MSNBC commentator, Pat Buchanan, recently appeared on a white supremacist radio show to promote his new book, “Suicide of a Superpower.” In protest, the advocacy group ColorOfChange.org organized a petition, calling on MSNBC to fire Mr. Buchanan for his “long record of bigotry.” For more details and to sign the petition, see the below message from ColorOfChange.org. MW
Did you hear about MSNBC’s white supremacist commentator?
For years, Pat Buchanan has passed off white supremacist ideology as legitimate mainstream political commentary. And MSNBC continues to pay him and give him a platform on national TV to do it.
Buchanan has just published a book which says that increasing racial diversity is a threat to this country and will mean the “End of White America.”1 This weekend, to promote his book, he went on a white supremacist radio show whose host has said things like “MLK’s dream is our nightmare,” and “interracial sex is white genocide.”2
Buchanan has the right to express his views, but he’s not entitled to a platform that lets him broadcast bigotry and hate to millions. If MSNBC wants to be seen as a trusted, mainstream source of news and commentary, it needs to fire Buchanan now.
Please join us in calling on MSNBC to fire Pat Buchanan:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/buchanan/
Here are a few examples of what Buchanan has said in the past:
- “America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known … no people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ’60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.”3
- “Sonia Sotomayor does believe in race-based justice basically at the expense of white males and to advance people of color. The truth is that’s what Barack Obama believes as well.”4
- “This has been a country built basically by white folks … “5
- “[Former KKK Grand Wizard] David Duke is busy stealing from me. I have a mind to go down there and sue that dude for intellectual property theft.”6
These are just a few of many, many examples of Buchanan’s barely-disguised bigotry.7,8 Buchanan has defended Hitler.9 He’s said that “in a way, both sides were right” during the civil war.10 Buchanan often implies that white people are more intelligent than people of color, and just this weekend (in a different radio interview), he refused to disavow the idea that white people have superior genes.11
In general, Buchanan is pushing a vision of America that portrays white people and “white culture” as genuinely American, and diversity and multiculturalism as a threat to America. Buchanan tries to blame the country’s economic problems on programs like affirmative action, welfare, and food stamps — programs which help vulnerable and disadvantaged Americans of every race, but which Buchanan and others on the far right have portrayed as only helping lazy and undeserving minorities. He takes every opportunity to stoke the racial anxiety and fear that exists among some white people. In short, Buchanan wants to pit white people against people of color. He believes in it, he thinks it’s good political strategy, and in his new book he encourages the GOP to become “the white party.”
If Buchanan didn’t have a powerful media platform, he’d be just another person with outdated, extremist ideas. But it’s irresponsible and dangerous for MSNBC to promote his hateful views to an audience of millions.
Please join us in calling on MSNBC to fire Pat Buchanan immediately:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/buchanan/
Thanks and Peace,
Rashad, James, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
References
1. “Twelve Pretty Racist Or Just Crazy Quotes From Pat Buchanan’s New Book,” TPMMuckracker, 10-24-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1002?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=8
2. “Pat Buchanan Appears On ‘Pro-White’ Radio Show,” Media Matters, 10-23-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1003?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=10
3. “A Brief for Whitey,” Pat Buchanan in Human Events, 03-21-08
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1006?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=12
4. “Bob Shrum explodes over Pat Buchanan’s racism as Limbaugh uses MLK against Sotomayor,” 05-30-09
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1005?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=14
5. “Rachel Maddow Duels With Pat Buchanan On Affirmative Action,” Huffington Post, 07-16-09
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1004?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=16
6. “Pat Buchanan in His Own Words,” Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, 02-26-96
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1007?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=18
7. “The Bigotry Of Pat Buchanan,” Media Matters, 07-29-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1008?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=20
8. See reference 6.
9. “MSNBC’s Pat Buchanan defends Hitler. Again.” Media Matters, 09-02-09
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1009?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=22
10. “Buchanan: ‘[I]n a way, both sides were right’ during the Civil War,” Media Matters, 04-08-10
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1010?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=24
11. “Pat Buchanan Won’t Disavow Idea That Minorities Have Inferior Genes,” Media Matters, 10-21-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1011?akid=2257.476410.-LeBHw&t=26
Friends of Justice 
Yeah, I got that directly from Color of Change. Pat is a wierdo. Didn’t know he was regular contributor on MSNBC. He;s more a Fox kind of guy. I have mixed feelings about being a censor of what MSNBC can or cannot air. I wish Fox would have Rachel Maddow or some of the other MSNBC regulars from time to time. Convince me I should sign the petition.
I signed the petition, mostly because as an occasional viewer of MSNBC I figured I have the right to tell them what kind of stuff is too offensive to air. I wouldn’t add Fox News to my cable package for any reason, but I did e-petition advertisers on Glenn Beck’s show to tell them how people felt about financial supportors of his free-association chalkboard show.
I guess there is a difference between consumers trying to influence programming on a network (with the rather weak instrument of internet petitions) and a lobbying campaign of a numerous or rich political/religious/economic group to do the same. So I wouldn’t call it being a censor of what MSNBC can or cannot air, as it’s not talking about the power of censorship, but I think MSNBC thinks of Pat Buchanan in that all-too-common way corporate news does now of a necessary “balance” to Rachel Maddow; in the same way that when a guest on the dangers of global warning, or the drawbacks of capital punishment is interviewed, somewhere an authouritative-sounding proponent of the opposite opinion must be found, whether they are employed by British Petroleum, veterinary pentobarbital manufacturers, or not. A little push from viewers and other consumers can only benefit a cable TV news station.
Wow, what sensitivity you folks have. Pat is not racist. He is an intellectual who values the contributions of Western Civilization. Don’t be so offended so easily. You know what, Rap music offends me. Should we take it off the airways?