Patrick Buchanan and the Politics of Denial

The year 2000 marks the third consecutive Presidential election in which Patrick Buchanan has run for President. In the 1996 election, he ran as a “populist,” confusing many political pundits who thought that his themes were typically those of liberal Democrats. If one is aware, however, of the influence that childhood experiences exert on political beliefs and behavior, and the power of denial, his political positions become manifestly clear and understandable.