About us Login Get email updates
County Fair
Print

What does Pat Buchanan bring to the table?

June 23, 2009 2:08 pm ET by Jamison Foser

If you assume that Pat Buchanan's frequent inappropriate comments about race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and a variety of other personal characteristics are, from MSNBC's standpoint, a bug rather than a feature, it raises the question of what exactly Buchanan brings to the table that is valuable enough to justify putting up with his baggage.

Well, MSBNC viewers just got a taste of Buchanan's deep insights:

BUCHANAN: I think what he [Obama] did on health care, I saw that more as a response to problems he's got. You notice in that carefully-crafted open[ing] statement, Andrea, he said in effect, 'Look, we're not going to increase the deficits with this.' This is talking to the point about the growing concern apparently among the majority of Americans about spending and deficits.

So, when Obama said health care would not increase deficits, that was a response to concern about deficits. Gee, you don't say. Good thing Pat Buchanan was around to help sort that out. You just can't get cutting-edge political analysis like that anywhere else. No wonder MSNBC puts up with him.

Tags: MSNBC, Pat Buchanan

Expand All Expand 1st Level Collapse All Add Comment
    • Author by mybrotherskeeper (June 23, 2009 2:26 pm ET)
      1  
      You guys are reading my mind again!

      I don't know what to conclude about the omnipresence of Patrick J. Buchanan. Is it just that as a friendly conservative (especially in person, off-air, we are told) he is such a rarity these days? Or does his presence imply corporate sympathy with his views, which have never seemed entirely mainstream to me? (I place him to the right of Reagan.)

      Either way, just the other day I found myself wondering if MSNBC will even exist a year from now. Right now, it has got a lot of local-level talent trying to play to a very small national audience. (In this context, I suppose Mr. Buchanan lends gravitas.)
      Report Abuse
      • Author by NiceguyEddie (June 24, 2009 9:00 am ET)
           
        MSNBC is doing just fine. They're not going anywhere.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by goesto11 (June 23, 2009 3:30 pm ET)
      2  
      Call me cynical, but I generally have that same reaction to just about every commentator on the news programs -- both liberal and conservative.

      There's very little being said that's particularly insightful, most are simply observing the obvious.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by seeryer (June 23, 2009 3:38 pm ET)
      1  
      Another nugget was "carefully crafted opening statement". I love how wing nuts try to make every natural and expected thing Obama does seem nefarious. Sort of liek the teleprompter. F-ing Wes Pruden is still using that one today. Pat, since when did a politician not have a carefully crafted opening statement? What would us regular folk do without his insight?
      Report Abuse
      • Author by einreb (June 23, 2009 3:56 pm ET)
        2  
        Pat Buchanan used to WRITE 'carefully crafted opening statements' for Tricky Dick.

        Report Abuse
    • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (June 23, 2009 4:44 pm ET)
      1  
      Maybe Pat Buchanan is going the way of Patty-cakes Robertson...

      Cuckoo!!!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by smarshall1432997 (June 23, 2009 6:56 pm ET)
      1  
      Too funny.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by rwmacdonald2091 (June 24, 2009 4:05 am ET)
      1  
      Hopefully when his contract is up at MSNBC, the Fox Noise machine will hire him. I always have contended its best to keep all the right wing crackpots in one place, so you can keep track of them
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Fran (June 24, 2009 9:28 am ET)
           
        Pat is a likeable ole coot who still has a very keen sense about current events and excellent reasoning regarding world politics. He is a" tell it like it is individual" which I admire and MSNBC would be at the bottom of the heap if Pat left their programming. For the likes of me, I can't understand why he would degrade himself by being a part of this extremely liberal network (thrill up my leg Matthews place - ugh) other than to convincingly present another side and to enjoy, I assume, a fat paycheck. MSNBC remains on life support because Pat attracts viewers and lends excitement to the conversations. Otherwise, even decent shows like Morning Joe would lose to any other news channel in that time slot.

        Pats following is huge. Just go to his website and check the sitemeter where huge numbers of viewers gladly eat up his columns for dessert.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by magnolialover (June 24, 2009 12:27 pm ET)
             
          You think Pat being on MSNBC is where they're getting their ratings? Yeah, OK, I've got a bridge for you to buy as well.

          Chris Matthews said the thrill up his leg thing about Bush. Oops..

          MSNBC is not a liberal network. Not even close.

          Pat is not likeable, he is an old coot. A racist bigotted old coot.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by sathay (June 25, 2009 11:57 am ET)
         
      I think MSNBC keeps him on for comic relief.
      Report Abuse

my.MediaMatters.org

Login  Sign Up

About the Blog

Feed Icon
  • County Fair is a media blog featuring links to progressive media criticism from around the Web as well as original commentary, breaking news and rapid response updates to major media events from Media Matters senior fellows and other staff.

Weekly Columns

Feed Icon