William F. Buckley Jr.

Conservatives, Enough With the Nostalgia

Instead of whining about the past, build on the giants' work

(Newser) - Jonah Goldberg is tired of hearing the same lament from fellow conservatives (as well as liberal critics): Oh, for the "good old days" of conservatism, when we had esteemed giants such as William F. Buckley Jr. and Irving Kristol instead of Andrew Breitbart and company. It's nostalgic nonsense, Goldberg... More »

Buckley Won't Paint Parents as Saints

In memoir, William, Pat 'not Ozzie and Harriet,' Christopher says

(Newser) - Christopher Buckley is spilling the beans about his late parents in a frank memoir due in May, he tells Vanity Fair. “This book is going to land hard in some quarters,” he says. “They were not your typical mom and dad. This is not Ozzie and Harriet.... More »

Campaign Arrows Puncture Righty Mag's Lofty Rep

Still, National Review looks forward to having Dems in power after tumultuous year

(Newser) - The nasty tone of the presidential campaign dealt a blow to the National Review, considered the print home for conservative intellectuals and a standard-bearer for genteel debate, the New York Times reports. The death of founder William F. Buckley was followed by the ouster of his son Christopher following his... More »

Buckley: Hands Off Dad's Torch, Rush

Son of great conservative thinks Limbaugh's a bit de trop

(Newser) - Christopher Buckley, having been savaged by Rush Limbaugh for endorsing Barack Obama, fires back at the talk-show host for daring to think he can assume the conservative mantle of his father, the late William F. Buckley Jr. Writing in the Daily Beast, Buckley brandishes French, that tool of the “... More »

Chris Buckley on the Outs With Dad's Mag

National Review drops column after Obama endorsement

(Newser) - Things have gotten a little ugly between Christopher Buckley and the movement his dad pretty much founded, reports Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post. The son of legendary William F. Buckley, godfather of modern conservatism and founder of the National Review, wrote a back-page column for that magazine until last... More »

Populism Killed the Republican Party

Anti-elite attitude personified by Palin drove away base

(Newser) - Anti-intellectual populism has reduced the Republicans to a resentful rump party, writes David Brooks in the New York Times. A movement that once prized good ideas began to rely on bashing the educated as a political tactic. “What had been a disdain for liberal intellectuals slipped into a disdain... More »

Buckley Leaves Conservatism Up the Creek

No clear inheritor to his thoughtful movement, says Newsweek writer

(Newser) - William F. Buckley may have been the architect of the modern conservative movement, but what will it do without him? Evan Thomas even wonders, in Newsweek, if what he created still exists at all. Buckley was “a man who could spar intensely with the late liberal icons…and then... More »

Writers Parse Buckley's Legacy

What ended his brand of conservatism—or does it endure?

(Newser) - William F. Buckley Jr. was a titan on the political scene, carving out his own brand of conservatism. But one day after his death, writers differ on his legacy:

At Slate, Timothy Noah notes Buckley’s more noxious stances—defending segregationists and Joe McCarthy—and says it’s good fortune

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