William F. Buckley (1925-2008) R.I.P

One of the great leaders of Conservatism died yesterday at his home in New York. I don’t know much about Bill Buckley, but I know that he influenced some of the greatest public servants of our time. People such as Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater wouldn’t have been able to have done what they did without Bill Buckley. He started National Review when he was 29, in 1955. He is an inspiration to me, and I think that all bloggers who claim to care about the conservative movement should aspire to be like him.

Godspeed, WFB.

Subscribe To: “The Search For Freedom”

What’s Up With National Review?

What is wrong with National Review? I’ve only been a subscriber for a short while, but their views on the Republican presidential nomination are completely bogus. They constantly praise John McCain, when his senate record doesn’t coincide with anything that they seem to adhere to. I have seen Sam Brownback praised from within their pages, but Mike Huckabee ? I have seen nothing but negative remarks from them concerning his campaign. Let’s take a look at what they have to say.

“Unfortunately, what Huckabee offers by way of solutions is a mixture of populism and big-government liberalism; the common theme of his policies is that they are half-baked.” (“Right Questions, Wrong Answers” Editorial, 11-19-07)

Also, ” When he was governor of Arkansas, these instincts led Huckabee to move farther and farther in a statist direction.”

How do I respond to this? First, National Review claims that Huckabee’s proposed policy is both populist and big-government liberalism. That’s impossible, the two don’t mix. According to the third edition of “The American Heritage Dictionary” the definition of populism is as follows; ( Populism= A political philosophy opposing the concentration of power in the hands of corporations, the government, and the rich.) That sounds pretty good to me. A small dose of populism could be just the type of refreshment that the Republican platform has so desperately needed.

This of course isn’t to say that every one of Mike Huckabee’s positions is infallible. To tell the truth, I disagree with him on a number of things, but I write this just to express my disappointment with the editors of National Review. Why do they return to status-quo candidates when a conservative such as Huckabee is running on a platform of change? It seems like a no-brainer.

Subscribe To: “The Search For Freedom”