One of a kind, a real Renaissance man, and so influential. Makes me miss those days when people of differing opinions could discuss things rationally and with courtesy
@@dimthecat9418 - Well, he started off opposing civil rights legislation, but quite publicly evolved on the issue through a series of articles in National Review. I think human beings have the right to change their mind. Don’t you? If we hold everyone to account for their past views then Obama is a staunch opponent of gay marriage. He publicly opposed it when he began his first term. But even if we agreed that he was a segregationist I would hold to my initial statement that I do admire the man for his intellect and wit. He does oppose everything I stand for, but I love human beings more than I love my political beliefs. I (and most people) don’t enjoy watching someone elegantly dismantle my opinions. It’s unpleasant. But I enjoy listening to Buckley do this.
I remember watching this man in awe when I was 10. Seemed to me, he was one of the only men in the world who had wisdom. Course, what did I know? I was just a kid.
The way Buckley calls out McGovern for the classic 'flip-flop' fallacy is just incredible. How frequently do we hear politicians and our own peers support one side, only to revert to a completely defensive stances against it when the given scenario is framed in a different light. So glad that Buckley addressed that type of fallacy, as it will remind me to do the same, should I find myself in a similar circumstance.
It is impressive. I think the best arguers have great memories. Listen to Larry Elder. He is among the best at this. He brings up issues, stories and statements that are otherwise forgotten and destroy people's arguments. Q
Starting at age 22, Mr. Buckley, Jr. has inspired me to be forward with my Conservatism and that was 38 years ago. I am a proud Conservative thanks to Mr. William F. Buckley, Jr. He still is a National Treasure. HEAR TO BILL BUCKLEY, Jr.
I might be a liberal however, I enjoyed watching Firing Line with Bill Buckley because the debate was honest and respectful. I especially loved the Firing Line Debates and his interview with Michael Foote, Noam Chomsky, and Laugh In. Too bad Mr. Buckley never debated my philosophy hero Michel Foucault which I think would have been awesome to watch and so intellectually stimulating
Foucaults ideas were heavily flawed, inspired by another philosopher who’s ideas based on historical criticism are now exposed as false due to the narratives informing his philosophy being exposed as falsification of history. Not completely informing of Foucault but it does undermine the integrity and jist regarding his ideas regarding power, when it’s based on falsified historical accounts (unbeknownst to him)
The way he broke down arbitrary binary choices was masterful. Though he leaned Conservative and Right, he despised a false black or white narrative from either side.
R.I.P. TO WILLIAM J. BUCKLEY JR. SADLY MISSED INDEED !!! I DISCOVERED W.J. B JR. ONLY FEW MONTHS AGO !!! I WAS TRULY IMPRESSED!!!! ELOQUENCE TO THE HILT & WITH THAT BLINK & A WINK I WAS SOLD !!! FROM U.K. (2022).
About 30 years ago I was asked who I'd most like to have dinner with - without hesitation I said William F. Buckley, Jr. - Not only because I admired his intellect and wit, but also his style, clothing and general mannerisms, which to me spoke of elegance and pure genius.
Pretty young girl asks,"do you think mini-skirts are in good taste"?....."On you I think they are".....Bill...got rest your soul...but in today's "woke" climate ,you would have been crucified for that flippant yet funny remark.
Hey you should’ve shown that James Baldwin debate where Buckley literally said he’d take Baldwin’s argument seriously only for the debate and that outside of that he wouldn’t because he’s black
@Blank what? You said that Buckley didn’t say what I said he said, that he wouldn’t take Baldwin seriously because he’s black. And that instead he, said exactly that? We both just said he said Buckley thinks Baldwin’s arguments aren’t as valid because he’s black. What?
Because Buckley is a high-and-mighty, weasel-word using crypto-Nazi who was in love with his own voice and is antagonist to a group of ethnically diverse Americans with better grasp of gender equality. Both spearheaded a nationalist movement in America - Buckley did Reagan revolution, Cobra Commander started Cobra at Springfield. Both were more of peformers than technicians and their failiures - whatever it's botched debates with people who knew their shit with Buckley or strategic failiures in war against with Cobra Commander - was caused by that fact. Also Larry Hama - one of the writers of GI Joe - just wrote Cobra Commander like a big-word using reactionary lunatic. So there's that.
I was not a fan of Margaret Thatcher until I met her. I was a fan of Michael Foot until I met him. I suspect I would have remained a fan of William F Buckley had I Met him.
@@roughhabit9085 Absolutely. I do have a family connection to Foot. He did not know. Intellectual praetorian aloof rabble rouser.... perfect Labour leader of the opposition.
@xtrmsprts i have no problem expressing my distaste for those who have a way of dismissing evolution and racism. and im delighted to see that we've maybe found some common ground after all on Buckley, who is a very fascinating figure indeed. after having a back-and-forth such as this one, establishing any level of mutual common ground is always extremely refreshing! have a great day
@xtrmsprts I didn't hear McGovern and neither did you. And Buckley founded National Review as a means of separating his ideology from an often anti-semitic conservative voice in the early 50's. You can talk about a young Buckley all you want, but if your mission is to defend the liberal cause at any opportunity, then we can get into Robert Byrd as well.
I am sure Bill Buckley would have seen through Trump just as George Will and Steve Schmidt have, Buckley would certainly have been a Lincoln Republican today, eh?
funny thing about that episode .... even my then extremely liberal college student grandson (after watching Best of Enemies) said how disappointed he was w GV, whom he so wanted to come out ahead,. Even he saw that although GV got Buckley's goat and got him to react as he did, , he still showed himself to be odious and utterly unappealing not only in his instigation of that episode, but during the entire documentary, coming out clearly as the overall loser, w more than just that "residue of nausea" as Reid Buckley said. And with WFB as the much better man.. I knew then that it was not any bias of mine clouding my interoperation.
@xtrmsprts And why is your channel filled with pictures and videos of Buckley? This is bizarre, at best it's a hidden appreciation for the man, at worst it's an obsession in the same vain of Buffalo Bill...very interesting!
My Mom loved Bill, God rest her soul. Tucker Carlson reminds me in some ways as a new generation Bill Buckley. Gawd our world misses great thinkers like Bill in todays times.
@xtrmsprts K well I wasn't talking about Nixon here, and I wasn't calling out libs or conservatives either, so your anger is misplaced. I was talking about a common fallacy that McGovern showed. Could you be willing to concede that McCovern had trapped himself within his own disingenuous, circular logic? I won't hold my breath. If you want to use my comment as an excuse for ad hominem diatribe (you know the old schtick: call 'em Nazis - that'll show 'em!), by all means tell us what irks you.
Comedians are the wise fools true to the ideals and visions we hold dear. Dick Gregory is one of the wisest. He once declared, to the effect, that the Klansman is not a real racist but a simple bigoted fool, useful to the real racist who is concerned with keeping labor costs low. The real racist is the banker who red lines a neighborhood, who adds interest to loans or one who sells inferior products at higher cost to minorities. He is the employer who pays less and limits promotion to otherwise qualified minorities. Most of all, I would say, the political operatives who trade on the baser fears to promote racist policy, who limit the political voices at the ballot box, who get elected with appeals to race. Some of my best friends...does not “get it done” in my book. Having Sammy Davis Junior as a buddy over for dinner does not negate the racist strategy used by the avuncular Ronald Reagan:The fictional welfare queen and the speech to the former Democratic politicians from Dixie where he said” you did not leave the Democratic Party, the party left you” made clear two things: one, how cynical ambition works and two: how racism is central to our politics.
The MOST BORING interviewer I've ever heard and seen. His interview with Margaret Thatcher Britain's Prime Minister in New York city was so Cringeworthy. I thought Mr Buckley was going to fall asleep. His speech was slurred, someone needed to shake him to liven him up. Poor Margaret Thatcher having to endure his boring voice for almost an hour.
Are you sure he was an intelectual? He seemed more like an educated (a Yale man, my God how capital) sit down comedy entertainer with a theatrical stance, a patronizing cynical smile and an absolute posh accent to emphasize a more dramatic persona, an elaborate character that many people usually love but nontheless fake in every way.
@@roughhabit9085 I'm no intellectual for sure but when the only argument you can come up with is a typo it certainly makes you a joke. English is not mother tongue and for sure the spell checker has changed the word to the portuguese form.
the thing about buckley is, its all fake. he wasn't so smart, he wasn't so deep,. he was, however, a great, eloquent performer with an unbelievably affected accent and a retorical flourish. however, chompsky made him cry like the bitch that he was.
Buckley's so-called Movement was not really a movement at all. A "movement" that is regressive and reactionary, that looks resolutely backwards at an idealized, imaginary image of the past is a tantrum and a delusion, not a movement. Let's face it - Buckley was out to preserve the prerogatives, privileges and prejudices of his class. This was his primary objective. It's why he sided so blatantly with the McCarthyites who shamelessly destroyed the lives of so many progressive Americans, and with the vicious Southern segregationists for the first 5 years or so of the Civil Rights movement (until he belatedly realized he didn't have a moral leg to stand on, and changed his mind). Buckley's "movement" led directly to Nixon's Southern Strategy, to the takeover of the Republican Party by the bigoted fundamentalist Right, to the deepening income and wealth gap created by Reaganite fiscal policies, to the obstructionist, cynical legislative methods of Newt Gingrich and Mitch McConnell, to the corrupt, hateful rule of Donald Trump. It's all on the same continuum. Buckley helped kick the whole thing off. He packaged it and gave the rightward, reactionary, paranoid drift of US politics a gloss of intellectual rigour and historic validity. Behind the whole Reagan Revolution/Conservative Movement was a colossal amount of right-wing money lobbying for tax cuts for the richest Americans, paid by neofascist Billionaires and corporations - - the Koch brothers most prominently, along with a long list of other donors, and their lobbyists and non-profits. Buckley lost his energy, focus and conviction in his last years, though he continued to be lionized on the right. But he knew before he died, during the 2nd Bush/Cheney term, that the GOP was headed in a very bad direction, and that American conservatism was in crisis. When asked what the legacy of the Bush years would be, he said, simply, that there was no legacy. The misguided war on Iraq, the years of insane deficits, the mass surveillance of domestic American communications, the loss of American optimism, the return of the conspiratorial thinking that he had seen in the Birchers, etc, all troubled him. He had no idea how bad things would get under the next Republican president. Trump would have deeply disgusted him
What do you mean so called? He was the driving force behind the emergence of the Conservative party in the 20th century. Conservative doesn’t mean regressive , it means preserving the ideals of the constitution. Yes the Conservative party has been hijacked , but that’s hardly his fault. He was the anti-Lenin of the 20th century.
@@roughhabit9085 - Conservatism no longer means "preserving the ideals of the Constitution". Not after the pathetic, phony narrative of the "Stolen Election", which many polls tell us is still believed by at least 60% of Republicans. Not after a Republican president with broad conservative support urged a mob to attack the Capitol to prevent the certification of a legitimate, lawful election result. THIS IS PRESERVING THE CONSTITUTION?? Please - - give your head a shake.
One of a kind, a real Renaissance man, and so influential. Makes me miss those days when people of differing opinions could discuss things rationally and with courtesy
Bill, we need you now...more than ever.
More than ever my brother Colin. We, us, our Nation, needs him back so badly...
He was ingenious.
Recently pissed on his grave and I gotta say he truly makes me happy
As George Will said, he was the anti-Lenin of the 20th century
William F. Buckley, Jr. was literally a walking talking thesaurus. An amazing and eloquent man.
I’m a socialist with a deep affection for William F. Buckley. I think this is a great testament to his charm and wit.
He was a segregationist, how more anti leftist could he be
@@dimthecat9418 - Well, he started off opposing civil rights legislation, but quite publicly evolved on the issue through a series of articles in National Review. I think human beings have the right to change their mind. Don’t you? If we hold everyone to account for their past views then Obama is a staunch opponent of gay marriage. He publicly opposed it when he began his first term. But even if we agreed that he was a segregationist I would hold to my initial statement that I do admire the man for his intellect and wit. He does oppose everything I stand for, but I love human beings more than I love my political beliefs. I (and most people) don’t enjoy watching someone elegantly dismantle my opinions. It’s unpleasant. But I enjoy listening to Buckley do this.
That flirtation of him at 2:00 was so lovely and the girl liked it
It’s the WAY that he flirted. He wasn’t vulgar. He flirted like a gentleman.
Nothing tasteless about it either
RIP Mr. Buckley- you were a very thoughtful and fascinating man in chaotic times.
Appreciate your willingness to examine all kinds of opposing views.
I remember watching this man in awe when I was 10. Seemed to me, he was one of the only men in the world who had wisdom. Course, what did I know? I was just a kid.
I think you knew more than you realize.
He has such a command of the English language
He was schooled in the English language by James Baldwin during their debate
@@sanusiebarrie7225 ya sure 😂😂 keep dreaming
The man that made me conservative.
He was a segregationist. If his blatantly racist arguments made you a conservative, then the worlds really going downhill
The state of the universities today is because men like him are no longer around.
you can listen to him and be inspired? hold on... i just puked on the floor.
Openly racist people?
Bet you haven't gone to a university
How the hell is Buckley openly racist? What a stupid comment. He was a great intellect
@@mikeno8192 he constantly supported politicians who'd later be found to be racists. Reagan, Nixon, etc.
The way Buckley calls out McGovern for the classic 'flip-flop' fallacy is just incredible. How frequently do we hear politicians and our own peers support one side, only to revert to a completely defensive stances against it when the given scenario is framed in a different light. So glad that Buckley addressed that type of fallacy, as it will remind me to do the same, should I find myself in a similar circumstance.
It is impressive. I think the best arguers have great memories. Listen to Larry Elder. He is among the best at this. He brings up issues, stories and statements that are otherwise forgotten and destroy people's arguments.
Q
He is not just missed. He is missing.
Thanks.
Starting at age 22, Mr. Buckley, Jr. has inspired me to be forward with my Conservatism and that was 38 years ago. I am a proud Conservative thanks to Mr. William F. Buckley, Jr. He still is a National Treasure. HEAR TO BILL BUCKLEY, Jr.
I am on the side of working class and progressive minded people but am not immune to the charm and appeal of Mister William F. Buckley.
Mr. Buckley would point out that you're both on the side of working class people. He merely disagrees on your analysis of their plight.
My father was in the audience at one of his "Firing Line" shows in the 1970's.
Did your father manage to stay awake. WF Buckley could be so slow in speech.
An elegant man of humor, intellect and eloquence.
I might be a liberal however, I enjoyed watching Firing Line with Bill Buckley because the debate was honest and respectful.
I especially loved the Firing Line Debates and his interview with Michael Foote, Noam Chomsky, and Laugh In.
Too bad Mr. Buckley never debated my philosophy hero Michel Foucault which I think would have been awesome to watch and so intellectually stimulating
Foucaults ideas were heavily flawed, inspired by another philosopher who’s ideas based on historical criticism are now exposed as false due to the narratives informing his philosophy being exposed as falsification of history. Not completely informing of Foucault but it does undermine the integrity and jist regarding his ideas regarding power, when it’s based on falsified historical accounts (unbeknownst to him)
This new Firing Line program on PBS is a disgrace to Buckley's memory.
Well she’s charming, but I guess that’s where the similarities end.
the man is incredibly intelligent
This is weird, was searching through the family tree, turns out mr buckley is my dads uncle
Lol what
Deepest condolences
You had to search your family tree to know that? Interesting.
The way he broke down arbitrary binary choices was masterful. Though he leaned Conservative and Right, he despised a false black or white narrative from either side.
1:58 Oh the Humor !!! 😂 He was indeed spot on. Lovely Girl 😘
William walked so Ben could run
R.I.P. TO WILLIAM J. BUCKLEY JR. SADLY MISSED INDEED !!! I DISCOVERED W.J. B JR. ONLY FEW MONTHS AGO !!! I WAS TRULY IMPRESSED!!!! ELOQUENCE TO THE HILT & WITH THAT BLINK & A WINK I WAS SOLD !!! FROM U.K. (2022).
WFB, A TRUE CLASSIC 😊
There never was anyone" like Buckley" . Regrettably, he was one of a kind .
Disagree!!!!! Dick Cavert Superior!!!!
Cavett much better. Or Anybody.
About 30 years ago I was asked who I'd most like to have dinner with - without hesitation I said William F. Buckley, Jr. - Not only because I admired his intellect and wit, but also his style, clothing and general mannerisms, which to me spoke of elegance and pure genius.
He would be my first pick in a heartbeat
1:08 Regan seems and sounds like he is reading. Anyone noticed that?
Pretty young girl asks,"do you think mini-skirts are in good taste"?....."On you I think they are".....Bill...got rest your soul...but in today's "woke" climate ,you would have been crucified for that flippant yet funny remark.
he was such an observant man
The question was delivered without pre-emptive condemnation or menace. Hard to get that deal from audience members any more.
Hey you should’ve shown that James Baldwin debate where Buckley literally said he’d take Baldwin’s argument seriously only for the debate and that outside of that he wouldn’t because he’s black
@Blank what? You said that Buckley didn’t say what I said he said, that he wouldn’t take Baldwin seriously because he’s black. And that instead he, said exactly that? We both just said he said Buckley thinks Baldwin’s arguments aren’t as valid because he’s black. What?
@Blank don’t ask didn’t care
Cobra Commander was based off of this guy? How?
Because Buckley is a high-and-mighty, weasel-word using crypto-Nazi who was in love with his own voice and is antagonist to a group of ethnically diverse Americans with better grasp of gender equality.
Both spearheaded a nationalist movement in America - Buckley did Reagan revolution, Cobra Commander started Cobra at Springfield.
Both were more of peformers than technicians and their failiures - whatever it's botched debates with people who knew their shit with Buckley or strategic failiures in war against with Cobra Commander - was caused by that fact.
Also Larry Hama - one of the writers of GI Joe - just wrote Cobra Commander like a big-word using reactionary lunatic.
So there's that.
@@kazuoryoushinteki4266 Wow! Thanks killer. I never expected an answer. Cool.
What is that background music in the segment toward the end, the one where Reagan is speaking?
The "John Dunbar Theme" from "Dances With Wolves".
Dang you didn't get his "Stick that in your pipe and smoke it" clip
I was not a fan of Margaret Thatcher until I met her. I was a fan of Michael Foot until I met him. I suspect I would have remained a fan of William F Buckley had I Met him.
Well Margaret loved him
@@roughhabit9085 Absolutely. I do have a family connection to Foot. He did not know. Intellectual praetorian aloof rabble rouser.... perfect Labour leader of the opposition.
Anyone sticking up for Foot. He actually jumped out of a taxi outside 10 Downing Street but was too busy to talk. Did Buckley ever interview Foot.
He did a firing line episode with him . He didn’t do interviews.
@xtrmsprts i have no problem expressing my distaste for those who have a way of dismissing evolution and racism. and im delighted to see that we've maybe found some common ground after all on Buckley, who is a very fascinating figure indeed. after having a back-and-forth such as this one, establishing any level of mutual common ground is always extremely refreshing! have a great day
Does the Buckley/McGovern debate shown here exist in its complete form somewhere?
@xtrmsprts I didn't hear McGovern and neither did you. And Buckley founded National Review as a means of separating his ideology from an often anti-semitic conservative voice in the early 50's. You can talk about a young Buckley all you want, but if your mission is to defend the liberal cause at any opportunity, then we can get into Robert Byrd as well.
Now the Left is anti-Semitic.
huh?
I am sure Bill Buckley would have seen through Trump just as George Will and Steve Schmidt have, Buckley would certainly have been a Lincoln Republican today, eh?
He loved the old Lincolnian window.
Chickenhawk scoundrel. He should have been on the front line of at least one of the wars he supported.
0:28 You know this is a reference to Buckley totally losing his cool with Gore Vidal right? It's a moment he regretted his whole life.
funny thing about that episode .... even my then extremely liberal college student grandson (after watching Best of Enemies) said how disappointed he was w GV, whom he so wanted to come out ahead,. Even he saw that although GV got Buckley's goat and got him to react as he did, , he still showed himself to be odious and utterly unappealing not only in his instigation of that episode, but during the entire documentary, coming out clearly as the overall loser, w more than just that "residue of nausea" as Reid Buckley said. And with WFB as the much better man.. I knew then that it was not any bias of mine clouding my interoperation.
My vote for the sexiest man alive or dead that voice that vocabulary that sense of understated humor hubba hubba
NORM SENT ME
@xtrmsprts And why is your channel filled with pictures and videos of Buckley? This is bizarre, at best it's a hidden appreciation for the man, at worst it's an obsession in the same vain of Buffalo Bill...very interesting!
shut up!
My Mom loved Bill, God rest her soul. Tucker Carlson reminds me in some ways as a new generation Bill Buckley. Gawd our world misses great thinkers like Bill in todays times.
Well, if that left a dry eye in the house I'd be very much surprised.
"Judeo Christian" in the description lol
The man, the myth, the triangle.
@xtrmsprts K well I wasn't talking about Nixon here, and I wasn't calling out libs or conservatives either, so your anger is misplaced. I was talking about a common fallacy that McGovern showed. Could you be willing to concede that McCovern had trapped himself within his own disingenuous, circular logic? I won't hold my breath. If you want to use my comment as an excuse for ad hominem diatribe (you know the old schtick: call 'em Nazis - that'll show 'em!), by all means tell us what irks you.
Our world is desperate for eloquent thinkers
1950년 한국에 예수가 다시 태어났다
1955년 버클리가 national review 창간했다
The kingdom of god의 도래가 임박했다 !
Ahh Buckley! Is it fair to say that he looks like Barnabas Collins..I want you Angelique 🧟♂️ oh! nostalgic moment! 😏
How could Buckley sit with Chomsky and not lose his lunch....
Because he didn't find differing viewpoints in politics to be a defining aspect of what makes a person good or bad.
How could anyone
Self control, like holding off a bowel movement till you find a restroom.
you can respect a man and yet hate his beliefs.
A bastard. But a classy one for sure.
William f Buckley
A couple of quid pro quos.
Comedians are the wise fools true to the ideals and visions we hold dear. Dick Gregory is one of the wisest. He once declared, to the effect, that the Klansman is not a real racist but a simple bigoted fool, useful to the real racist who is concerned with keeping labor costs low. The real racist is the banker who red lines a neighborhood, who adds interest to loans or one who sells inferior products at higher cost to minorities. He is the employer who pays less and limits promotion to otherwise qualified minorities. Most of all, I would say, the political operatives who trade on the baser fears to promote racist policy, who limit the political voices at the ballot box, who get elected with appeals to race.
Some of my best friends...does not “get it done” in my book. Having Sammy Davis Junior as a buddy over for dinner does not negate the racist strategy used by the avuncular Ronald Reagan:The fictional welfare queen and the speech to the former Democratic politicians from Dixie where he said” you did not leave the Democratic Party, the party left you” made clear two things: one, how cynical ambition works and two: how racism is central to our politics.
He also wanted the south to to separated. Was an obvious racist.
He was controlled opposition.
The MOST BORING interviewer I've ever heard and seen. His interview with Margaret Thatcher Britain's Prime Minister in New York city was so Cringeworthy. I thought Mr Buckley was going to fall asleep. His speech was slurred, someone needed to shake him to liven him up. Poor Margaret Thatcher having to endure his boring voice for almost an hour.
" It is too late for the ' conservatives ' . There is nothing left to 'conserve' . It was too late for them in the election of 1932. "
-Ayn Rand-
Such pompous body language 🙄
Are you sure he was an intelectual? He seemed more like an educated (a Yale man, my God how capital) sit down comedy entertainer with a theatrical stance, a patronizing cynical smile and an absolute posh accent to emphasize a more dramatic persona, an elaborate character that many people usually love but nontheless fake in every way.
Well you’re no intellectual , you can’t even spell it lmfao
@@roughhabit9085 I'm no intellectual for sure but when the only argument you can come up with is a typo it certainly makes you a joke. English is not mother tongue and for sure the spell checker has changed the word to the portuguese form.
the thing about buckley is, its all fake. he wasn't so smart, he wasn't so deep,. he was, however, a great, eloquent performer with an unbelievably affected accent and a retorical flourish. however, chompsky made him cry like the bitch that he was.
Did you only see some manipulated media edits and come to this conclusion all by yourself?
@ toddlers . You can’t even spell rhetorical you stupid stupid person.
I especially liked when Buckley got picked apart by Vidal and Chomsky
Buckley's so-called Movement was not really a movement at all. A "movement" that is regressive and reactionary, that looks resolutely backwards at an idealized, imaginary image of the past is a tantrum and a delusion, not a movement.
Let's face it - Buckley was out to preserve the prerogatives, privileges and prejudices of his class. This was his primary objective. It's why he sided so blatantly with the McCarthyites who shamelessly destroyed the lives of so many progressive Americans, and with the vicious Southern segregationists for the first 5 years or so of the Civil Rights movement (until he belatedly realized he didn't have a moral leg to stand on, and changed his mind).
Buckley's "movement" led directly to Nixon's Southern Strategy, to the takeover of the Republican Party by the bigoted fundamentalist Right, to the deepening income and wealth gap created by Reaganite fiscal policies, to the obstructionist, cynical legislative methods of Newt Gingrich and Mitch McConnell, to the corrupt, hateful rule of Donald Trump. It's all on the same continuum. Buckley helped kick the whole thing off. He packaged it and gave the rightward, reactionary, paranoid drift of US politics a gloss of intellectual rigour and historic validity. Behind the whole Reagan Revolution/Conservative Movement was a colossal amount of right-wing money lobbying for tax cuts for the richest Americans, paid by neofascist Billionaires and corporations - - the Koch brothers most prominently, along with a long list of other donors, and their lobbyists and non-profits.
Buckley lost his energy, focus and conviction in his last years, though he continued to be lionized on the right. But he knew before he died, during the 2nd Bush/Cheney term, that the GOP was headed in a very bad direction, and that American conservatism was in crisis. When asked what the legacy of the Bush years would be, he said, simply, that there was no legacy. The misguided war on Iraq, the years of insane deficits, the mass surveillance of domestic American communications, the loss of American optimism, the return of the conspiratorial thinking that he had seen in the Birchers, etc, all troubled him.
He had no idea how bad things would get under the next Republican president. Trump would have deeply disgusted him
What do you mean so called? He was the driving force behind the emergence of the Conservative party in the 20th century. Conservative doesn’t mean regressive , it means preserving the ideals of the constitution. Yes the Conservative party has been hijacked , but that’s hardly his fault. He was the anti-Lenin of the 20th century.
@@roughhabit9085 - Conservatism no longer means "preserving the ideals of the Constitution". Not after the pathetic, phony narrative of the "Stolen Election", which many polls tell us is still believed by at least 60% of Republicans. Not after a Republican president with broad conservative support urged a mob to attack the Capitol to prevent the certification of a legitimate, lawful election result.
THIS IS PRESERVING THE CONSTITUTION?? Please - - give your head a shake.