Why didn't the GOP pick Buchanan in 1996?

[RINO Tom]

Because he didn't represent the views of most Republicans and would have gotten murdered.

[RINO Tom]

TRUMP is a moderate, Buchanan is not.

They're like carbon copies of each other politically...

[RINO Tom]

The GOP didn't want to win or even compete in 1996. It was better for business if they loss. Hence why good candidates like Pete Wilson, Lamar Alexander, etc, were ignored and at least somewhat competitive candidates like Buchanan (his best shot would have been in 1992 if he could have taken out Bush) we're totally maligned. It is well documented that Alan Keyes ran as a stalking horse to take down Buchanan in the primaries to make sure he didn't threaten Dole.

It's certainly been alleged, but well documented?

Alexander might have done decently in the general, even with his reinvention of himself as a folksy outsider panned by the press.  Wilson and Buchanan on the other hand had the downside of being unacceptable to large sections of the party.

I'm of the opinion that Trump is a very rare phenomena and most of it is specific to his personality; Buchanan would still be unacceptable to large sections of the party.