Reform Party before. When Matalin > said, "This was never your issue," it's a little like > the guy who moves to the suburbs from the city > and buys a lawnmower to mow his lawn. > Suddenly, everyone gathers outside his house > and comments suspiciously, "He never mowed > his lawn before." True enough. He never had a > lawn before. > > Pat's in a similar position. He's made a move to > a new place, and when you get to a new place, > you do different things. You say different things > because you see things differently. Pat now sees > American politics as an outsider, because he is > one. And when you see things that way, you see > things you don't see from the inside. > > When you look squarely at the corruption, you > see that the cutting edge issue for America is > process, not policy. Yes, there's plenty to debate > about policy, and Pat has a fervor for economic, > trade and foreign policy, in particular. He very > much wants to use the presidential campaign to > project those views into the national debate. But > now a Reformer, Buchanan is coming to see > there is no meaningful national debate on > foreign and trade policy because the entire > process is so utterly controlled by special > interests that determine economic and foreign > policy for their own purposes. "Citizens held > hostage by the two parties, in unholy > matrimony with the special interests, want more > than just campaign finance reform," Buchanan > loudly proclaimed at Harvard. "They want more > than two establishment candidates offering > reform rhetoric at the instigation of their focus > groups. They want sweeping, authentic reform. > Put another way, they want their country back." > > One more note on the post-Harvard > commentary. While the conservative Matalin > focused on Buchanan's critiques of the two > parties, "From the Left" Bill Press went after > Pat's relationship to me. Why? Because I'm on > the left. Press featured a quote from a > Washington Post article last week entitled "The > Leftists in the Center, Reform Party's Leftists > Rise to Prominence," about the role my > colleague Fred Newman and I are playing in the > Reform Party. The quote, drawn from a sworn > declaration I provided during the course of an > audit by the FEC of my 1992 presidential > campaign, explained how I am part of a > collective of progressive political activists who > agree to share ownership of our money and > property. Press was outraged by this, causing > some to wonder what happened to Press' > commitment to the First Amendment right of > free association and every American's > democratic right to spend their money any > damn way we please. He tried to get Buchanan > to denounce me by waving the old "she's a > Marxist" red flag. > > But Buchanan, like me, is wise to the "divide > and conquer" response that the new left/right > coalition constantly encounters. Buchanan again > made the point that it was our shared support > for sweeping authentic reform, for radical > structural changes in American political life that > brings us together. The Reform Party is banking, > ultimately, on that kind of left/center/right > unification of Americans around a > cross-ideological concern with our political > process. If we succeed, that coalition will > emerge as the new majority in American > politics. Hopefully, Buchanan will emerge in > this election season as one of its major > spokespersons. > > > Dr. Lenora B. Fulani twice ran for president of the > U.S. as an independent, making history in 1988 when > she became the first woman and African American to > get on the ballot in all 50 states. Dr. Fulani is > currently a leading activist in the Reform Party and > chairs the Committee for a Unified Independent Party. > > > > > > > > > > http://gopatgo2000.com/r_e.asp?f_p=50588&f_e=TSp > > If you would like to be removed from this e-mail list, follow the link > above. > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- This is the Neither public email list, open for the public and general discussion. 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