Good night, Mr. Buckley
Ward Sloane is a CBS News producer based in Washington.
Please don’t take this the wrong way.
As I read the first wires on the death of William F. Buckley this morning, I thought how appropriate that he should die during the year that the conservative movement seems fractured, a shadow of its once formidable presence.
Buckley was conservative before conservative was cool. He was brilliant, Ivy League, handsome and very, very, VERY articulate. And he was, well, so very self confident. All of his talent and style combined to rebirth the moribund conservative movement in this country. From his founding of the National Review to the day he stepped down from moderating his signature talk show, “Firing Line.” It is fair to say that Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich all owe their place in American history to the man who once famously wrote that he didn’t know anyone smarter than himself.
Ronald Reagan was the man who is most associated with making the “L-word,” that is, Liberal, a dirty word. But it was Buckley who first started mocking and ridiculing liberals as being out of touch with mainstream America. Eventually he demonstrated through thoughtful and forceful debate that conservatism could not only survive, but thrive in the American marketplace of ideas. There are others who contributed, but Buckley was the vanguard.
In a way, it’s sad that people like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage are today’s mouthpieces for conservatism. What a far leap they are from the quick witted and smart Buckley. I think it’s fair to say that even Buckley’s ideological enemies admired him and respected him. That’s because Buckley was not a hate monger; he was a serious-minded person who made reasoned and rational arguments for his cause. No apologies to Limbaugh, Savage or their listeners and adherents—they are no substitute for Buckley’s class and intellectualism.
The conservative movement in this country is badly in need of somebody who can make a point without demeaning and demonizing liberals and moderates. Surely there are better “uniters” than Ann Coulter or Bill O’Reilly. Are there any conservatives who think that the Limbaugh-ization of conservatism may have something to do with its fractiousness? After all, one man’s hate is not necessarily another’s. This is not William F. Buckley’s conservatism.
The inability of conservatives to unite around a candidate before the primaries started this year is testament to the decline of the right. By the time Mitt Romney became the candidate, it was too late. Even he couldn’t unite the right. In 2000, conservatives overcame misgivings about George W. Bush’s lukewarm anti-abortion rights stand to unite around one candidate. If he were running this year, I doubt he could turn that trick again.
Good night, Mr. Buckley.
(AP Photo/Lou Krasky)
As I read the first wires on the death of William F. Buckley this morning, I thought how appropriate that he should die during the year that the conservative movement seems fractured, a shadow of its once formidable presence.
Buckley was conservative before conservative was cool. He was brilliant, Ivy League, handsome and very, very, VERY articulate. And he was, well, so very self confident. All of his talent and style combined to rebirth the moribund conservative movement in this country. From his founding of the National Review to the day he stepped down from moderating his signature talk show, “Firing Line.” It is fair to say that Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Newt Gingrich all owe their place in American history to the man who once famously wrote that he didn’t know anyone smarter than himself.
Ronald Reagan was the man who is most associated with making the “L-word,” that is, Liberal, a dirty word. But it was Buckley who first started mocking and ridiculing liberals as being out of touch with mainstream America. Eventually he demonstrated through thoughtful and forceful debate that conservatism could not only survive, but thrive in the American marketplace of ideas. There are others who contributed, but Buckley was the vanguard.
In a way, it’s sad that people like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage are today’s mouthpieces for conservatism. What a far leap they are from the quick witted and smart Buckley. I think it’s fair to say that even Buckley’s ideological enemies admired him and respected him. That’s because Buckley was not a hate monger; he was a serious-minded person who made reasoned and rational arguments for his cause. No apologies to Limbaugh, Savage or their listeners and adherents—they are no substitute for Buckley’s class and intellectualism.
The conservative movement in this country is badly in need of somebody who can make a point without demeaning and demonizing liberals and moderates. Surely there are better “uniters” than Ann Coulter or Bill O’Reilly. Are there any conservatives who think that the Limbaugh-ization of conservatism may have something to do with its fractiousness? After all, one man’s hate is not necessarily another’s. This is not William F. Buckley’s conservatism.
The inability of conservatives to unite around a candidate before the primaries started this year is testament to the decline of the right. By the time Mitt Romney became the candidate, it was too late. Even he couldn’t unite the right. In 2000, conservatives overcame misgivings about George W. Bush’s lukewarm anti-abortion rights stand to unite around one candidate. If he were running this year, I doubt he could turn that trick again.
Good night, Mr. Buckley.
The secrets of tennis legend 
He gave his opinion, thats all. The hate mongering and idiocraty is poeple like Obama ashamed of someone using his middle name. Buckley was a great man who gave OPINIONS based on FACTS. The decisive baseless mud slinging by so many mindless people taking sides via the media line of demarkation. No sir, you are wrong. Do your homework and give some basis before you throw things out there like they do in the times.
I have to admit though, I think your post is entirely too complimentary to Buckley. The only difference between Limbaugh and Buckley is that Buckley had a better vocabulary.
but heres the thing. The war at the top (government) has gotten so out of control, we the people have been phased out. I would love to hear some honesty. We dont need change we need structure, we dont need hope, we need accountability. This country is a giant toilet waiting to be flushed by dems and rep''s alike. At what point do we get our country back
Now that is conservatism.
Without Buckley there would have been no Goldwater, no Reagan, and no America as liberals and their incredibly ruinous polices would have destroyed this country - as they still aim to do this day.
Now that is conservatism.
Without Buckley there would have been no Goldwater, no Reagan, and no America as liberals and their incredibly ruinous polices would have destroyed this country - as they still aim to do this day.
Oh and skeezix, you don''t know jacksxxx about Buckley.
Rest in peace, William Buckley, srest in peace.
Rest in peace, William Buckley, srest in peace.
The voices from the left and right today are sad pale fractious things compared to the oratory of anyone with style. And Buckley had style. The both of you, one from each camp, should learn to listen before you embarrass yourself by speaking.
And bullfrog? I don''t give a flyin'' flip what you think of me.
Farrakhan: %u201CMurder and lying comes easy for white people.%u201D
Howard Dean: %u201CI hate the Republicans and everything they stand for.%u201D
Charlie Brooker, re: Bush: %u201CJohn Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr. -where are you now that we need you?%u201D
Markos Moulitsas: %u201CI feel nothing over the death of merceneries [sic]. They aren%u2019t in Iraq because of orders...They are there to wage war for profit. Screw them.%u201D
Duncan %u201CAtrios%u201D Black: %u201C[M]y take on The Note has always been, with apologies to Douglas Adams: A bunch of mindless jerks who will be first up against the wall when the revolution comes.%u201D
Tony Hendra: %u201CLord, give *** Cheney%u2019s Heart, Our Sacred Secret Weapon, the strength to try one more time! For greater love hath no heart than that it lay down its life to rid the planet of its Number One Human Tumor.%u201D
Cindy Sheehan: %u201CWe are not waging a war on terror in this country. We%u2019re waging a war of terror. The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush!%u201D
Chris Rock: %u201CIf President Clinton would pardon me I would whip Starr%u2019s *** right now.%u201D
Director Spike Lee on Charlton Heston: %u201CShoot him with a .44 caliber Bulldog.%u201D
James Carville on Ken Starr: %u201CHe%u2019s one more mistake away from not having any kneecaps.%u201D
He would have been more accurate to say: "The liberal movement in this country is badly in need of somebody who can make a point without demeaning and demonizing conservatives."
How hateful is it to use the occasion of a person''s death as an opportunity to bash conservatives?
- by skeezix06 February 27, 2008 6:11 PM EST
- He wasn''t a hate monger but he made liberal a dirty word? That''s a total contradiction. Someone like Buckley may have had higher IQ, larger vocabulary, and smoother delivery; that doesn''t make what he said right or even acceptable.
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See all 18 CommentsI''m sorry. You''re wrong.