William F. Buckley, Jr., conservative founder, R.I.P.
March 3, 2008
Fred Hutchison, RenewAmerica analyst
A large percentage of those who became conservatives during the last 50 years can hark back to a moment when the words of William F. Buckley, Jr., were instrumental in their formation as a conservative. Many of them do not realize that Buckley changed conservatism in such a way as to give it political traction in the Goldwater era and the Reagan era.
Senator Taft sets the stage
During the 1930's and 40's, the intellectual foundations for Traditionalist Conservatism were laid by Christopher Dawson, Robert Hutchins, Richard Weaver, and Russell Kirk. However, the movement had little political or cultural traction.
During the onset of the cold war in the late 1940's, the American anticommunist movement developed rapidly. It reached its peak during the Korean War years when Communist agents had infiltrated the Truman Administration. Ohio Senator Robert Taft gave Traditionalist Conservatism a measure of political traction by identifying it with the anticommunist movement. His Conservative Coalition included Conservative Republicans in the North and Conservative Democrats in the South. Senator Taft was called "Mr. Conservative."
When Taft ran for president in 1952, Conservatism did not yet have quite enough support in the GOP to ensure Taft's nomination at the Republican Presidential Convention. However, the intellectual and political stage was laid for the Buckley Era.
Picking up the fallen standard
Buckley founded National Review magazine in 1955. In the first issue, he announced his intention of "standing athwart of history shouting stop!" This defiance of Modernism announced that he, Buckley, was picking up the fallen flag of Traditionalist Conservatism. He wanted all the world to know that he was the true heir of Burke, Weaver, Kirk, and Taft. But he would prove to be a Traditionalist with a difference.
Buckley's great synthesis
William F. Buckley, Jr., seems to have been the first conservative who had read deeply in the foundational works of Traditionalism and also had read the major works of Classical Liberal and Libertarian thinkers. During the Libertarian rebellion of the 40's, no one associated Libertarianism with Conservatism. Buckley changed all that.
Buckley and his editor Frank Meyer developed a synthesis of Traditionalism and Libertarianism that they called "fusionism." They retained Taft's anti-communism and his call for a strong national defense. They also retained the Traditionalism of Burke, Weaver, and Kirk — which defended the cherished social fabric against Liberal "reformers." Like Hutchins, Buckley defended the brilliant culture of the West against the depredations of a decadent Modernism. Like Dawson, Buckley upheld the role of Christianity in the formation and preservation of Western culture.
In order to promote fusionism, National Review used Libertarian authors to defend free enterprise and to condemn of socialism and statism. National Review made low taxes, deregulation, and a limited role for government a standard part of Conservatism.
Buckley rejected those elements of "Paleoconservatism" that reduced the political appeal of Conservatism. Writers who championed nativism, isolationism, protectionism, and conspiracy theories were escorted to the door of the offices of National Review. Buckley was uniquely astute in demonstrating the degree to which Senator McCarthy was correct about Communist infiltration of the Truman administration — while he was careful to eschew the "witch hunt" element of McCarthyism.
The Father of Goldwater Conservatism
Buckley's Fusionism had a wider political appeal to Republicans than did Taft's Conservatism. Fusionism appealed to Wall Street Republicans, to Chamber of Commerce Republicans on Main Street, and to individualistic and self-sufficient persons of the Republican lower middle class — while retaining most of the Republican members of Taft's Conservative Coalition.
Barry Goldwater, Phyllis Schlafly, and the young Ronald Reagan were fusionists — that is to say, they were "Buckleyites." Buckley's brother-in-law, L. Brent Bozell, Jr., was the ghostwriter of Goldwater's book, "The Conscience of a Conservative." Fusionist Conservatism was strong enough to defeat the moderate Rockefeller Republicans at the 1964 Republican Convention, but was not strong enough in popular appeal to win the general election.
The Nixon Era
The young Richard Nixon was an anticommunist crusader, which made him a rising star of Taft's Conservative Coalition. Nixon's Southern strategy to win Southern electoral votes in 1968 was made possible by the old Conservative Coalition. Buckley's use of authors from the Weaver-Kirk tradition was popular in the South. These authors were sympathetic to Nixon's Southern Strategy.
Brent Bozell, a Catholic like his brother-in-law Buckley, founded the Conservative Catholic magazine Triumph. Bozell combined Catholic Orthodoxy with Buckley's fusionism. Triumph weaned away some Catholics from their fond memories of the influence of the National Conference of Bishops on the New Deal and from their Catholic-Kennedy-Camelot romance with the Democratic Party. National Review and Triumph delivered many Catholic votes to Nixon in 1968 and to Reagan in 1980. Triumph was the forerunner of First Things magazine.
Reagan Fusionism
Reaganism was a three-way fusion of Traditionalism, Libertarianism, and Christian Conservatism. The tradition of Dawson, Buckley, and Bozell that had appealed to Catholics now appealed to Evangelicals. The Christian Right delivered a majority of Evangelicals to Reagan. This was a revolution, because a majority of Evangelicals had supported the New Deal.
Ronald Reagan was like a reincarnation of Senator Taft when it came to anticommunism and national defense. He was as overtly patriotic as Weaver's Paleoconservatives. He was as much of a fusionist Libertarian as Goldwater and Buckley. His passion for cutting taxes, deregulating, and crusading against big government was second nature to him because the finishing stages of his formation as a Conservative occurred when he was reading National Review and crusading for Goldwater.
Just as Reagan Conservatism is the foundation for the Conservative movement of our day, Buckley's fusionism was the foundation for Reagan Conservatism.
Well done, William Buckley! Requiem aeternam dona eis Dominum. Requiescat in pace!
© Fred Hutchison
Fred Hutchison, RenewAmerica analyst
A large percentage of those who became conservatives during the last 50 years can hark back to a moment when the words of William F. Buckley, Jr., were instrumental in their formation as a conservative. Many of them do not realize that Buckley changed conservatism in such a way as to give it political traction in the Goldwater era and the Reagan era.Senator Taft sets the stage
During the 1930's and 40's, the intellectual foundations for Traditionalist Conservatism were laid by Christopher Dawson, Robert Hutchins, Richard Weaver, and Russell Kirk. However, the movement had little political or cultural traction.
During the onset of the cold war in the late 1940's, the American anticommunist movement developed rapidly. It reached its peak during the Korean War years when Communist agents had infiltrated the Truman Administration. Ohio Senator Robert Taft gave Traditionalist Conservatism a measure of political traction by identifying it with the anticommunist movement. His Conservative Coalition included Conservative Republicans in the North and Conservative Democrats in the South. Senator Taft was called "Mr. Conservative."
When Taft ran for president in 1952, Conservatism did not yet have quite enough support in the GOP to ensure Taft's nomination at the Republican Presidential Convention. However, the intellectual and political stage was laid for the Buckley Era.
Picking up the fallen standard
Buckley founded National Review magazine in 1955. In the first issue, he announced his intention of "standing athwart of history shouting stop!" This defiance of Modernism announced that he, Buckley, was picking up the fallen flag of Traditionalist Conservatism. He wanted all the world to know that he was the true heir of Burke, Weaver, Kirk, and Taft. But he would prove to be a Traditionalist with a difference.Buckley's great synthesis
William F. Buckley, Jr., seems to have been the first conservative who had read deeply in the foundational works of Traditionalism and also had read the major works of Classical Liberal and Libertarian thinkers. During the Libertarian rebellion of the 40's, no one associated Libertarianism with Conservatism. Buckley changed all that.
Buckley and his editor Frank Meyer developed a synthesis of Traditionalism and Libertarianism that they called "fusionism." They retained Taft's anti-communism and his call for a strong national defense. They also retained the Traditionalism of Burke, Weaver, and Kirk — which defended the cherished social fabric against Liberal "reformers." Like Hutchins, Buckley defended the brilliant culture of the West against the depredations of a decadent Modernism. Like Dawson, Buckley upheld the role of Christianity in the formation and preservation of Western culture.
In order to promote fusionism, National Review used Libertarian authors to defend free enterprise and to condemn of socialism and statism. National Review made low taxes, deregulation, and a limited role for government a standard part of Conservatism.
Buckley rejected those elements of "Paleoconservatism" that reduced the political appeal of Conservatism. Writers who championed nativism, isolationism, protectionism, and conspiracy theories were escorted to the door of the offices of National Review. Buckley was uniquely astute in demonstrating the degree to which Senator McCarthy was correct about Communist infiltration of the Truman administration — while he was careful to eschew the "witch hunt" element of McCarthyism.
The Father of Goldwater ConservatismBuckley's Fusionism had a wider political appeal to Republicans than did Taft's Conservatism. Fusionism appealed to Wall Street Republicans, to Chamber of Commerce Republicans on Main Street, and to individualistic and self-sufficient persons of the Republican lower middle class — while retaining most of the Republican members of Taft's Conservative Coalition.
Barry Goldwater, Phyllis Schlafly, and the young Ronald Reagan were fusionists — that is to say, they were "Buckleyites." Buckley's brother-in-law, L. Brent Bozell, Jr., was the ghostwriter of Goldwater's book, "The Conscience of a Conservative." Fusionist Conservatism was strong enough to defeat the moderate Rockefeller Republicans at the 1964 Republican Convention, but was not strong enough in popular appeal to win the general election.
The Nixon Era
The young Richard Nixon was an anticommunist crusader, which made him a rising star of Taft's Conservative Coalition. Nixon's Southern strategy to win Southern electoral votes in 1968 was made possible by the old Conservative Coalition. Buckley's use of authors from the Weaver-Kirk tradition was popular in the South. These authors were sympathetic to Nixon's Southern Strategy.
Brent Bozell, a Catholic like his brother-in-law Buckley, founded the Conservative Catholic magazine Triumph. Bozell combined Catholic Orthodoxy with Buckley's fusionism. Triumph weaned away some Catholics from their fond memories of the influence of the National Conference of Bishops on the New Deal and from their Catholic-Kennedy-Camelot romance with the Democratic Party. National Review and Triumph delivered many Catholic votes to Nixon in 1968 and to Reagan in 1980. Triumph was the forerunner of First Things magazine.
Reagan Fusionism
Reaganism was a three-way fusion of Traditionalism, Libertarianism, and Christian Conservatism. The tradition of Dawson, Buckley, and Bozell that had appealed to Catholics now appealed to Evangelicals. The Christian Right delivered a majority of Evangelicals to Reagan. This was a revolution, because a majority of Evangelicals had supported the New Deal.
Ronald Reagan was like a reincarnation of Senator Taft when it came to anticommunism and national defense. He was as overtly patriotic as Weaver's Paleoconservatives. He was as much of a fusionist Libertarian as Goldwater and Buckley. His passion for cutting taxes, deregulating, and crusading against big government was second nature to him because the finishing stages of his formation as a Conservative occurred when he was reading National Review and crusading for Goldwater.Just as Reagan Conservatism is the foundation for the Conservative movement of our day, Buckley's fusionism was the foundation for Reagan Conservatism.
Well done, William Buckley! Requiem aeternam dona eis Dominum. Requiescat in pace!
© Fred Hutchison
RenewAmerica analyst Fred Hutchison also writes a column for RenewAmerica.
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)