Posted on 01/22/2016 10:38:17 AM PST by Albion Wilde
Today, The National Review magazine, for decades the must-read monthly of the conservative movement, has published a yellow journal worthy of the best discourse Facebook has to offer. This formerly revered publication, founded and edited by William F. Buckley, Jr, was the premier resource for conservative commentary from 1955 until the illness and retirement of its renowned leader in the mid-2000s.
The New York polite society of pious, trust-fund Ivy Leaguers who formed the backbone of the founding editorial staff had given National Review an air of the lamp-lit gentlemen's club: leather wing chairs, green velvet wall coverings, cigars and brandy in front of the fireplace tended by a person of color, harumphed opinions about "the liberals" -- informed by the pages of The National Review. NR's brand of conservatism was infused with an air of social (and therefore moral) superiority. Yet Buckley, along with the unlikely intellectual partner Ronald Reagan, would provide the intellectual correctives to a post-WWII nation infatuated first with liberalism, then radical Marxist progressivism. Under Buckley's editorial narratives, conservatism became a movement.
Writers such as Ludwig von Mises, Whittaker Chambers, Russell Kirk and Auberon Waugh once graced NR's pages, followed by the likes of Robert Bork, Francis Fukuyama, Pat Buchanan, Robert Novak, Tom Wolfe, John Derbyshire and other crafters of deeply informed opinion. NR and NROnline today, led by Rich Lowry, are struggling to survive in the era of New Media. NR thought its best strategy during the 2007 McCain/Obama contest was to run cover after cover depicting -- who? -- Barack Obama, while the articles inside timidly criticized his candidacy. Any streetcorner vendor can tell you, as he watches an increasingly attention-starved work force stream by his magazine stand morning and evening, what catches the eye is now the message; those pesky little words, not so much.
Few of today's regular contributors except perhaps for Dennis Prager, Thomas Sowell and Victor Davis Hanson have garnered name recognition solely on their strengths as writers in the New Media conservative audience, who are experiencing the steady erosion of all that America once promised to those who would work hard and seize opportunities to advance. As the ground beneath them is eroded by the hardened generation of anti-authoritarian narcissists produced by the demise of the traditions, demographics and conservatism that Buckley's editorial heirs have failed to stand athwart, National Review's lead editorial staff have turned to face their own small tent -- and pee'd inside.
The current issue has killed trees and sucked bandwidth not to encourage a new generation to the benefits of conservatism, not to debate the issues as issues, not to promote the best their favored candidates have to offer, but rather to tear down the personality and aspirations of the undisputed leader in the polls of the disenfranchised American middle class, the ones who are flocking by the tens of thousands per event to hear him speak. The aggregate number of Donald Trump campaign rally attendees has, over a six-month span, long passed the million mark. His tweets and Facebook hits stagger the Internet. He has accomplished the "big tent" of fanpersons from all walks of life that the ailing Republican Party has long dreamed about; yet the Party and the National Review despise him for it.
NR and NRO have this week tarnished their brand with 22 mean screeds against The Donald, making it personal. They aim to shame their readers: Trump isn't good enough, smart enough or, doggone it, likeable enough, according to their antique, hypocritical standard of repressed emotions and unspoken agendas, such as projecting onto the guy who has lived the American Dream the blame for the impending death of their genteely elite vision of America -- the elites whose religion was slipping from dominance as early as the 50s and needed to be robustly defended by intellectual Constitutionalism; the elites who spoke of equality under the law but lived in unequal up East enclaves.
To be fair, this smarmy issue of their once respected magazine might cost Trump a few hundred votes.
William Buckley, speaking in 1967 of The National Review's policy towards elections, said, "Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate...The wisest choice would be the one who would win... the most right, viable candidate who could win."
With the margin so razor-thin and the stakes so catastrophic against the Democrat Party's entrenched big tent of anti-Constitution, anti-Christian, anti-life, anti-sovereignty and pro-repressive movements dominating a dumbed-down, entertainment-addicted, financially gutted electorate, any challenger under the Republican banner deserves a fair review, but is too valuable to slime, even if his politics are only just conservative enough to place-hold while he saves this nation from ruin.
NR could have found what's to love in every Republican candidate whom The People say could win, and showcased their best ties to conservatism. Yet in the face of Trump's overwhelming viability -- his robust poll numbers, demonstrable energy for the tasks ahead, financial independence, courageous dismissal of political correctness, incisive diagnosis of the problems facing us, long experience as a dealmaker in the realms of power and industry -- and believing that they still have time to reject the half-a-loaf that's better than none -- Buckley's heirs have just published the sound of entitled heads exploding.
No, the liberal son writes novels. He did have a piece published in NR around the time of his father’s death titled something like, “Sorry, Dad, I’m Voting for Obama.” What a waste.
I didn’t get your turbine allegory for a minute, but now I’m smiling just thining of it! RIP, WFB.
It really is pathetic. A tunnel vision and, as I noted, a squandering of what could have been such a rich intellectual fortune.
Yea! Go Trump!
The GOPe hates both Trump and Cruz. Trump has had some success in his attacks on Cruz, so I guess they figured this might be a good time to go after Trump before the Iowa caucus. Giving Rubio & Jeb! a chance to gain some traction.
They could charter a bus with Whoopi.
I was particularly disappointed by Brent Bozell’s piece. I thought better of him.
Well, lots of luck with that, GOPe.
The National Review wants Jeb.
If you looked at the Drudge Poll. The bottom two were Jeb and Hillary.
That’s a 100% rejection of the Establishment top 2 Primary candidates.
ping
In regard to his religion Prager is pretty conservative. On social issues not as much. Politically he is a late ‘60s Democrat, supporting all of the Civil Rights legislation that has ultimately led to gay marriage and whatever else progressives want in the name of equality. I’ve heard him advocate mixed race marriages for everybody because he believes that will end racism, taking crackpot liberal social engineering to a new level. He is rabidly pro-immigration and is blind to the damage that mass 3rd world migration does to historic American culture and politics. It’s basically the liberalism that rejected McGovernite foreign policy while clinging to its 60s domestic policy ideas and which rebranded itself as neoconservatism. And that’s why he’s popular with the Goldberg version of National Review.
Well Comrade Michael Medved tipped the GOPe hand today when he revealed that one of their big hopes is to make sure that Trump can’t win the nomination on the first ballot.
As long as they can do that the Establishment believes that they have a very good chance at getting the nomination for their guy, and that’s still Jeb.
Trump & Cruze should both agree to go third party. Now that would be interesting!
Ballot access would be a major problem. Dems and the GOPe have insured that they have no real competition.
They won’t stop, Jim has asked them too but their zeal for Cruz and hatred for Trump is too strong...sad bunch. Go Trump Go!
ping
But Jeb beat Hillery!
Of course, I didn’t know him personally, but you’re right. Republicans cave. Great speaker, great thinker. He sure seems to like Cruz and Trump. I wish there’s a place for him in the next administration. I mean seriously, how about over seeing NASA.
Ew! So he just writes the papers on morality but doesn’t think he has to live it? Thanks for the heads up. I have never listened to his program; maybe I’m not missing a thing.
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