I met Buckley in the late 80s at a fundraiser where he gave a speech. I don’t remember how I managed to get in but evidently they didn’t have good door security.
Unlike some speakers, a Trump say, Buckley read his speech rather than speaking extemporaneously. While meeting people afterwards it was apparent that he greatly enjoyed being treated as a celebrity.
I met some other NR people around that time. William Rusher was one. I brought up illegal immigration, already a huge problem here in California. Their eyes glazed over. I might has well have been talking about the troubles penguins were having with seals in Antarctica. This NR crew wasn’t venturing beyond Newport Beach, one of the wealthiest strips of land in SoCal. They didn’t have any clue about what was happening ten miles inland, and worse they didn’t care. It didn’t come as a big surprise when NR went full Bush and embraced wide open borders .
Great story. I would have liked to have met Buckley. A really fascinating, knowledgeable, and down-to-earth guy. The kind of guy that I’m sure would enliven a party with great stories, true or otherwise.