Forbes, Buchanan Can Teach Dole A Lot Pro-Debate Dole Ridicules, But Buchanan, Forbes Speak To Middle Class

The problem with Republicans is that they just don’t know when they’re well-off.

Pat Buchanan is a blessing for them because he accurately is defining the issues most important to the middle class. But instead of learning from the Christian Crusader, unelectable though he is, the Republicans are busy trying to crucify him.

Statistics collected by the Department of Labor show that median wages for male workers, adjusted for inflation, have declined 8.7 percent since 1979. Wages for women are static. In the last year, wages and benefits crept forward one-half of 1 percent, the lowest increase since the government started keeping track in the 1980s.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 88 percent of those surveyed said they fear more layoffs are on the way and 52 percent said their wages aren’t keeping up with inflation.

Middle-class families face skyrocketing costs for college tuition and are trying to save for retirement at the same time. They are frustrated and angry.

Steve Forbes and Buchanan are addressing those frustrations, and voters are responding favorably.

Bob Dole has responded, too. Not by changing his message but by firing his campaign manager. One would think Dole would thank Buchanan and Forbes for showing him the obvious. But no. Dole has resorted to name-calling and ridicule.

Dole’s disciples claim Buchanan has corrupted the conservative view - as if the only correct conservative views are Dole’s. They are busy labeling Buchanan a “radical,” which any fool already knows.

The thick irony is that it is the Republican Party that has made extreme conservatism fashionable. Buchanan is nothing but a product of the environment created by the conservative wing of the Republican Party. He is its Frankenstein, and it can’t control him.

If Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes continue to outmaneuver Dole, he doesn’t deserve to be president. The conservatives in the Republican Party are so blinded by their hatred of Bill Clinton that they can’t see the opportunity Buchanan has afforded them.

Dole should stop his hypocritical carping about the extremism of the other candidates and put some ideas on the table that speak to the middle class. It’s time for him to put up or shut up.

, DataTimes MEMO: For opposing view, see headline: Forbes, Buchanan muddy the waters

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