The Presidential Medal of Freedom honors citizens who significantly improve American life. The nation needs virtuous citizens who defend the republic, renew culture, and reclaim America's destiny. Patrick J. Buchanan served six decades in public life, from speechwriter for Richard Nixon to presidential campaigns. Buchanan pioneered America First conservatism and anticipated many contemporary crises. He warned that mass migration would erode national identity, that reckless foreign interventions would weaken the country, and that free-trade agreements such as NAFTA would hollow out the industrial heartland and devastate the working class. His 1992 'Culture War' address warned of the advance of the Left's social agenda.
"in a period when the national government must call upon an increasing portion of the talents and energies of its citizens, it is clearly appropriate to provide ways to recognize and reward the work of persons, within and without the government, who contribute significantly to the quality of American life." Today, our country is in even greater need of such virtuous citizens-of heroic men and women who can serve as examples of what it means to defend the republic,
Pat Buchanan is a towering figure in American statesmanship. Six decades of public service-from his early days as a young speechwriter for Richard Nixon to his hard-charging campaigns for the presidency-would alone qualify him for the nation's highest honor. But what sets Buchanan apart, what makes him uniquely deserving of this recognition, is that he is one of the great pioneers of what we now call America First conservatism.
When the political class was busy declaring "the end of history" in the 1990s, Buchanan was warning that mass migration would erode our national identity, that reckless interventions abroad would sap our strength, and that "free trade" deals like NAFTA would gut the American working class and hollow out our industrial heartland. Looking back now, his speeches read like prophecy.
Collection
[
|
...
]