Requiescat In Pace, William F. Buckley
Posted by: Jubal | 02/27/2008 12:22 PM
It's time for all conservatives to take a moment and acknowledge their debt, known or unknown, to William F. Buckley, the intellectual godfather of American conservatism, who passed from this vale of tears today at the age of 82.The website of the magazine he founded, National Review, is the place to go to read the tributes.
My late father introduced me to National Review when I was a teenager. "When you read it, you wouldn't think you''re reading about the same issues and events you read about in the newspaper," he said, referring to its analysis of politics through the prism of conservative philosophy.
That introduction was instrumental in my formation as a political conservative, and for that I thank my Dad and William F. Buckley.
Mr. Ayer registered as a Republican to be electable in an interim election with no incumbents. He did...
WFB's lasting legacy will be the rise of conservativism, but I hope people also remember the sheer talent of his craft. Didn't always agree with him, but the man's words leaped off pages and lecterns as few before him or since.
Who else's show had as its theme tune a Brandenburg Concerto? No one, that's who.
Buckley was certainly an intellectual pioneer for conservatives in the pre-Heritage Foundation Days. While I didn't always agree with him I appreciated his measured approach. He would try to overwhelm liberals with intellect rather then sleaze and hate that permiates much of talk radio and some of the TV .
A worthy opponent, amen.
I got my first subscription to National Review in 1966 about the same time I received a gift subscription to New Republic. NR stuck... the New Republic stopped coming to my home in 1970. I have read many of WFB's books and am currently working my way through "Cancel your own damn subscription", a wonderful anthology of WFB correspondence. I miss him already.
Dear Gustavo:
I hope you’ll find this question even if this post is a few days old. Who would you consider to be William W. Buckley’s liberal counterpart? “measured approach. Intellect” etc… Who on your side of the fence, when they die, will have the same “loved by his enemies” “intellectual” and on… obituary?
It’s a sincere question I hope you’ll answer.
To pick a fight at a funeral- this shallow praise of Buckley by liberals seems pretty transparent. Their praise appears to me to be a conniving attempt to backhand the likes of current talk radio conservative God Heads Limbaugh & Hannity. Buckley had the luxury of being smooth cool and seemingly above the fray because he had no one to compete against in such a vast and wide media spectrum. He was on one of the four channels on TV when I was a kid- he was on the Sesame Street Channel. I am afraid his voice could have been lost in today’s media market. All week liberals have been falling over themselves to praise him because he isn’t like the uncouth Limbaugh. Buckley understood and praised Rush for who he was and the role he played.
But I digress – If you see this please tell me who on your side (non elected movement type) would be widely admired for their gentlemanly nature and towering intellect by conservative?