"In New York," WFB begins, "there are not two political parties, as in normal states, but four political parties." The Liberal Party is an old-timer; the Conservative Party had been founded less than a decade earlier, by, for the most part, Republicans concerned about that party's drift to the left. It was on the Conservative Party ticket that Mr. Buckley had run, four years earlier, for Mayor of New York. For this show, Firing Line's Producer, Warren Steibel, had invited representatives of the Liberal Party to appear on this show, but they had declined. In their absence, this is a genial discussion between two old comrades in arms, five years after the defeat of Nelson Rockefeller for the Republican presidential nomination, and of Barry Goldwater for the Presidency itself. WFB: "Mr. Mahoney, would you be willing to describe the circumstances that would bring you to endorse Governor Rockefeller for Governor in 1970?" JDM: "I doubt it would take long. I can't conceive of any, at this point." WFB: "Well, suppose he went to Lourdes, or something? ... Are you the forgiving type?" JDM: "We might under those circumstances, but I don't think that he's the supplicant type ..."