Reflections on Matthew Continetti’s Seminar on The History of American Conservatism
The Buckley Program hosted Matthew Continetti for a seminar series on the History of American Conservatism from October 1st to 15th. Mr. Continetti is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. A prominent journalist, analyst, author, and intellectual historian of the right, Mr. Continetti was the founding editor and the editor-in-chief of The Washington…
Reflection on Professor Patrick Deneen’s Seminar on the Mixed Constitution
The Buckley Program hosted Professor Patrick Deneen for a seminar series from March 12th to 26th. The seminar was titled “Reviving the Mixed Constitution: How to Overcome the Elite-Populist Divide.” Patrick Deneen is Professor of Political Science and holds the David A. Potenziani Memorial Chair of Constitutional Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He…
Reflection on Dr. Auslin’s Seminar on the Turbulent Pacific
The Buckley Program hosted Dr. Michael Auslin for a seminar series on the Turbulent Pacific from February 12th to 26th. Michael Auslin, PhD, is the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow in Contemporary Asia at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. A historian by training, he specializes in US policy in Asia and geopolitical issues in…
Do You Know the Name of Your Representative?
By Hovik Minasyan What is the name of your state senator? How about your councilmember? I dare say most Americans cannot name a single local representative. This is a massive problem. The roads in your city, the schools that your kids go to, and sales tax that you pay are all decided at the local…
Reflections on Marriage Debate
Why has America retreated from marriage? Because marriage requires stability, trust, and commitment to partnership above all.
Reflections on Mona Charen
“The fascinating discussion lamented the loss of chivalry, explored the dark side of the liberal feminist movement, and taught us all that equality does not mean ignoring differences, it means celebrating them.”
We Live in Strange Times
“Pride is a fundamental flaw of humanity and socialism will always tempt a proud few to its cause. As such, socialism will never completely disappear nor should we be surprised at its revivals.”
Reflection on Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn at 100
“In lieu of a simple overview of the author’s life and achievements, experts Jay Nordlinger and Daniel Mahoney balanced interesting facts on Solzhenitsyn and personal anecdotes about their own experiences with his work…by understanding Solzhenitsyn, first and foremost, as another human being rather than just an artistic genius, they added a new dimension to his…
Reflection on a Semester with Dr. Steven Hayward
“Perhaps the best method of achieving a ‘repristination’ of modern conservatism, as Bill Buckley called it, is exactly what Dr. Hayward’s seminar set out to do: read, think, debate, and, most importantly, listen.”
Reflection on Dr. Art Laffer
“In [Dr. Laffer’s] eyes, the United States is still the most free-trade nation in the world; however, he believes a world with no trade barriers would be most beneficial for economic prosperity.”
Firing Line Debate on Gun Control: A Conversation with the Legal Minds of D.C. v. Heller
“From the very beginning, however, it was clear that these two intellectuals refused to succumb to the lesser angels of our present politics. Though their legal positions in Heller might have been antithetical, the two began their interviews, conducted separately, expressing a nearly identical sentiment: litigation is not the solution.”
Oren Cass on “Overheated” Climate Change Coverage
“Mr. Cass’ general view on climate change can be summarized as the following: it is happening and humans are causing it, but it is not as serious or urgent an issue as most people believe…the slight warming of the globe over a long period of time will be something humans can easily deal with, and…
Recommendations from AEI’s Dr. Roslyn Layton
AEI Scholar Roslyn Layton, recent guest of the Buckley Program and expert on Net Neutrality and digital privacy issues, provided this reading list for fellows including articles, blogs, podcasts, and book recommendations!
Professor Jack Goldsmith on Executive Power and Current Concerns
“…a great conversation about not only the state of politics but how the history of presidential power and restraint can help us better understand an often confusing administration.”
JEB: A Classical Conservative
“For Bush, conservatism strives to create a future by learning from the lessons of the past. ‘If there was ever need for a Bill Buckley-like approach to transforming conservatism in this country, it is right now,’ Bush noted, pointing to William F. Buckley, Jr.’s trademark brand of intellectual, no-nonsense debate. ‘When there is a breakdown…
Engagement is not Agreement: Thoughts on Governor Bush and the Buckley Program
“The Buckley Program is not a group of radical, ill-intentioned Conservatives trying to stay relevant through sensationalizing trivial news, but rather a group of conscientious and pragmatic thinkers who seek truth in a complex society—much as all Yalies are here to do.”
Restoring Civility with Governor Jeb Bush
“[Governor Bush] highlighted that ‘our politics mirror culture.’ In his eyes, insults took precedence in 2016 not just as a result of the actions of our politicians, but because the culture of America condoned and even endorsed them.”
Professor Samuel J. Abrams on Viewpoint Diversity and Faculty Activism
“Universities in particular, as opposed to the rest of the world, are supposed to be “safe spaces” where ideas can be vigorously debated. This is where that social progress occurs…by suppressing this here, we are stunting our social progress.”
Erica Komisar on the Politicization of Motherhood
In short, was the disagreement about facts, or about values? Erica responded that when people do not want to hear a message, they do not hear it. One implication of her message is that society is not putting the needs of children first. Pointing this out makes some people uncomfortable. Another implication of her message,…
Penn Law Professor Amy Wax on Birth Control and Marriage
Amy Wax ’75, the Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, addressed Buckley Fellows and guests on October 26th on the topic of “What Is Happening to the Family and Why?”. The following is one Fellow’s reflection on her talk. Birth control destroyed marriage, according to Amy Wax (who cites Cheap…
Firing Line Debate on Brexit: James Kirchick and Dr. Nile Gardiner
On Tuesday, October 3rd, the Buckley Program hosted a Firing Line Debate on Brexit with James Kirchick and Dr. Nile Gardiner. James Kirchick, of the Brookings Institution, is the author of The End of Europe. Dr. Nile Gardiner, of the Heritage Foundation, is a former aid to Lady Thatcher. The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity. By:…
Reflection on event with Dr. Veuger, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute
By: Blake Dixon Last week, Dr. Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute and Ms. Rachel West of the Center for American Progress engaged in a spirited debate before members of the Yale community. The debate centered on the proper role for minimum wages in the labor market. As a Buckley Fellow, I was given…
Reflection on event with Charlie Spies, former counsel to the Romney Campaign
Charles Spies, campaign finance lawyer and co-founder of the Pro-Romney Restore Our Future super PAC, came to speak at an event jointly hosted by the Buckley Program and The Politic magazine on November 28th, 2016. By: Zach Young I enjoyed getting the chance to hear Charlie Spies, former counsel to the Romney Campaign, discuss issues about the influence of political…
Reflections on The Buckley Program’s Annual Fall Conference
This October, the Buckley Program hosted its sixth annual conference and gala on the future of the American political party system. Below are two brief reflections written by current undergraduate students. Andreas Ravichandran, ES ’19 Yale can often be a politically homogenous place, filled with students and faculty that dogmatically espouse a uniformly liberal philosophy that stymies…
Reflection on The Buckley Program’s Fall 2016
Reflection on American Parties: The Problem of Purity By Pedro Enamorado When people ask about your politics, do you respond with “Conservative,” or “Republican?” Half a decade ago, the common answer would have been the latter, but today many will answer with the former. The William F. Buckley Program’s Sixth Annual Conference tackled the…
Reflections on Syrian Refugee Debate
By Pedro Enamorado Reflections on our Event: Syrian Refugees in the US: A Humanitarian Obligation or a National Security Threat? As a Christian Conservative, I regret to say I hadn’t give the Syrian refugee crisis enough thought. The cause of the refugee and the immigrant is dear to me, especially as I am the son of Honduran…
Reflections on “Defection in the 2016 Election”
Reflection on the Exodus from the Establishment By Pedro Enamorado An uncommon election year awaits us. How are we to make sense of the unexpected rise of highly polarized, non-establishment candidates? This past Wednesday, the William F. Buckley Jr. Program held an event called Defection in the 2016 Election: Sanders, Trump and the Exodus from the establishment” to…
A Reflection on Peter Collier’s Seminar
Overview Last Friday the Buckley Program welcomed Peter Collier to campus to speak with fourteen Buckley fellows over a lunch at Mory’s. Mr. Collier was invited by the Buckley Program to talk about his book Political Woman: The Big Little Life of Jeane Kirkpatrick but provided many interesting insights regarding the modern day political spectrum.…
Reflections on Christina Hoff Sommers
The Buckley Program’s recent guest speaker, Christina Hoff Sommers, gave a lecture on her vision for “freedom” feminism, and sparked an important conversation around campus about feminism and women’s rights. In the hopes of providing a small snapshot of this reaction, The Beacon features both an opinion piece of a current Buckley fellow, Karina Kovalcik, and…
On the Poverty Conference: Part II
This is the second post in a three part series aimed at summarizing some of the arguments made at Notre Dame during the Center for Ethics and Culture’s 15th annual conference, this year on poverty. You can read my first post here. In the following post, I’d like to elaborate on the ways in which…
On the Poverty Conference: Part I
Child poverty is not all about the money. It is about parenting, love, and engagement with the child. Children growing up in rough, dangerous neighborhoods often do grow up to live middle class lives and better. The cycle of poverty is perpetuated not by material poverty but by a poverty of spirit or love. Heckman…
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