Why didn't the GOP pick Buchanan in 1996?

[Badger]

Different time, and. Buchanan could never seem more moderate than he was, a necessary trait of every successful conservative candidate. Plus having the charisma of a garden slug didn't help....

[Torie]

Different time, and. Buchanan could never seem more moderate than he was, a necessary trait of every successful conservative candidate. Plus having the charisma of a garden slug didn't help....

Man, I remember how much I hated Buchanan. The worst thing ever to come out of the ugly side of the Pub drawer in my memory. And then out pop Cruz and Trump, making Pat seem almost genial by comparison. Are we having fun yet in your new party? 

[Rockefeller GOP]

Different time, and. Buchanan could never seem more moderate than he was, a necessary trait of every successful conservative candidate. Plus having the charisma of a garden slug didn't help....

Man, I remember how much I hated Buchanan. The worst thing ever to come out of the ugly side of the Pub drawer in my memory. And then out pop Cruz and Trump, making Pat seem almost genial by comparison. Are we having fun yet in your new party? 

People like you leaving is WHY people like Cruz have more influence, so it seems bizarre for you to be upset about it if you don't care enough to stick around and be an alternate voice.

[Torie]

Different time, and. Buchanan could never seem more moderate than he was, a necessary trait of every successful conservative candidate. Plus having the charisma of a garden slug didn't help....

Man, I remember how much I hated Buchanan. The worst thing ever to come out of the ugly side of the Pub drawer in my memory. And then out pop Cruz and Trump, making Pat seem almost genial by comparison. Are we having fun yet in your new party? 

People like you leaving is WHY people like Cruz have more influence, so it seems bizarre for you to be upset about it if you don't care enough to stick around and be an alternate voice.

It's kind of painful really. Both parties are basically a mess. At this point, I just try to root around, and try to find the few stands of wheat out there, amongst all the chaff. One of those rare strands of wheat out there for me is Paul Ryan by the way. So it's not hopeless, just bleak.

[Simfan34]

Because fortunately many "working class Whites" weren't Republicans yet, especially in the South ... The good old days.

I don't think that's quite right, but those where the good old days!

[Kingpoleon]

"They picked Bob Dole."

- Bob dole

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Alot of the Phil Gramm voters were also Buchanan working class voters. But Phil Gramm dropped out and energy went to Dole. Remaing support went to Perot. CLINTON was like Reagan was in 1984, undefeatable, anyways.

[Badger]

The GOP didn't want to win or even compete in 1996. It was better for business if they loss. Hence why good candidates like Pete Wilson, Lamar Alexander, etc, were ignored and at least somewhat competitive candidates like Buchanan (his best shot would have been in 1992 if he could have taken out Bush) we're totally maligned. It is well documented that Alan Keyes ran as a stalking horse to take down Buchanan in the primaries to make sure he didn't threaten Dole.

They wanted to lose in 1996?

Yeah, it was better for business. They could complain for four years and get the guy they really wanted (Dubya) into the White House. Dole was a lamb sent to the slaughter.

Nonsense . after the breathtaking wave in 94 most people reasonably thought Clinton was a dead duck. By the time it became apparent he was going to be re-elected the GOP primaries were already in full swing. Most Republicans didn't write Dole off until sometime in early-mid 96 when he was already the presumptive nominee.

[DS0816]

Re: Why didn't the GOP pick [Pat] Buchanan in 1996?

They were cowards.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Re: Why didn't the GOP pick [Pat] Buchanan in 1996?

They were cowards.

Yeah, it would have been so much braver for Republicans to pick a less attractive candidate that they didn't prefer.

Another dynamite post, LOL.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Re: Why didn't the GOP pick [Pat] Buchanan in 1996?

They were cowards.

Yeah, it would have been so much braver for Republicans to pick a less attractive candidate that they didn't prefer.

Another dynamite post, LOL.

Uncle Pat placed a close second to Dole on a number of occasions. The GOP didn't want to win in 1996, so they pretty much did to Dole what the Democrats are doing to Hillary Clinton today.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

The GOP didn't want to win or even compete in 1996. It was better for business if they loss. Hence why good candidates like Pete Wilson, Lamar Alexander, etc, were ignored and at least somewhat competitive candidates like Buchanan (his best shot would have been in 1992 if he could have taken out Bush) we're totally maligned. It is well documented that Alan Keyes ran as a stalking horse to take down Buchanan in the primaries to make sure he didn't threaten Dole.

It's certainly been alleged, but well documented?

Alexander might have done decently in the general, even with his reinvention of himself as a folksy outsider panned by the press.  Wilson and Buchanan on the other hand had the downside of being unacceptable to large sections of the party.

[RINO Tom]

The GOP didn't want to win or even compete in 1996. It was better for business if they loss. Hence why good candidates like Pete Wilson, Lamar Alexander, etc, were ignored and at least somewhat competitive candidates like Buchanan (his best shot would have been in 1992 if he could have taken out Bush) we're totally maligned. It is well documented that Alan Keyes ran as a stalking horse to take down Buchanan in the primaries to make sure he didn't threaten Dole.

It's certainly been alleged, but well documented?

Alexander might have done decently in the general, even with his reinvention of himself as a folksy outsider panned by the press.  Wilson and Buchanan on the other hand had the downside of being unacceptable to large sections of the party.

I'm of the opinion that Trump is a very rare phenomena and most of it is specific to his personality; Buchanan would still be unacceptable to large sections of the party.

[Lechasseur]

The GOP didn't want to win or even compete in 1996. It was better for business if they loss. Hence why good candidates like Pete Wilson, Lamar Alexander, etc, were ignored and at least somewhat competitive candidates like Buchanan (his best shot would have been in 1992 if he could have taken out Bush) we're totally maligned. It is well documented that Alan Keyes ran as a stalking horse to take down Buchanan in the primaries to make sure he didn't threaten Dole.

Yep agreed

[The_Doctor]

Neoliberalism was still pretty fresh in 1996. In hindsight the 1992 and 1996 Buchanan primary challenges should've been a warning sign to the Republicans that their blue collar whites weren't entirely onboard.

The blue collar conservative bloc has rejected Reaganism and embraced Buchananite ideals. How the Republicans react could say a lot.

[Rjjr77]

Why didn't Jack Kemp run?