Steve Myers’ Campaign Reminds Conservatives Of William Buckley’s 1965 Race for NYC Mayor

Buckley Paved Way For Conservative Victories, Creation of Fox News Network

by Woody Jenkins, editor

BATON ROUGE — The unorthodox campaign for Mayor-President being waged by attorney Steve Myers is certainly gaining a lot of attention.  The timing seems right for his message of less government and lower taxes.

Myers is probably more “libertarian” than “conservative,” but his outspoken intellectual attack on big government reminds many conservatives of the historic campaign for Mayor of New York City waged by William Buckley in 1965.

Buckley and Myers share a passion for words, and both were publishers.  Buckley owned National Review, the nation’s most influential conservative publication for decades.  Myers published Tiger Rag, not a philosophical journal but one  with a large following in this LSU Tiger-crazy city.

Buckley, who ultimately received only 13.4 percent of the vote against liberal Republican John Lindsey and Democrat Abraham Beame, nevertheless had an enormous effect not only on New York City but on the entire nation.

He articulated the conservative message in such an intriguing and convincing way that he rallied a generation of conservative youth to the cause.

His candidacy helped launch the Conservative Party in New York as an important force in the state.  A few years later, his brother Jim Buckley was elected to the United States Senate from New York State on the Conservative Party line.  The Reagan Administration was populated with many individuals who were inspired to political action by Buckley and his coherent, consistent small government message.

Like Buckley, Myers is struggling to get his message to the people and to have them take his candidacy seriously.

But, if people do start listening, Myers could become a serious factor in the race for Mayor-President. And, like Buckley, he could lay the intellectual foundation for a new generation of conservative youth.

It is encouraging to see a capable man running for high public office — one who is not afraid to speak the truth and “tell it like it is.”