Pat Buchanan Speaks

About Tom Delay's resignation, and what will happen in the coming election.

He suggests that we all need to continue to vote Republican because, though the Republicans "[don't] deserve an A" the democrats will "censure the president and raise taxes."

He made comments to the effect of the election being about red and blue.

If I had to pick one reason why I would not support a Republican Candidate this election, it would be based on the continued attempts by Republicans to turn everything into an "us v. them" situation. This goes profoundly against how I think the government should work, especially Congress. I firmly believe that all elected officials should work together to achieve the common good, not try to polarize and divide the nation through name calling and threats. (Note: I'm aware that there are Democrats who do the exact same thing, but they currently aren't as vociferous.)

Tom Delay had a black book full of lobbyists and republicans, and if you were trying to get an appointment with him, he wouldn't give you one unless you were in the book, because then he knew you "were on the right team." How can anyone work for the good of america as a whole if you marginalize a third or better of the country?

One of the things I like about John McCain is that he actually tries to work with both political parties, and I'd strongly consider voting for a McCain/Lieberman ticket (or Lieberman/McCain).

As for Mr. Buchanan's comments regarding censuring the president and raising taxes:
Censuring the President is a slap on the wrist, saying that he ain't done good. Given the number of mistakes and errors in judgment (leaving vacation to sign emergency legislation for Terri Schiavo under the premise of "always err to the side of life" while not committing emergency vehicles during Katrina despite reports of overtopping and potential flooding is rather inconsistent, IMO), perhaps this is worth genuine consideration. I am not saying it's something that should HAPPEN, I'm saying it's something that might deserve to be DISCUSSED.
Raising taxes - This is a red herring argument. The taxes that would be raised, if they were raised, would not be to the majority of voters. It would primarily go to those who typically vote Republican. This argument is a scare tactic that has been used many times in the past. Bear in mind that the top 50% of wage earners in the country pay about 94% of the taxes, and that the top ten percent pay over half the taxes, and you'll recognize who would be affected, and it's not the blanket insinuation that a statement such as "they'll raise taxes" presents.

I don't suggest the Democrats are any better. The Democrats, collectively, don't appear to be able to (as LBJ once said about Gerald Ford) "fart and chew gum at the same time." But, perhaps it's time for a change of the guard.