William F. Buckley Dies at 82

A proper thread, unlike others.

A Very Liberal Source You'll All Discredit

Quote:

National Review founder, former Firing Line host, novelist, former CIA agent, failed mayoral candidate, Gore Vidal sparring partner, political pundit, erudite essayist, accomplished harpsichordist, favorite Tonight Show guest, and voice of a breed of Libertarian conservatism that became increasingly obsolete in the face of neocon hawkishness--William F. Buckley, Jr. was all of these things and more, and today he died at the age of 82. While Buckley's early positions on segregation (he once wrote that "the white community...for the time being, it is the advanced race"), his belief in nuclear war as a deterrent, and his general air of blue-blazered, Received Pronunciation priggishness often made him difficult to like, Buckley's open-minded ideology (a "true conservative," he famously favored the legalization of drugs) and educated, engaging approach made him a truly respectable liberal foe--particularly considering the dumbed-down Coulter/Hannity/Limbaugh spawn swimming in his wake. In honor of our mixed feelings about Buckley's passing, please enjoy one of Buckley's most famous Firing Line interviews with Allen Ginsberg, as recreated by sock puppets.

CNN's coverage, if you swing that way.

So then, not only what did you think of Buckley, what do you think of the relative "dumbing down" of the American conservative? Is there some kind of metaphorical implication here about the death of practical conservatism?

Well, it is sad to see a smart conservative go, someone who understands the value-based nature of his claims. But, people have been getting their conservative views from idiots for years so his death really doesn't change much--and there are plenty of smart conservatives alive today in academia and think tanks. But, in a world where millions listen to all 3 hours of Rush Limbaugh's show (or, I should say, all 1 hour of show and 2 hours of commercials) his death is just a headline.