Conservatives reacted to news of the death of world-renowned economist Walter E. Williams, with radio host Mark Levin describing it as a “punch in the gut.”
“Wow, what a punch in the gut,” Levin tweeted following reports of Williams’s death at age 84 on Wednesday. “I am told that one of my heroes, Dr. Walter Williams, passed away. Walter had an enormous influence on me, from the time I was 13-years old; he was my first guest on Life, Liberty & Levin. I’ll discuss more tonight on radio.”
Wow, what a punch in the gut. I am told that one of my heroes, Dr. Walter Williams, passed away. Walter had an enormous influence on me, from the time I was 13-years old; he was my first guest on Life, Liberty & Levin. I’ll discuss more tonight on radio.
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) December 2, 2020
Conservatives across the country have commented on Williams’s death, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who called the late economist “legendary.”
“Very sad news,” Cruz tweeted. “Walter Williams was legendary. He was brilliant, incisive, witty, and profound. I grew up reading him, and he was a ferocious defender of free markets and a powerful explainer of the virtues of Liberty.”
Very sad news. Walter Williams was legendary. He was brilliant, incisive, witty, and profound. I grew up reading him, and he was a ferocious defender of free markets and a powerful explainer of the virtues of Liberty. https://t.co/DrwZo5yxqR
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 2, 2020
“I was introduced to Walter Williams’ work as a college newspaper writer & editor at Dartmouth,” attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon tweeted. “Our own professors were peddling Marxist propaganda, but we took inspiration from Williams’ writing and commentary. He was truly an inspiration and a hero to me. RIP to legend.”
I was introduced to Walter Williams’ work as a college newspaper writer & editor at Dartmouth. Our own professors were peddling Marxist propaganda, but we took inspiration from Williams’ writing and commentary. He was truly an inspiration and a hero to me. RIP to legend. ??
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) December 2, 2020
“Walter Williams was an American hero,” the Heritage Foundation tweeted. “Born in poverty, raised by a single mother in the projects of North Philadelphia, a college drop-out, he overcame all types of adversity to become a nationally renowned professor, economist and columnist.”
Walter Williams was an American hero.
Born in poverty, raised by a single mother in the projects of North Philadelphia, a college drop-out, he overcame all types of adversity to become a nationally renowned professor, economist and columnist. https://t.co/LKWo6ZMv4Z
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) December 2, 2020
Williams, known as a champion of free market economics and capitalism, often wrote about the topic of racism and published hundreds of research papers and scholarly articles. He also wrote several books, including The State Against Blacks and America: A Minority Viewpoint, which was turned into a PBS documentary.
“The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn’t do, what Jim Crow couldn’t do, what the harshest racism couldn’t do,” Williams once said. “And that is to destroy the black family.”
