Republican Archives - Truce Podcast

S6:E22 William F. Buckley Jr. and National Review

by Chris Staron | Mar 4, 2025 | Episodes

Robert Taft couldn’t get elected.

Senator Robert Taft couldn’t get the nomination. He tried to be the GOP’s nominee for president three different times but could not get elected. Conservative Republicans’ failure to get nominated by their own party was a source of much frustration. What could they do? Concerns of conspiracy spread through people like Phyllis Schlafly whose book A Choice Not an Echo claimed that “elites” were steering the party.

William F. Buckley Jr. and God and Man at Yale

It was in this world that a bright young man with an untraceable accent found his appeal. William F. Buckley Jr. was born into a wealthy family that was deeply Catholic and driven by concern over the New Deal. They were libertarians and wanted a small government. Buckley lived a childhood of privilege, riding horses, playing piano, and mostly private education. His first book, God and Man at Yale, was a sharp critique of his alma mater, stating that they should have done a better job promoting laissez-faire economics and religion. The book was a smash hit, in part, because Yale fought its charges in the press.

William F. Buckley Jr. gives conservatives an intellectual voice

Buckley followed it with a rousing defense of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s tactics in the early 1950s, but the book was published just as the senator was revealed to be the demagogue he was. So Buckley decided to shift his effort to creating a journal of opinion that would appeal to conservatives. National Review became the “it” publication for conservatism in the US, and the most successful journal of opinion in the country. Its greatest impact was giving conservatism an intellectual voice in an era when the “liberal consensus” dominated.

Buckley then went on to start in the PBS television show Firing Line, a funny thing for a libertarian because the show was sponsored, in part, through government funding. Buckley succeeded in giving conservatism an intellectual voice. In the process, he won his greatest victory: convincing Ronald Reagan to become a conservative.

Videos of Buckley

I don’t usually spend a lot of time posting videos like this as proof of an episode, but Buckley is so beloved in some circles that I think it is necessary for this one. The first video is Buckley’s debate with James Baldwin. If you don’t believe that Buckley carried a string of racism, this video should be proof enough. Listen to his response to Baldwin.

The second video I want to share is his interview with the Gablers. One of the things we in the media struggle with is platforming. Who has the right to be boosted by your show? I struggle with this on Truce because I can’t properly screen everyone I have on the program, and I’m just one person. Should Buckley have invited the Gablers on his show?

Sources

Buckley: William F Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism by Cart T. Bogus.
The Rise and Fall of Modern American Conservatism by David Farber
Burning Down the House by Andrew Koppelman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYgv7ur8ipg&t=3018s Firing Line Episode 113, September 3 1968
Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus by Rick Perlstein
God and Man at Yale by William F. Buckley Jr
Heather Cox Richardson’s YouTube series on the history of the GOP
National Review. 1st edition, November 19, 1955. Page 6 (gives a helpful breakdown of what the magazine stands for)
Hoover Institution article on the impact of Buckley and Firing Line
Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
The Incomparable Mr. Buckley documentary

Discussion Questions

Do you have any personal connection with Buckley? Did you see his shows or read his writings?
Why did conservatism need an intellectual voice?
How did conservatism change between Bob Taft and Buckley?
Buckley believed in a limited government, one that incorporated Christianity. Would you like his version of the American government?
Buckley claimed that he wasn’t racist, but believed that black people were incapable of governing themselves. They should have earned the right to vote in the South. Is this racism?
National Review welcomed segregationists to write in the journal. Would you read a publication like this?
Buckley advocated for a smaller government but also stared in a TV show on public television. Does this strike you as hypocrisy?

S6:E21 Barry Goldwater: How Republicans Welcomed Extremism – part 2

by Chris Staron | Feb 18, 2025 | Episodes

In the first part of our series, Chris explored the beginning of Barry Goldwater’s career, from his early days as a young man to his rise to the Senate. In the second episode, Goldwater still hasn’t agreed to be the nominee, even though groups are raising money in his name.

Barry Goldwater welcomed extremists into the Republican Party

One of his most valuable supporters was a woman named Phyllis Schlafly. In 1964 she published a small book, A Choice Not an Echo. It claimed that GOP nominations had been rigged going back many years. She felt burned that Robert Taft (a true conservative) had been avoided over Dwight Eisenhower. Her book earned Goldwater the eventual nomination by his party.

At the 1964 GOP convention, Goldwater announced that extremism was a thing he was okay with. While this excited his base, it scared a good many others who were already afraid that he’d use his power to launch nuclear weapons.

Lyndon Johnson won that year in the greatest landslide in US presidential history.

CORRECTION: The original version of this episode said that LBJ’s win in 1964 was bolstered by the Civil Rights Act. Historian Rick Perlstein wrote in to say that he won despite the Civil Rights Act.