Buckley’s National Impact

by | Quotes

“Bill Buckley’s emergence onto the national stage … in the 1950s, and the impact of his striking personality … caused a lesion in the self-confidence of many liberals that materially influenced the attitudes of both conservatives and liberals thereafter, as well as the ultimate outcome of their long struggle. Buckley was to become far better known during the 1960s and nationally—even internationally—famous during the 1970s. He is today a truly national figure by any standard … But his truly seminal contributions to the conservative movement occurred in the decade of the 1950s, and although the founding of National Review is indisputably the greatest of these, I would not hesitate to put second the impact … of his own remarkable personality.”

Source: The Rise of the Right (1984)

Keywords: biography,conservative-leadership,movement-building

Author

  • William A. Rusher (1923–2011), publisher of National Review (1957–1988), was a leading conservative spokesman, columnist, and author. He helped draft Barry Goldwater for the 1964 GOP nomination, shaping the party’s future. A Princeton and Harvard Law graduate, he served in WWII, worked in law, and advised the U.S. Senate. In 1989, he became a Distinguished Fellow at the Claremont Institute and remained active in conservative circles until his passing in 2011.

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