[Pelham]

"Reagan-era faith in free markets was strong and Buchanan's protectionism was seen as the policy supported by labor unions and Democrats close to the unions."

Evidently you don't remember how Reagan dealt with trade:

The Reagan Record On Trade: Rhetoric Vs. Reality

[odawg]

“Evidently you don’t remember how Reagan dealt with trade”

And you evidently don’t remember how Reagan saved Harley Davidson. Reagan would throw up protective tariffs in a heartbeat.

[x]

Evidently you don't remember how Reagan dealt with trade

No. I didn't. I said "Reagan-era" and stand by it.

Reagan was less of a dogmatic free trader than many in the conservative movement. He wasn't afraid to impose quotas on Japanese goods.

But the rhetoric of Establishment conservatism (National Review etc.) in the Eighties and Nineties was favorable to global free trade.

Buchanan was criticized for protectionism which conservative writers saw as closer to the Democrat than the Republican platform.

Those in the conservative Establishment who criticized or attacked Buchanan certainly didn't think they were attacking him from the right.