MSNBC isn't the only network that needs to hear from their viewers that Pat Buchanan ought to be taken off the air. Buchanan is also a regular guest on PBS's The McLaughlin Group and this week was no exception with Buchanan and the other panel members being asked to weigh in on whether President Obama is going to have any trouble being reelected because of his failure to get some sort of immigration reform passed.
After one of the other guests, Susan Ferrechio pointed out the obvious, that there was no way Obama was ever going to get any type of immigration reform past a Republican filibuster and wavering Conserva-Dems in the Senate, it didn't take Buchanan long to go on a little tirade here about amnesty and whether the children of illegal immigrants who were brought here at a young age should be allowed a path to citizenship.
Eleanor Clift rightfully pointed out that any backlash that President Obama might be facing is likely to be more than offset by the likes of Buchanan and his ilk who have been hammering on the issue of illegal immigration for political gain for some time now.
After Clarence Page pointed out that what really has the Hispanic community upset is the number of deportations that we've seen soar under the Obama administration, host McLaughlin asked why we're not talking about just what activities they're doing that are considered illegal and what they actually contribute to our society and said we should welcome them with our aging population here in the United States.
After McLaughlin asked if easing refinancing for homeowners would earn him any Hispanic support back, Buchanan responded:
BUCHANAN: No and the immigration should be cut John because we've got twenty five million unemployed and underemployed and you're bringing in workers? […] Send them home and tell them to file their papers and get in line!
MCLAUGHLIN: It would ruin the economy! It would depress it even more! They're at the top of their profession, some of them.
BUCHANAN: They're agricultural workers!
As Eleanor Clift rightfully pointed out following that remark, immigrants whether legal or illegal are not the ones destroying the economy and if anyone wants some proof of that, just look at what happened in Alabama where farmers had crops rotting off of their vines.
Buchanan is the last person the viewers on PBS or any other network need to be hearing from when it comes to the topics of immigration, racism, or minority rights in the United States. As Nicole wrote here, Color of Change is asking that everyone sign a petition to MSNBC to get Buchanan taken off the air there. If you'd like to send PBS the same message, you can find their contact information here.
For a reminder of just why they should not be having Buchanan on as a guest, here is his segment from The Thom Hartmann show last week -- Pat Buchanan Won't Disavow Idea That Minorities Have Inferior Genes on the Thom Hartmann Show.
And here's more from Media Matters:
Pat Buchanan: Minorities Aren't "Bad For The Country," But...
Pat Buchanan Cites Anti-Immigrant "Hate Group" To Argue Against Hispanic Immigrants
Buchanan Scapegoats Undocumented Immigrants For "Bankrupt" California
