What Would Buckley Say?

 

National Review is not only the birthplace of the Never Trump movement, but also the “Reagan, Never Again” Reform Conservative movement. National Review without William F. Buckley isn’t National Review.

I don’t blame NR for publishing its famous “Against Trump” issue. They thought, with good reason, that Trump would push the Republican Party to further to the left than even another Bush. At the time of that issue, Trump might have actually been further to the left than he was by the time he became President.

When Trump governed as a conservative, some of the writers at NR became more sanguine about the Trump Presidency. Just like many of us at Ricochet, they changed their minds. Rich Lowry even expressed regret at having published the “Against Trump” issue. 

Now, National Review contracted TDS in a big way. You won’t find a kind word about Trump anywhere unless it’s from a guest writer like VDH or Conrad Black. 

Also, they have been silent on the voter fraud issue, which ought to matter even if there wasn’t enough to change the result. Maybe they think they will be mistaken for capital building rioters. They should relax.

I can only guess at what Buckley would think about Trump, and would likely guess wrong.

Buckley was a bit of an intellectual bad-a** in his day, and was friends with Reagan and Limbaugh when they weren’t socially acceptable. How would he have reacted to Trump? Your guess is as good as mine.

Also, what would he think of National Review today? Athwart history, anyone?

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  1. ape2ag Member
    ape2ag
    @ape2ag

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    But neither Cruz nor Hawley will ever become President of the United States.

    We should do our best to get Cruz elected, though. Never say never.

    I’m not against Cruz and Hawley, but right now Rand Paul seems to be handling the situation more deftly. 

    • #121
  2. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    David March (View Comment):
    NRI is basically a wholly owned subsidiary of the Koch Brothers. And they hate Trump so why should we be surprised they do what their donors want.

    I was gonna say George Soros, but the Koch brothers makes more sense . . .

    We’re down to Koch brother.

    I thought there were four to begin with, but only two were politically active . . .

    • #122
  3. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    I think that Liz Cheney will do fine. She would make an excellent Secretary of Defense in any Non-Trump Republican Administration. Liz Cheney is a very conservative person; the only twist with her is that she would not close her eyes to Trump’s involvement in the January 6th Trump Riots.

    That and her loony speech justifying her betrayal of her fellow Republican congresspersons and her constituents.

    Humm. I looked for her “loony speech” on YouTube but could not find one from January 2021. Here is her written statement:

    “On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.

    Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

    I will vote to impeach the President.”

    Hoyacon, as a lawyer, you realize that the duty that a Representative or Senator has to their constituents is to exercise their own independent judgment. Therefore, inherently, Liz Cheney did not betray her constituents. When there is a new copy of “Profiles in Courage” Liz Cheney very well may be in it.

    My profession is irrelevant. Anyone who understands the concept of representative government should realize that someone in Congress has a duty to balance constituent wishes and personal preferences. Cheney represents the most pro-Trump state in the country. Against that backdrop, her personal preference for grandstanding is irrelevant. It takes zero courage to say “I don’t care what you think, people of Wyoming,” zero courage to use one’s position as a House leader to completely ignore one’s colleagues, and zero courage to blow with the prevailing wind.

    See Federalist Number 10.  A representative owes to their constituents their good judgment, not their reflexive vote.  Cheney is firmly doing the right thing.  There may be a huge consequence of not being re-elected, but until then Cheney is a free agent to follow her judgment.   This is foundational to the structure of our Republic, on the order of the non-violent transfer of power every year since the Constitution was ratified.  

    • #123
  4. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon, as a lawyer, you realize that the duty that a Representative or Senator has to their constituents is to exercise their own independent judgment. Therefore, inherently, Liz Cheney did not betray her constituents. When there is a new copy of “Profiles in Courage” Liz Cheney very well may be in it.

    My profession is irrelevant. Anyone who understands the concept of representative government should realize that someone in Congress has a duty to balance constituent wishes and personal preferences. Cheney represents the most pro-Trump state in the country. Against that backdrop, her personal preference for grandstanding is irrelevant. It takes zero courage to say “I don’t care what you think, people of Wyoming,” zero courage to use one’s position as a House leader to completely ignore one’s colleagues, and zero courage to blow with the prevailing wind.

    See Federalist Number 10. A representative owes to their constituents their good judgment, not their reflexive vote. Cheney is firmly doing the right thing. There may be a huge consequence of not being re-elected, but until then Cheney is a free agent to follow her judgment. This is foundational to the structure of our Republic, on the order of the non-violent transfer of power every year since the Constitution was ratified.

    Why am I not surprised that you are ignoring my points?  What about “balancing” (my word) is reflexive?  Part of good judgement is recognizing when a personal desire for camera FaceTime conflicts with the wishes of the vast majority (not some) of one’s constituents, causing the balance to tilt to the will of the people one represents.

    Throw in betraying her leadership position as #3 in the House without even bothering to discuss this with colleagues and we begin to see how self-serving Cheney’s desire to go with the wind favoring impeachment is.

    • #124
  5. Gary Robbins Member
    Gary Robbins
    @GaryRobbins

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon, as a lawyer, you realize that the duty that a Representative or Senator has to their constituents is to exercise their own independent judgment. Therefore, inherently, Liz Cheney did not betray her constituents. When there is a new copy of “Profiles in Courage” Liz Cheney very well may be in it.

    My profession is irrelevant. Anyone who understands the concept of representative government should realize that someone in Congress has a duty to balance constituent wishes and personal preferences. Cheney represents the most pro-Trump state in the country. Against that backdrop, her personal preference for grandstanding is irrelevant. It takes zero courage to say “I don’t care what you think, people of Wyoming,” zero courage to use one’s position as a House leader to completely ignore one’s colleagues, and zero courage to blow with the prevailing wind.

    See Federalist Number 10. A representative owes to their constituents their good judgment, not their reflexive vote. Cheney is firmly doing the right thing. There may be a huge consequence of not being re-elected, but until then Cheney is a free agent to follow her judgment. This is foundational to the structure of our Republic, on the order of the non-violent transfer of power every year since the Constitution was ratified.

    Why am I not surprised that you are ignoring my points? What about “balancing” (my word) is reflexive? Part of good judgement is recognizing when a personal desire for camera FaceTime conflicts with the wishes of the vast majority (not some) of one’s constituents, causing the balance to tilt to the will of the people one represents.

    See Federalist Number 10.  Ultimately, Cheney only owes her good judgement to the people of Wyoming.  She is not a robot who must conform to poll numbers.

    Throw in betraying her leadership position as #3 in the House without even bothering to discuss this with colleagues and we begin to see how self-serving Cheney’s desire to go with the wind favoring impeachment is.

    You have a point here.  But the Republication Party in the House and Senate deemed this to be a vote of conscience and to not whip the vote.  She may loss her #3 leadership position.  On the other hand, the Republican Party may also lose its chance to win control over the House in 2022 if they become the Trump Party, despite Trump losing by 7 million votes, and then ignoring the will of the national electorate.   

    • #125
  6. Hoyacon Member
    Hoyacon
    @Hoyacon

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon, as a lawyer, you realize that the duty that a Representative or Senator has to their constituents is to exercise their own independent judgment. Therefore, inherently, Liz Cheney did not betray her constituents. When there is a new copy of “Profiles in Courage” Liz Cheney very well may be in it.

    My profession is irrelevant. Anyone who understands the concept of representative government should realize that someone in Congress has a duty to balance constituent wishes and personal preferences. Cheney represents the most pro-Trump state in the country. Against that backdrop, her personal preference for grandstanding is irrelevant. It takes zero courage to say “I don’t care what you think, people of Wyoming,” zero courage to use one’s position as a House leader to completely ignore one’s colleagues, and zero courage to blow with the prevailing wind.

    See Federalist Number 10. A representative owes to their constituents their good judgment, not their reflexive vote. Cheney is firmly doing the right thing. There may be a huge consequence of not being re-elected, but until then Cheney is a free agent to follow her judgment. This is foundational to the structure of our Republic, on the order of the non-violent transfer of power every year since the Constitution was ratified.

    Why am I not surprised that you are ignoring my points? What about “balancing” (my word) is reflexive? Part of good judgement is recognizing when a personal desire for camera FaceTime conflicts with the wishes of the vast majority (not some) of one’s constituents, causing the balance to tilt to the will of the people one represents.

    See Federalist Number 10. Ultimately, Cheney only owes her good judgement to the people of Wyoming. She is not a robot who must conform to poll numbers.

    You are simply repeating yourself and ignoring what I wrote in response.  I’ve seen this movie before. I’m done.

     

    • #126
  7. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    I think that Liz Cheney will do fine. She would make an excellent Secretary of Defense in any Non-Trump Republican Administration. Liz Cheney is a very conservative person; the only twist with her is that she would not close her eyes to Trump’s involvement in the January 6th Trump Riots.

    That and her loony speech justifying her betrayal of her fellow Republican congresspersons and her constituents.

    Humm. I looked for her “loony speech” on YouTube but could not find one from January 2021. Here is her written statement:

    “On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.

    Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

    I will vote to impeach the President.”

    Hoyacon, as a lawyer, you realize that the duty that a Representative or Senator has to their constituents is to exercise their own independent judgment. See Federalist Number 10. Therefore, inherently, Liz Cheney did not betray her constituents. When there is a new copy of “Profiles in Courage” Liz Cheney very well may be in it.

    I’m OK with that as long as her constituents kick her out of office for good.

    • #127
  8. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    She said the group would aim to defeat Mr. Jordan in an Ohio Senate primary if he runs against an establishment-minded Republican.

    Gary, since Portman is retiring I want you to give money to John Kasich for Senate.

    I just heard Mark Steyn say that a recent poll says that if there is a third party, the current GOPe is the “third” party, being less popular than the other two. 

    • #128
  9. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    On the other hand, the Republican Party may also lose its chance to win control over the House in 2022 if they become the Trump Party, despite Trump losing by 7 million votes, and then ignoring the will of the national electorate.

    That is a big problem these days.

    • #129
  10. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):

    Hoyacon, as a lawyer, you realize that the duty that a Representative or Senator has to their constituents is to exercise their own independent judgment. Therefore, inherently, Liz Cheney did not betray her constituents. When there is a new copy of “Profiles in Courage” Liz Cheney very well may be in it.

    My profession is irrelevant. Anyone who understands the concept of representative government should realize that someone in Congress has a duty to balance constituent wishes and personal preferences. Cheney represents the most pro-Trump state in the country. Against that backdrop, her personal preference for grandstanding is irrelevant. It takes zero courage to say “I don’t care what you think, people of Wyoming,” zero courage to use one’s position as a House leader to completely ignore one’s colleagues, and zero courage to blow with the prevailing wind.

    See Federalist Number 10. A representative owes to their constituents their good judgment, not their reflexive vote. Cheney is firmly doing the right thing. There may be a huge consequence of not being re-elected, but until then Cheney is a free agent to follow her judgment. This is foundational to the structure of our Republic, on the order of the non-violent transfer of power every year since the Constitution was ratified.

    Why am I not surprised that you are ignoring my points? What about “balancing” (my word) is reflexive? Part of good judgement is recognizing when a personal desire for camera FaceTime conflicts with the wishes of the vast majority (not some) of one’s constituents, causing the balance to tilt to the will of the people one represents.

    See Federalist Number 10. Ultimately, Cheney only owes her good judgement to the people of Wyoming. She is not a robot who must conform to poll numbers.

    Throw in betraying her leadership position as #3 in the House without even bothering to discuss this with colleagues and we begin to see how self-serving Cheney’s desire to go with the wind favoring impeachment is.

    You have a point here. But the Republication Party in the House and Senate deemed this to be a vote of conscience and to not whip the vote. She may loss her #3 leadership position. On the other hand, the Republican Party may also lose its chance to win control over the House in 2022 if they become the Trump Party, despite Trump losing by 7 million votes, and then ignoring the will of the national electorate.

    Did you happen to hear Carlson’s discussion of HR1? If it passes, the GOPe will never win another national election. Trump would have vetoed it. ’nuff said. 

    • #130
  11. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Django (View Comment):
    Did you happen to hear Carlson’s discussion of HR1? If it passes, the GOPe will never win another national election. Trump would have vetoed it. ’nuff said. 

    Gary never gets into the dynamics of anything like this or even public policy and economics except in the most general sense. This didn’t matter 30 years ago.

    • #131
  12. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):
    Did you happen to hear Carlson’s discussion of HR1? If it passes, the GOPe will never win another national election. Trump would have vetoed it. ’nuff said.

    Gary never gets into the dynamics of anything like this or even public policy and economics except in the most general sense. This didn’t matter 30 years ago.

    It does today? 

    • #132
  13. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Django (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):
    Did you happen to hear Carlson’s discussion of HR1? If it passes, the GOPe will never win another national election. Trump would have vetoed it. ’nuff said.

    Gary never gets into the dynamics of anything like this or even public policy and economics except in the most general sense. This didn’t matter 30 years ago.

    It does today?

    That’s my whole point. Of course it does. 

    People like Gary think the structure of society and the economy and the government are the same as they were 40 years ago. Same thing with the Democrat party. It’s not like that.

    • #133
  14. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Django (View Comment):
    Did you happen to hear Carlson’s discussion of HR1? If it passes, the GOPe will never win another national election. Trump would have vetoed it. ’nuff said.

    Gary never gets into the dynamics of anything like this or even public policy and economics except in the most general sense. This didn’t matter 30 years ago.

    It does today?

    That’s my whole point. Of course it does.

    People like Gary think the structure of society and the economy and the government are the same as they were 40 years ago. Same thing with the Democrat party. It’s not like that.

    That was what I thought you meant. And, yes, the NTs live in a dream world. Or they follow “reporters” such as Major Garrett. 60 Minutes was not broadcast on the local CBS radio outlet, so they broadcast Garrett’s podcast instead. It was on as background noise when I heard him talk about Trump inciting violence. The same sort of nonsense I hear from Gary. If you heard Trump’s speech he said that the crowd would peacefully demonstrate after walking to the capitol building. Garrett cut off Trump’s words so that peacefully was not heard. It’s call lying-by-editing. Just the sort of thing one expects from CNN/PBS/NPR/MSNBC …

    • #134
  15. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    ape2ag (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    But neither Cruz nor Hawley will ever become President of the United States.

    We should do our best to get Cruz elected, though. Never say never.

    I’m not against Cruz and Hawley, but right now Rand Paul seems to be handling the situation more deftly.

    I’d vote for him if he’s the nominee. Or Ted, if he’s the nominee. I’d even vote for either to become the nominee. 

    • #135
  16. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    ape2ag (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    But neither Cruz nor Hawley will ever become President of the United States.

    We should do our best to get Cruz elected, though. Never say never.

    I’m not against Cruz and Hawley, but right now Rand Paul seems to be handling the situation more deftly.

    I’d vote for him if he’s the nominee. Or Ted, if he’s the nominee. I’d even vote for either to become the nominee.

    Same here. 

    • #136
  17. ape2ag Member
    ape2ag
    @ape2ag

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    ape2ag (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    But neither Cruz nor Hawley will ever become President of the United States.

    We should do our best to get Cruz elected, though. Never say never.

    I’m not against Cruz and Hawley, but right now Rand Paul seems to be handling the situation more deftly.

    I’d vote for him if he’s the nominee. Or Ted, if he’s the nominee. I’d even vote for either to become the nominee.

    I HAVE voted for Ted Cruz to be the nominee.

    But it’s particularly compelling to watch Rand Paul speak about leftist incitement to violence since he has personally been mobbed, waylayed (lost a piece of lung), and shot at.

    • #137
  18. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

     

    This guy runs the supposedly civics-minded Never Trump types.

     

    Rested,Tested and Ready for battle?!

    This guy?!

     

    • #138
  19. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    Columbo (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

     

    This guy runs the supposedly civics-minded Never Trump types.

     

    Rested,Tested and Ready for battle?!

    This guy?!

     

    There was an interview with that loser where the subject of what he had wanted to achieve came up. Most politicians would have mentioned some legislative achievement. Or even preventing the passage of some disastrous piece of legislation. Boner is at least honest. All he said he ever wanted was to occupy the most powerful position he could. Since the presidency was not a viable option, he “settled” for Speaker of the House. Think about it. He personifies the GOPe. All they want is the trappings of office. They don’t see anything that needed to be fixed. They just want to be in charge, and they wonder why we hold them and the party in contempt.

    • #139
  20. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Columbo (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

     

    This guy runs the supposedly civics-minded Never Trump types.

     

    Rested,Tested and Ready for battle?!

    This guy?!

     

    From the Bad Orange Man to the Worse Orange Man.

    Isn’t Boehner supposed to be back in Ohio hawking weed?

    • #140
  21. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Gary Robbins (View Comment):
    See Federalist Number 10. A representative owes to their constituents their good judgment, not their reflexive vote. Cheney is firmly doing the right thing.

    The Fedralist papers are not laws.  They may be the intent, but things have long changed.  Cheney should be ousted . . .

    • #141
  22. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

     

     

     

    • #142
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