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The death of William F. Buckley could be considered a symbol of the death of intellectual conservatism. There was a lot he said that I disagreed with, but he said what he believed, not what would get a party or a candidate elected. His kind of conservatism, pro-liberty on economics and at least on some social issues, gave rise to the Goldwater and Reagan movements. Ultimately its dependence on religion proved its undoing, allowing the religious right to take over. But the modern libertarian movement has some of its roots in Buckley's Young Americans for Freedom, which I once belonged to.
Conservatism has turned into just another big-government movement, based in fear and faith. Buckley once showed us something better, though his approach was fatally flawed.
1 comments:
I rarely have occasion nowadays to enjoy or agree with anything written by Robert Bidinotto; but his blog comment on Buckley's death is one of the rare exceptions. I find it the best, most appropriate comment that's been made on Buckley in the past few days. (And yes, I agree with you that today's conservatives are even worse; that doesn't excuse Buckley.)
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