Sam Tanenhaus on The Death of Conservatism

Sam Tanenhaus is the editor of The New York Times Book Review and the author, most recently, of The Death of Conservatism, a controversial new book which argues that the contemporary right has forsaken the intellectual rigor and seriousness of William F. Buckley and Whittaker Chambers in favor of shallow partisan politics.

On September 8, Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie sat down with Tanenhaus before he delivered a talk at Washington's American Enterprise Institute. "What conservatism has lost," says Tanenhaus, "is the capacity to elevate the argument. The genius of Buckley was that he made liberals think and write better."

Approximately 8.30 minutes. Shot by Meredith Bragg and Dan Hayes. Edited by Dan Hayes.