[lone star annie]

Pat is on MSNBC as the token conservative because the left views him as a racist nut and he is always trashing the GOP.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Pat is the token Conservative on MSBHO because Pat Buchanan is how the left sees Conservatives.

[WilliamHouston]

The GOP deserves to be trashed when it puts idiots like Michael Steele in charge of the GOP and selects John McCain as the Republican nominee.

[eater-of-toast]

Pat is on MSNBC as the token conservative because the left views him as a racist nut and he is always trashing the GOP.

I doubt that's the reason. It's more that he's sharp, colorful, and brings a wealth of of historical and political knowledge to the table--in an industry dominated by airheads. The worst sin in cable news is not being considered "a bad person"; it's being a bore, and Buchanan is never that. In 1966, Pat became Richard Nixon's first paid full-time staffer, not because Pat viewed him as a real conservative, but because Pat viewed him as the most viable part-time conservative likely to arrest America's leftist slide to some extent in the wake of Barry Goldwater's debacle in 1964. Pat always fought for conservative policies, whether under Nixon, Ford, or Reagan. MSNBC also has has on "Republicans" like Mark McKinnon, Steve Schmidt, and Nicolle Wallace, social liberal alls, all of them reliable antagonists of social conservatives, Sarah Palin in particular. They're always welcome on Rachel Maddow's show, unlike Pat Buchanan, who did not hesitate to burn his bridges with her.

And I think there's another factor that contributes to Pat's longevity at MSNBC. Because it's an overwhelmingly liberal network, liberals pull their punches and don't call for a full-on boycott of their favorite network, however much they demand that they fire Pat. If Pat worked at CNN, let alone Fox, liberals would show no restraint in their assault on the network as a whole.