In celebration of our national heritage, we continue our Pride in America series by honoring William F. Buckley, Jr.
For over three decades, William F. Buckley was one of the leading public intellectuals of the Conservative movement. Buckley first gained notoriety with the publication of his book, “God and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of ‘Academic Freedom.’" The book’s publication in 1951 set off shockwaves because it directly attacked his alma mater for promoting collectivism, Keynesian economics, and secularism to students. Sounds familiar, but remember that this was 1951, and it was almost inconceivable that a 25-year-old recent graduate from Yale would attack such a venerated institution. Buckley went on to found National Review magazine in 1955, and from 1966 to 1999, he hosted 1,429 episodes of the public affairs television show “Firing Line,” the longest-running public affairs show with a single host in U.S. television history.
It’s hard to capture Buckley’s massive volume of work and thought in a short essay, but several key elements are important. Buckley, with some success, promoted a “fusionism” of libertarian economics, societal traditionalism, and a fierce anticommunism which helped pave the way for Ronald Reagan’s election to the presidency. Buckley was also a major defender of Senator Joe McCarthy and co-author of “McCarthy and His Enemies” at a time when this position was not popular even among some Republicans. Buckley was also a terrific debater, and if you were to watch hundreds of his TV appearances, it is very likely that you will never see an episode where his opponent got the better of him. And in a lesson for today’s conservatives, Buckley was decent and civil to people whose politics he clearly despised. Buckley had enough self-confidence to relish challenges to his world view.
Toward the end of his life, Buckley was accused of abandoning some friends on the right and pushing his National Review magazine in a neo-conservative direction. Perhaps what this tells us is that every public figure has a shelf life, even one with a brilliant mind.
