- Abortion issues: Pro-life. Believes that life begins at conception, and strongly opposes the right to choose. As president, would push for an amendment to protect the rights of the unborn. Says that his running mate and Supreme Court nominees would have to be pro-life.
- Affirmative action: Opposes affirmative action. Supports what he says should be "equal justice for all, special privileges for none". Wants to put an end to "reverse discrimination" in all federal agencies. In an interview with Matt Drudge, Buchanan said of hate crime laws, "...passing a series of new laws and expecting (violent crime) will stop is mistaken."
- Foster declared her opposition to racial preferences, her belief that the Confederate flag should be honored.
- Campaign finance: Supports reform -- Wants to impose contribution limits of $1000 per person for House and Senate campaigns. Wants to make sure that 75 percent of a candidate's funds come from the districts or states the candidates wish to represent. Also, believes in banning PAC and corporate contributions.
- Crime: PRESUMED POSITION In an effort to give this candidate a more realistic score, we have made an educated guess as to his position. We have searched his website, news reports, etc. to gain an insight as to a stance. Failing that, we have given him a modified score that indicates the following position: A tough on crime throw away (or at least misplace) the key.
- Defense spending: We cannot police the planet on a defense budget of 3% of GDP, and unless
America is prepared to restore our military might, we cannot contain a
rearmed Russia, patrol the Balkans, roll back a second Iraqi attack on
Kuwait, repel North Korea, and prevent another of Beijing's bullying assaults
on Taiwan. America must retrench and rearm. We must reclaim American
invincibility on land, sea and air, and complete the Reagan legacy by
deploying a missile defense system.
- Drug policy: Supports medical use of marijuana by dying cancer patients.
- Homosexual issues: Critical of supporters of gay rights.
- Education money: Pro-school choice. Opposes national standards, and wants to abolish the Department of Education so that communities can take control of their schools. Supports tuition vouchers, and tax-free education savings accounts.
- Environment: As President I will require Congress to vote on every endangered species and compensate property owners when their land is seized and converted into
protected habitat. We want to see the bald eagle and grizzly bear survive, but
unelected bureaucrats must not be allowed to violate property rights in the process.
- Evolution: Supports the teaching of Creationism. Conservative Pat Buchanan said he supported teaching children that the universe was created by God, although he did not object to them learning about evolution as a theory.
"What I do object to is to teach Darwin's theory of
evolution of human beings from animals without divine
intervention. I don't believe in that and I adamantly object
to that," he told Reuters in a telephone message.
- http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/creationism990826.html
Buchanan said in a speech at the Commencement Address Christendom College' May 6, 1995 "How can we ever again succeed in educating children to become moral men and women if, in America's public schools, we consciously deny them all religious instruction." See http://www.gopatgo2000.org/new/speeches/city_and_crusade.htm
- Foreign policy: Isolationist--Sometimes called an "America Firster" Buchanan believes in a more traditional foreign policy that would not see U.S. soldiers in interventionist roles. Wants the country to withdraw from international organizations that do not serve the country's interests, and looks forward to a cooling of relations with Beijing. Buchanan has long supported sanctions against "rogue nations".
However, Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune reported a change of heart and quotes Buchanan, "Because of the siege mentality our embargo has created inside Cuba, our sanctions may be the main pillar of Castro's power." Buchanan said, "This is a dramatic departure from what I argued and beleived." See CNN report: http://cnn.com/1999/ALLPOLITICS/stories/12/16/buchanan.foreign/index.html - Gun control: Opposes gun control. Supports the Second Amendment. Does not believe that gun control legislation curbs violence.
- Health care: Wants to reduce proliferation of HMOs, and calls for a redesigning of the Medicare system. Believes that workers should be allowed to use their Medicare taxes to invest in accounts that would cover the costs of their post-retirement health care.
- Moral issues: America is locked in a cultural war for the soul of our country. On one side:
secularists armed with the proposition that God is dead. Their governing
axioms reduce faith to superstition and traditional morality to quaint nonsense.
If we are to reclaim American morality, we must restore traditional
values-patriotism, loyalty, courage, and decency. We must revitalize our
popular culture with media detoxified of raw sex & violence. We must ensure
that the schools teach the values we hold dear. - Social security: Wants to use budget surplus to save Social Security. Has said that we need to drop the "Europeans off American defense welfare" to invest those funds toward solving internal problems like Social Security.
- Tax policy: Wants to exempt first $35,000 of salaried income, subjecting remainder to a flat tax rate of 16 percent. Wants to put an end to death taxes, and to offer greater per-child tax credits and mortgage interest deductions.
- Trade issues: Would impose tariffs on cheap foreign goods to protect American jobs. Believes that imported goods should be taxed as American-made products are. Would use tariffs to offset tax relief. Plans to reinforce America's manufacturing base to open more foreign markets to U.S. goods. See Buchanan quote regarding the Cuban embargo under "Foreign policy".
- Pat Buchanan is a political commentator, and a familiar face to CNN viewers. A former Nixon aide he bolted the GOP. He is one of two Reform Party nominees for President. John Hagelin is the other.
- Ezola Foster is a 62-year-old teacher, school administrator, a local conservative activist from Los Angeles. She is also black woman. Buchanan said of she agrees with him on every major issue. She opined that the Confederate flag should be honored and that immigration policy should "cease being stupid" and begin to "protect American people." After her comments Buchanan remarked, "and the press says I'm hard-core!"
Days later Buchanan said he had not known that Ezola Foster was the president of a California chapter of The John Birch Society, the group that was prominent during the McCarthy Era and noted for its allegations of communist infiltration into the highest levels of government.
|
