A three-time presidential candidate, Buchanan argued for curbs on free trade and a temporary moratorium on immigration, as well as for pro-life policies and against American involvement in foreign wars. Buchanan also savaged political correctness.
These issues have all come to the forefront of American life, many becoming touchstones in recent years for Trump. Even the New York Times admitted that Buchanan spent his career raising important questions that our society has never seemed willing to discuss forthrightly and that “we are, for the moment, living in Pat Buchanan’s world.”
[I’m not sure I entirely agree with this analysis, but it’s an interesting argument. Even back then, the entire Right was arguing against “political correctness,” not just Buchanan. However, Mark’s right that Buchanan was among the few arguing to shut down all immigration and reverting back to an isolationist foreign policy. A few other anti-free-traders were around; Rick Santorum comes to mind, but no one with the reach Buchanan had. The only other figure in competition across that spectrum would be Ron Paul, who ended up being more electorally influential in the long run than Buchanan, for better or worse. — Ed]
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