Reagan Showed Way on Dealing with Kooks

In the court history of the right, William F. Buckley Jr. and National Review drew the appropriate lines and defenestrated the kooks — the John Birch Society and its leader Robert Welch, the antisemites, the racists — making the right respectable to the American elite and paving the way for Ronald Reagan to win and dramatically change the course of history. And it’s true that Buckley was worried about the reputation of the movement and understandably denounced the Birchers. Russell Kirk, NR’s traditionalist conservative, also called on anyone with influence in conservatism to “renounce” the Birchers.

But the instinct is almost congenital these days. The conservative movement is full of pundits and politicians who ask other figures to name the citizens who “have no place in American politics” or “in either party.” And the ritual has to be done right. You can’t just say you “disagree” with someone; you have to specify and name the evil.

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Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is a senior writer at National Review Online.

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In the court history of the right, William F. Buckley Jr. and National Review drew the appropriate lines and defenestrated the kooks — the John Birch Society and its leader Robert Welch, the antisemites, the racists — making the right respectable to the American elite and paving the way for Ronald Reagan to win and dramatically change the course of history. And it’s true that Buckley was worried about the reputation of the movement and understandably denounced the Birchers. Russell Kirk, NR’s traditionalist conservative, also called on anyone with influence in conservatism to “renounce” the Birchers.

But the instinct is almost congenital these days. The conservative movement is full of pundits and politicians who ask other figures to name the citizens who “have no place in American politics” or “in either party.” And the ritual has to be done right. You can’t just say you “disagree” with someone; you have to specify and name the evil.