Customer Reviews

Right from the Beginning

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1 star:		(5)

 

 

"Right from the Beginning" is a very interesting, easy read. It is, primarily, a personal, rather than a political, autobiography of Pat Buchanan. Those seeking an insight into the Nixon or Reagan White Houses will be disappointed. Those searching for an understanding of what makes Pat Buchanan the man that he is will be very satisfied. The book is, for the most part, a series of personal and family antidotes which Pat uses to tell the story of how he got to where he was in 1990. Here and there he will interrupt the anrrative to insert a philosophical statement about life, religion or politics. To this St. Louisian who grew up in the Catholic school system a few years after Pat, there is much which seems familiar. For me, this book took the emotions on a roller coaster ride. The first section, dealing with his grade school years, is my favorite part of the book. In it Pat records the environment in which we lived, the things we were taught and the lasting beliefs which we still hold. The second section, dealing with his high school and college years records a lot of pranks and activities which are not part of my experience and which I did not find to be very enjoyable. In the third section, dealing with his career, my enthusiasm rebounded, in part because of the references to places and people in St. Louis. The greatest value in this book is the understanding it gives one of Pat Buchanan. Many public figures are hidden behind the facades created by their managers. We often have difficulty understanding what their core values are. The Pat Buchanan we see is Pat Buchanan. "Right From the Beginning" shows us what makes the Pat Buchanan we see and admire.

If one wished to understand how life was in the 50s and 60s as well as to understand the mind of a genuine conservative, one only needs to read Right from the Beginning. Pat grew up as a Catholic in Washington DC, attending Catholic high schools and universities. Anyone who was an altar boy or who attended Catholic schools could identify with this story. It is a brilliant piece of writing by a brilliant man.

Pat Buchanan has been labeled everything from dangerous to nazi. This book proves that he is just the opposite: a strongly principled man who wants what's best for his country.

Buchanan explains his conservative beliefs within the framework of growing up the son of a devout Catholic scrapper and the student of tough Jesuit priests. Although he spent much of his childhood raising hell, his upbringing was about morals and care of the soul. In Buchanan's time, care of the soul meant defending American freedom from the encroachment of Leninist communism. He didn't hate the Russians, but the system of government that was devouring half the world's freedom.

To the left-leaning critic who is undoubtedly screaming, "what about America devouring the other half": you're preaching to the choir. Buchanan has consistently asserted that we shouldn't be meddling in other countries' affairs. He recalls traveling to Japan and concluding that we were wrong to indiscriminately A-bomb the populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He goes on to say that our president prodded the Japanese into attacking Pearl Harbor so that he'd have an excuse to enter the war. That's hardly the voice of an imperialistic interventionist.

Nor is Buchanan a cut-throat capitalist. At the end of the book, he talks about an America of morals being infinitely more desireable than an America of laurel-resting decadence. He observes that democracy is by itself an empty vessel that can be filled with evil intentions just as easily as it can with good intentions. The moral fiber of our people, says Buchanan, is what ultimately defines us. Compare our grandparents' generation to ours; Buchanan's point is painfully obvious. To recapture our country, Buchanan insists we recapture education, freedom of religion (rather than tacitly mandated secularism or cowtowing agnosticism), and the Supreme Court. No arguments from me.

Some people have speculated that Buchanan is a closet white supremacist, an accusation which this book shoots down. Having grown up with two black maids, having recoiled at the treatment of a southern black man who couldn't enter a whites-only restaurant to mail a letter, and having a brother who speaks of dog-tagging an equal number of dead white and black Americans in Vietman, Buchanan clearly has no time for racial discrimination. He writes about welfare depriving black Americans of their dignity, and even suggests that an ammendment prohibiting racial discrimination be added to the US Constitution.

Other than the pleasure of glimpsing into the life of a man I greatly respect, I took from this book many lessons about where our new and supposedly more advanced society fails. By deemphasizing personal responsibility and blaming our problems on society, we're creating a generation of excuse-makers and softies. By acquiescing to anybody's ideas and summarily treating all ideas as equal, we replace values with anything-goes. When people don't have something to believe in, they don't believe in nothing; they believe in anything. There are many more nuggets in this book.

Pat gives a heartwarming story about his family, and how the family is important to childhood. This book is filled with anecdotes; some happy, some funny, and some sad. The reader will get to know the author, as well as his family, in this well-crafted book.

As a college student, I view Pat as a fatherly figure children can look up to. He is NOT a hate monger like so many from the left and the media portray him to be. He is a traditional, old-fashioned American conservative who believes deeply in family values. Although Pat sometimes takes his views to extremes, he does so because he cares deeply about them.

Pat is a dedicated American that MAINSTREAM voters should turn to as our next President. He is a good role-model for children, and truly believes in the government helping people empowering themselves-not the people empowering the government.

Read the book. It is a good read from a very talented writer. Enjoy!

A charming tale of a young boy growing up in 1950s Washington, DC. The neighborhoods were safe, the people had spines, and one young Catholic kid was learning the lessons for his life. Right From the Beginning paints the picture of a man starkly in contrast with the media portrayal of the former presidential candidate.

This so-called "mainsteam media" LOVES to attack Buchanan. If you believe what they say of him, then his autobiography will totally change your view. He writes some of the best commentaries that I have ever read, and this book proves his writing talent. One of the better books out there.

Right from the Beginning offers great insight into the human side of Pat Buchanan. Buchanan details his life from his childhood in Chevy Chase, Maryland to his days as Director of Communications in the Reagan White House. Buchanan speaks for Main Street Americans from the heart. This is the way America was intended to be. An outstanding book that will arrest your attention. You will not want to put Right from the Beginning down after starting. A must read for all REAL Americans!

Pat tells it like it is, growing up in the 1950s, dealing with the liberal 60's, and offers new ideas for today. My favorite part of the book was in the back, where Pat offers about 10 key points to his platform. For instance, Buchanan supports lifting the term limits of the presidency. There are lots of other interesting tidbits you'll find buried in the book, and it is highly recommended reading.

Pat Buchanan was easily the most electrifying person in the Republican primary. In his book, "Right From The Beginning", he explains where he came from, what he believes, and why he believes it so strongly. His love for America is clear. Whether you agree with him or not, you will respect him after reading this book.

Buchanan provides an insightful and entertaining account of growing up in the 50's. Family, honor & religion are returned to their old central positions (unknown to kids who grew up in the last 3 or 4 decades of the 20th century) and his story is told in a rollicking and educational way.

Who'd a thunk that DC had communities of hard working middle class folks (to believe the media is to KNOW DC is a breeding ground for lowlife scum)and that their adolescent angst was tempered by faith in their elders and their religion!

If I had to recommend an history teacher to my local college prep academy (and my pool of choices was folks who are active media personages) I'd strongly endorse Buchanan. He has the Irish gift of great storytelling which he combines with a weath of experience and keen insight.

Finally, to read Buchanan is to recognize the diabolical falure of the American Media cartel. It doesn't take long at all for a reader to recognize that here is a man like themselves --- not the fascist dragon of McCarthyism that the media sells us.