Without Feathers

Buckley delineated a conservatism not of low taxes and muscular foreign policy, but of adherance to first principals beginning with the premise that Liberty is an inalienable right because it is bestowed by God, not man nor any agency of man.

It mattered very much to Buckley that the founding documents of this country acknowledged Liberty is not the prerogative of government. I don’t think he ever said so, but he left — upon me, anyway — the indelible impression that the founding of this country was the second most perfect moment in recorded history. The most perfect moment, of course, disseminating from his devout Catholicism.

Another absolute for Buckley was candor, and there is no evidence that he ever betrayed a deeply held conviction. This led to some embarrassing moments for the public persona of Buckley, but never for the intellectual edifice of his conservatism. As a high school student, Buckley vociferously opposed the entry of the United States into World War II, but then went on to serve as a second lieutenant in the Army near the end of the war. He publicly sided with segregationists in the 1950s, but just as publicly endorsed civil rights for blacks in the 1960s.

The conversion to anti-racialism was not a posture or opportunistic change to suit the times. Buckley’s change of heart on segregation appears to have developed over time as he was exposed to more and more intellectuals who also happened to be black. Buckley’s “Firing Line” program was noticeably a platform for black thinkers, in particular James Baldwin. Buckley’s evolution on this issue was played out in public and appears to have been both difficult to obtain and sincere. It is worth noting that he had been stalwartly opposed to antisemitism for as long as he had been in the public eye.

Buckley was also not a “knee-jerk” conservative. He alienated many prominent old school conservatives, and was no friend of either the John Birch Society or of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism (often mistakenly confused with conservatism). He also broke ranks with many fellow conservatives over apartheid in South Africa. He was an iconoclast until the end of his life and influenced very much this blogger’s disdain for the war in Iraq.

In the world of ideas, I can think of no prouder claim than: “I am a Buckley conservative!” And I hope to retain that status for the rest of my life. At 16 I committed my life to one day being worthy of a half hour in the second seat on “Firing Line.” That dream was dashed in 1999 as the show ended a phenomenal 33 year run. Truthfully that hope was dashed much earlier than that when I simply failed to achieve any distinction that would merit such an honor. Still, the Brandenburg Concerto no. 2 (in F major) plays in my mind whenever I argue with a liberal.