Buckley: witty, charming, odious
William F. Buckley has died. Witty, charming, intelligent and entirely odious in his views, Buckley is quite correctly considered the father of the modern conservative movement.
Today there are numerous obituaries remembering his many witty statements and his capacity for maintaining civility and even friendships with those with whom he disagreed. This will not be such a remembrance.
Buckley, you see, advocated that people with HIV should be tattooed on the forearm and buttocks so as to prevent the further spread of the disease. How witty!
During the civil rights movement, Buckley defended the right of white communities to impose their will in places where they were not the majority on the grounds that they were “the superior race.” How charming!
He hated the Beatles. He was good friends with Reagan. His taste, therefore, are somewhat suspect.
The position in which we find ourselves as a nation is in no small part due to the ability of Buckley to use his superficial charm and verbal adroitness to make the thuggish nature of the conservative movement seem urbane and sophisticated.
William F. Buckley is survived by his descendants: the war in Iraq, the loss of US influence and prestige and a legacy of racism and sexism. In lieu of flowers, organize.
