William F. Buckley Jr is dead at 82

[Adelante]

DUers might find this interesting, though as a conservative, Buckley wouldn't be any kind of hero here. But in his day, he was something of an original. I post this out of historic and political interest, and I don't think it's in the same category as lockable OPs, but if the mods object, I will understand.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/business/media/27cnd-buckley.html

Mr. Buckley’s winningly capricious personality, replete with ten-dollar words and a darting tongue writers loved to compare with an anteater’s, hosted one of television’s longest-running programs, “Firing Line,” and founded and shepherded the influential conservative magazine, National Review.

He also found time to write more than 45 books, ranging from sailing odysseys to spy novels to celebrations of his own dashing daily life, and edit five more.

The more than 4.5 million words of his 5,600 biweekly newspaper columns, “On the Right,” would fill 45 more medium-sized books.

Mr. Buckley’s greatest achievement was making conservatism — not just electoral Republicanism, but conservatism as a system of ideas — respectable in liberal post-World War II America. He mobilized the young enthusiasts who helped nominate Barry Goldwater in 1964, and saw his dreams fulfilled when Reagan and the Bushes captured the Oval Office.

To Mr. Buckley’s enormous delight, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., the historian, termed him “the scourge of liberalism.”

-snip

The liberal advance had begun with the New Deal, and so accelerated in the next generation that Lionel Trilling, one of America’s leading intellectuals, wrote in 1950: “In the United States at this time liberalism is not only the dominant but even the sole intellectual tradition. For it is the plain fact that there are no conservative or reactionary ideas in general circulation.”

[Unsane]

1. yay?

j/k

[Teaser]

28. Classy.

.

[bigtree]

2. .

[Arugula Latte]

3. Well ... Condolences to his family, I guess.

[terrya]

23. His son Christopher Buckley is a fine, comic writer.

I will say that.

Condolences to the family. That's all I can say about William F. Buckley.

[Avalux]

4. I have nothing nice to say about him so I won't say anything at all. n/t

[Armstead]

5. I kind of liked him

Although his ideology is bad, he at least was thoughtful about it, good humored and intellectually honest.

[Adelante]

14. I thought he was Satan when I was young

But having lived long enough to compare him with today's conservatives, he at least had charm and wit. He was a formidable intellect without question.

[Armstead]

22. He became fairly bleak and depressed in his old age

I remember seeing a long interview with him on Charlie Rose a few years ago.

He sounded very pessimistic and was not having much fun. He seemed to be ready to go back then.

I don't think old age was kind to him on a personal level.

[JVS]

6. Good. Let's hope he stays dead.

[Whisp]

7. he was a very interesting person.

I had such a love/hate thing for that guy years ago.

RIP, Mr. Buckley

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. DrugPig Limpbag is delivering the eulogy as we speak.

The only thing missing is the funeral dirge playing in the background.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. Gone to meet The Gipper

[BootinUp]

10. Of course its not to be locked. An important figure

who realized how fucked up GWB and Rove were near the end IIRC.

[marions ghost]

25. but did he have any clout then?

Wm Buckley --sorry, but :puke:

[ORDem]

11. RIP Mr. Buckley. n/t

O8)

[Occam Bandage]

12. An extraordinarily intelligent and influential man. Condolences to his family.

And may his philosophy follow him.

[WinkyDink]

13. He was brilliant, witty, charming, unique. He was one of the intellectual giants of the media, when

one could see a Buckley, a Norman Mailer, a Gore Vidal, etc., on television, instead of the pathetic loser-class of Matthews, Scarborough, Russert, men who aren't fit to shine Buckley's shoes.

This Left-winger will miss him, for who he was and for the void his passing harshly illuminates.

[wndycty]

15. The big difference between Buckley, and even Buchanan, and the majority of the current conservatives

Is the fact that Buckley and Buchanan are principled. I think Buchanan is a bigot however I see a fair amount of principle in his approach. I don't see that with the Rush Limbaugh crowd.

[Adelante]

18. That's the thing, wndy

Buckley was large and today's models are small. And it's principles (not to mention brains) that is the difference.

[wndycty]

20. Yes and you and I acknowledge or recognizing his principles are not necessarily. . .

. . .embracing those principles, just acknowledging that he had them.

[charlie]

24. Buckley was a bigot, too

In early issues of the National Review he didn't bother to temper his regard of blacks being of a lesser "race" as he did after he achieved mainstream popularity. The guy was fearsomely bright, oh-so-genteel, and yes, principled, but was still a bastard.

[Adelante]

30. Definitely a bastard, but an interesting bastard

The current bastards are just bastards.

What I would like to have seen this primary season are debates even half the quality of the old Firing Line debates.

[tishaLA]

16. When I was a kid, I used to watch that PBS debate show

and think, in my naiveté, "oh, gosh! He's so smart!"

Thank god I grew up and got an education. But I didn't hate Buckley. He was wrong, and he was a bigot, but he was still better than 95% of the members of his party.

[tomreedtoon]

17. If I may offer something positive...

Buckley was a "traditional" conservative. He really believed in smaller government. I don't believe he was ever petty or descended to the personal attacks of the Bushes, the Reagans or the other Republicans. He was polite in arguments (up until the time in 1968 when Gore Vidal insisted on taunting him, and he got rude on TV).

If he had a flaw, it was that he didn't speak out against what he knew was wrong in the Bush years.

He was what used to be called "the respected opposition." None of the current Republicans could be considered "respected," and wouldn't be fit to polish the chrome on Buckley's yacht.

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. A far better icon for the right than Coulter-Limbaugh-Beck-Hannity etc etc

[Crabby Appleton]

21. RIP Bill Buckley.

[zulchzulu]

26. I remember seeing him once in Newport, Rhode Island

It was a few years ago. There was some yacht race going on and I was hanging out with some friends watching the race when some kind of disheveled guy in a muddy Volvo station wagon got out. He was wearing baggy khaki pants and a windbreaker with a hat and shades. He walked up near us and asked a woman in our group how the race was going. He was pretty funny and hung out for a few minutes. It was William F. Buckley! He then drove off in his muddy Volvo into the main drag there...

All the best to he and his family. While I rarely agreed with him, he was a pretty interesting person to do commentary.

[stevietheman]

27. If only all political pundits, left and right, could behave as honorably.

I don't agree with much Buckley espoused, but I do agree with the way he espoused it, with reason and respect.

[TexasProgresive]

29. 35 years ago I liked him but seldom agreed with him

His well reasoned arguments for conservative ideas caused me to think more critically to support my liberal views. When I caught him on TV after sever al years of not watching him I was struck by a change in the man. He was not as clear and strong in his discussion but had become a pompas ass.

[cloudythescribbler]

31. Quibble: why is this in the Primary Election section? nt

[ElsewheresDaughter]

32. Buckley was a neocon He wrote crazed literature for the CIA to pursue operations against Latin Ameri

[johan helge]

33. He was a friend of John Kenneth Galbraith who

once remarked: "It's great to be with Bill Buckley, because you don't have to think. He takes a position and you automatically take the opposite and you know you are right!"

[shadowknows69]

34. Like him or hate him you can't deny his accomplishments

Good journey sir.