VDH is a certified eunuch when it comes to effectiveness. He also is not as brilliant and as respected as conservative intellectuals of past decades, like Buckley, Friedman, Kirk, Safire, etc.
“...not as brilliant and as respected as conservative intellectuals of past decades, like Buckley, Friedman, Kirk, Safire, etc. ...”
They all failed as well, because here we are.
Buckley especially was the chief of gatekeeping and containment.