Buckley vs. Vidal, 1968
The background: ABC News hired Mr. Buckley and Mr. Vidal to provide political commentary and discussion during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The “discussions” were moderated by Howard K. Smith, a respected ABC News reporter. ABC News, Mr. Smith, and the viewing audience received far more than they bargained for in 1968, as the police riot outside was mirrored by the contentious debates on the convention floor and in the ABC booth, where Mr. Buckley and Mr. Vidal engaged in a no-holds-barred political and intellectual duel (which sometimes degenerated into simple name calling).
In the 1950s, Mr. Buckley was the man who asserted, “A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling “Stop!” at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.” He spent his career supporting conservative causes with his pen, speech, and deep pocketbook. He was best known as a writer of nonfiction, including God and Man at Yale and McCarthy and His Enemies, in which defends the brutal anti-communist tactics of Joseph McCarthy. Mr. Buckley founded the still-influential conservative magazine, The National Review, and he was the host of a long-running TV show, Firing Line.
Mr. Vidal was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and political commentator. He’s probably best known for his nonfiction works, of which there is a long list, but his novels, especially Burr, Lincoln, and Empire were also popular. Mr. Vidal made an unsuccessful bid for a U.S. House seat in 1960; later, in 1982, he ran in and lost a primary against Democratic governor Jerry Brown for a California U.S. seat. Mr. Gore was involved on the margins Democratic Party politics for much of his life. In addition to his dislike of Mr. Buckley, Mr. Vidal famously feuded with the writers Truman Capote and Normal Mailer.
Mr. Buckley and Mr. Vidal had a life-long antipathy toward each other. This is perhaps best summarized in a moment of the Buckley-Vidal debates when this exchange occurred:
Vidal: “As far as I’m concerned, the only sort of pro-crypto-Nazi I can think of is yourself.”
Buckley: “Now listen, you queer. Stop calling me a crypto-Nazi, or I’ll sock you in the goddamn face, and you’ll stay plastered.”
Upon hearing of Mr. Buckley’s death in 2008, Mr. Vidal remarked, “I thought hell is bound to be a livelier place, as he joins, forever, those whom he served in life, applauding their prejudices and fanning their hatred.”
You can find pieces of the Buckley-Vidal debate online, but not the entire series. There is a documentary available for streaming, The Best of Enemies, clips of which are available on PBS.
A good transcript of the debates exists: Buckley Vs. Vidal: The Historic 1968 ABC News Debates, by William F. Buckley Jr., Gore Vidal, introduced by Robert Gordon. What’s nice about the transcript is that you discover quips and comments that were muffled in the various online clips, plus you develop a sense of all the debates, not just those famous for their vituperation.
A good summary article, with background information, is Michael Lind’s August 24, 2015 piece for Politico, Buckley vs. Vidal: The Real Story.
