Maddow Demolishes Buchanan's Surreal Facts About America's Racial Past (VIDEO)

Several days ago, Rachel Maddow and Pat Buchanan had a heated debate about the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and the fairness and necessity of affirmative action.

While Maddow said it would not be fair to re-litigate issues without the guest with whom they were discussed, and that it's "not cool" to talk about guests after their segment is over, she did feel the need to correct several things Buchanan stated as fact that simply were not true.

A sampling of Buchanan's "facts" that Maddow corrected:

• Buchanan: "She's never written anything in terms of a law review article or major book or something like that on the law." False. Maddow's staff tracked down at least five such articles, proving that just because Buchanan hasn't read something does not mean it has melted from existence.
• Buchanan: "How did she get on Yale Law Review? Affirmative action." False. Maddow contacted Yale Law School and confirmed that the students themselves choose who makes the Law Review, and a spokesperson said this about Buchanan's affirmative action statement: "That is a statement of opinion by Mr. Buchanan."

Watch the segment to see more, especially Maddow's demolition of Buchanan's surreal claim that "this has been a country built basically by white folks."

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Send us tips! Write us at [e-mail] if you see any newsworthy or notable TV moments. Read more about our media monitoring project here and click here to join the Media Monitors team.

Comments

[Haitiana4Obama]

09:38 PM on 07/30/2009

Thank you Ms. Maddow for debunking the lies this man continues to pontificate.

[Liberal Angel]

02:39 PM on 07/24/2009

I couldn't believe what I was hearing when I watched that episode, but then I realized who it was spewing this bile. Cripus Attucks was the first to die in the Revolution. Aside from blacks and hispanics fighting in our wars, we've also done our share of building the nation's infrastucture- not even counting slavery. Native Americans fought in the Revolution and Civil War as well. White people are the majority, but not the only ones helping to keep the Union going. The Civil Rights Movement helped more than just blacks, it inspired Stonewall and the Feminist Movement. Asian Americans died in defense of an ungrateful nation against the ancestral homelands of their parents and grandparents. This nation doesn't just have European blood in it's veins, and never has. We are a nation of half-breeds, mutts, currs and whatever else racists hurl at us. I am a black man descended of slaves, Brittish masters, Irish neglects, and a bunch of other people from at least three continents and I'm the better for it. America is mixed nation of immigrants and that is an empirical fact.

[CJWebber]

09:06 PM on 07/28/2009

Well said.

[rad21]

06:00 PM on 07/22/2009

Buchanan may like to think that World War II was mainly fought and won by Whites, including the British forces led by an Irishman, Montgomery.

Yet fighting under the British flag were two-and-a-half million (Asian) Indian soldiers. These were two-and-a-half times the contribution of Canada and four times the contribution of Australia.

In Buchanan's logic, the Indians may not count because they were colonized people - with no WHITE names or faces.

[FierceOne]

04:15 PM on 07/22/2009

Pat reminds me of my own grandfather who often said, "My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with facts."

[BlackNeoCon]

12:28 PM on 07/22/2009

How do you ineterview/debate someone. Then wait 6 days to refute things he didn't say while he isnt there. Smirk Smirk. Maddow is a joke.

[706makeupgirl]

01:16 PM on 07/22/2009

Ms. Maddow waited 6 days to make corrections because her team of investigators needed time to fact checking his statements.

Thank you Ms.Maddow for taking the time to find out the truth before refuting Mr. Buchanan's false revision of American history.

Some people like thoughtful journalism based on truthful fact.

Perhaps Mr. Buchanan and his ilk enjoy fomenting their base constituents by serving up r a c i s t non factual prop pa g a n d a.

[SuZy0925]

03:17 PM on 07/22/2009

Oh, yeah. Smirk Smirk.

[Jannsmoor]

12:24 PM on 07/22/2009

I think Pat is one of those guys who wants to hang onto the status quo or the past. The status quo favors the rich and powerful, the vast majority of which are white guys. Pat fears change to a more democratic US where power is more evenly distributed. He fears he will lose his privileged position and might fall into the class of common folk.
He equally fears any reform which benefits the weak and needy, such as universal health care. His worry is it might cost him money to save other people's health and lives, and he seems not to see the efficacy of saving others, despite his religious affiliation.
He fears allowing gays to marry and form a loving, lasting relationship. He fears allowing them to raise children.
I think Pat may suffer from the universal Republican malaise - fear. I think that is what causes them to deny and dissemble facts. Such as the fact blacks were by and large prevented from fighting during the first part of the civil war, but by the end, comprised a substantial portion of the Union army. Such as the fact hundreds of thousands of blacks were involved in the invasion of Europe. Pat may like to think America was built by whites, but blacks have been an integral part of our nation from its inception. And I may add, they have proven themselves to be no less brave and stalwart when asked to fight in our armed forces.

[Tavi]

12:45 AM on 07/23/2009

Jannsmoor,

Excellent observations. I would only add that "fear" is not the only mental/emotional dysfunction that afflicts Republicans, racists, bigots, evangelicals, dictators, tyrants, etc.

Please check out Dr. Bob Altemeyer's excellent book, "The Authoritarians"
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

[wonkguy]

12:01 PM on 07/22/2009

Pat Buchanon is just a great demonstration that politics made strange bedfellows. Protestant conservatives would cross the street in order to avoid contact with irish catholics if they could easily identify them. They can't stand irish catholics or italians for that matter. Yet Pat has to try so hard to demonize everyone else because he wants to prove he's a member of "the club".

[JMBrodie]

12:04 PM on 07/22/2009

Never thought of it that way. Interesting. Overcompensating.

[senorlou]

11:36 AM on 07/22/2009

Time to put Pat out to pasture.

[JMBrodie]

11:39 AM on 07/22/2009

Past time...

It distrubs me that this man once had the ear of a president.

[schicklett3]

11:27 AM on 07/22/2009

I adore Rachael Maddow, but, her love affair with Pat Buchannan (he's always on her show) drove me away.
She should use her podium to help support our president instead of using it to tear him down.
These republican pundits spew their hate and lies on every show they're on, so why give them a podium? You can't unring a bell.

[cjs82]

12:13 PM on 07/22/2009

I agree. However, in this instance, she knocked him down several pegs by shedding light on his bigotry and ignorance. You have to applaud her for that when she could have just let it go by without acknowledging it.

[consultant55]

11:26 AM on 07/22/2009

Why is Pat Buchanan still on ANY show?

This guy is yesterday's news. Like maybe 1932.

[AspenSyzygy]

11:16 AM on 07/22/2009

Maddow didn't respond to anything Buchanan actually said. He wasn't even in the studio. And in fact, in previously published works that Buchanan has written, he's made the very points - years ago - that Maddow made on her "show" in her attempt to appear to be "refuting" Buchanan.

Maddow is inventing enemies out of thin air. I guess that's what you do when your ratings are sinking.

[JMBrodie]

11:22 AM on 07/22/2009

Gotta give you credit. You don't give up, kid.

[AspenSyzygy]

11:41 AM on 07/22/2009

: )

[cjs82]

12:11 PM on 07/22/2009

Uh, yeah...he did actually say those things in a previous interview from either earlier this week or last week on The Rachel Maddow Show. I guess you were not listening when she said it was not customary to speak about a guest after their segment is over, but there were fallacies that she could not allow to stand as fact on her show. Did you watch the full interview from the other day when he was saying those things? He said EXACTLY what she is refuting and she addressed each point thoroughly. Where do you get that "Maddow didn't respond to anything Buchanan actually said"? I urge all people to do their research before they make a comment about how someone is incorrect. Otherwise, they are no better than Buchanan and his ignorance.

[Catch22isms]

10:49 AM on 07/22/2009

I like Rachel and am not a fan of Buchanan, even though I disagree with Rachel most of the time. But she's got a great show and a sly sense of humor. That said, the headline for this article is unnecessarily dramatic. Buchanan generally makes me wish he'd just shutup. He's like the Alan Colmes of MSNBC.

[worldb]

10:45 AM on 07/22/2009

...I guess benefiting from 400 years of free labor would give people of any race or gender a superiority complex.

[JMBrodie]

11:07 AM on 07/22/2009

Well, it is easier to take credit for accomplishments without taking responsibility for how those accomplishments came to be.

Like the person who said in an earlier post that we should be thankful for slavery because we would not be her without it. PB also said our (Black folks) lives were better because we were enslaved. Clearly those people did not have family members locked up in a slave castle, herded onto one of those boats, sold like an animal, or stripped of name and culture.

I like living as much as the next person, but if it meant my family would not have had to suffer what they suffered, I would happily trade my very existence for that.

[bwin]

10:39 AM on 07/22/2009

Our best hope with Pat Buchanan and people like him is that they are mortal. In the meantime, the best we can do is ignore him and them.

[wordvarc]

10:34 AM on 07/22/2009

Buchanan's bufoonary again trashes the white male image.