Waiting for Ronnie

We liken the mood of your nation’s capital to the mood of Greater New York in November of 1970. In that dark hour for the Republic, a moment of electoral aberration in which James Lane (Fangs) Buckley was elected to the United States Senate, the suburban daily Newsday epitomized the icy fear that gripped the metropolis. “It crept in during the night . . .” began Newsday’s day-after election report. The story went on in a prose style usually reserved for promoting drive-in movies. To Newsday’s half-million readers, mild-mannered Jim Buckley became The Creature That Ate New York.

We were reminded of this great moment in journalism by recent coverage of the Reagan campaign. It has changed, we note, from casual disdain to agitated concern, from a smirk to a growl. The Reagan campaign, just another road show a few months ago, has become The Problem That Won’t Go Away. The premonition has crept into Chevy Chase that Ronald Reagan just might be our next President.

About the Author

Neal B. Freeman

Neal B. Freeman, businessman and journalist, was a director of National Review Inc. for 38 years.

We liken the mood of your nation’s capital to the mood of Greater New York in November of 1970. In that dark hour for the Republic, a moment of electoral aberration in which James Lane (Fangs) Buckley was elected to the United States Senate, the suburban daily Newsday epitomized the icy fear that gripped the metropolis. “It crept in during the night . . .” began Newsday’s day-after election report. The story went on in a prose style usually reserved for promoting drive-in movies. To Newsday’s half-million readers, mild-mannered Jim Buckley became The Creature That Ate New York.

We were reminded of this great moment in journalism by recent coverage of the Reagan campaign. It has changed, we note, from casual disdain to agitated concern, from a smirk to a growl. The Reagan campaign, just another road show a few months ago, has become The Problem That Won’t Go Away. The premonition has crept into Chevy Chase that Ronald Reagan just might be our next President.