1) There is nothing wrong with nostalgia every now and then.
2)Conservatives are genuinely lacking strong leadership right now.
3) The period of the "conservative movement" from the late 1950s into the 1980s was a special time in which the genius of figures like Buckley and Reagan had an impact on American culture in a way which you do not exactly see repeated by certain so-called "conservatives" right now.
4) Some would argue (and have argued) that the old National Review had a conservative edge which has been tamed to some degree. American society has also changed, so the culture that produced Buckley and Reagan has also been disappearing. That is more obviously the case for the Catholic Buckley as the Church has changed even more dramatically. It would be an understatement to say that, at least as far as conservative matters go, things have gotten a little less coherent and a little strange on the Right in church circles. Leadership is lacking there as well. If there is a voice one could point to there who immediately generates an audience, it would be interesting to know the name.
The next conservative will need the Catholic vote.
Will he get it?