Dear Mr. Buchanan,
In your most recent article you state, "The presidency in 2016 is not beyond the reach of the GOP. It is just difficult to see who, among those moving toward the starting gate, can reach the requisite 270 electoral votes."
Consider the chances of Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.
- He wins 60 percent of the vote in a district that votes Democratic in presidential elections, in one of the deepest blue states. He is capable of cheerfully and persuasively putting politically incorrect messages through in the left-leaning establishment media capitals of New York and Washington.
- Mr. King is the proud son of an NYPD officer and worked union jobs to put himself through the Jesuit's Brooklyn Prep, the Franciscan's Saint Francis College and the Sacred Heart fathers' Notre Dame Law.
- He served as an enlisted infantryman in the National Guard and as an assistant district attorney before entering politics. His personal life is beyond reproach.
- Despite being best known for his strong views on national security, Mr. King has a 100 percent voting record on the social issues. And as a working-class guy at heart he can connect Republican economic principles to the interests of middle-class independent voters, without the baggage of being wealthy himself. He can represent and be supported by each part of the GOP's three-legged electoral stool.
I know you disagree with Mr. King on issues such as immigration and Iraq. But in 2016 he might be the man who is, in Bill Buckley's phrase, the most electable conservative candidate.
Kevin Carroll