The Future of Liberty

Neal B. Freeman on America's Conservative Movement

May 13, 2025
Neal B. Freeman, an influential author and broadcaster, shares his transformative journey within modern American conservatism. He reflects on his early experiences at National Review with William F. Buckley, navigating the complex debates of the Iraq War. Freeman discusses ideological exclusions in the late 1950s, the tension between liberty and government intervention, and the future of public broadcasting. He emphasizes the role of faith and virtue in preserving freedom, calling on younger generations to uphold these ideals in shaping America's future.
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ANECDOTE

Neal's Leap to National Review

  • Neal B. Freeman narrates quitting his stable job at Doubleday to join William F. Buckley's National Review after an inspiring all-night conversation.
  • The night convinced him to join a movement aiming to reshape American conservatism profoundly and politically.
INSIGHT

Birth of Conservative Movement

  • Early American conservatism was a tiny, close-knit, revolutionary core struggling against a centrist Republican and left-leaning Democrat dichotomy.
  • National Review crafted conservatism week by week through tough editorial debates among leading thinkers like Buckley, Burnham, and Meyer.
INSIGHT

Buckley's Lasting Conservative Legacy

  • William F. Buckley created American conservatism as a fighting faith, prioritizing political success over pure academia.
  • From 1964 to 2012, every Republican presidential nominee was either a Buckley conservative or pretended to be one.
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