Portrait of William F. Buckley Jr.
Right · Thinker or writer · From history

William F. Buckley Jr.

American author and commentator, 1925 to 2008

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Founded National Review and a conservatism that fused free markets, anticommunism and tradition, and hosted the interview show Firing Line for more than three decades.

William F. Buckley Jr. sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: strongly free market and leaning authoritarian. The clearest positions are strongly traditional on culture, strongly strength-first on war and peace and strongly religious on religion.

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Where William F. Buckley Jr. sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomyStrongly free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityLeaning authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureStrongly traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationLeaning nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentLeaning growth-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceStrongly strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionStrongly religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismStrongly interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like William F. Buckley Jr.

Mike Pence US Vice President, 2017 to 202199%Ben Shapiro American conservative commentator99%George W. Bush US President, 2001 to 200999%Álvaro Uribe President of Colombia, 2002 to 201099%José María Aznar Prime Minister of Spain, 1996 to 200499%John Howard Prime Minister of Australia, 1996 to 200798%Scott Morrison Prime Minister of Australia, 2018 to 202298%Shinzo Abe Prime Minister of Japan, 2006 to 2007 and 2012 to 202098%

People furthest from William F. Buckley Jr.

Emma Goldman Russian-born anarchist and writer, 1869 to 19401%John Lennon British musician and peace activist, 1940 to 19801%Murray Bookchin American social theorist, 1921 to 20061%Peter Kropotkin Russian anarchist and naturalist, 1842 to 19211%

Political views closest to William F. Buckley Jr.

NeoconservatismPairs free markets and traditional values with an assertive, democracy-promoting foreign…98%Thatcherism and ReaganismFree-market economics, tax cuts, deregulation and a firm stance toward the Soviet Union.95%FusionismBlends free-market and small-government ideas with traditional social values and a…95%Liberal conservatismCombines free markets and limited government with respect for institutions, tradition…92%

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Biographies of William F. Buckley Jr.Books on neoconservatism

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.