Posted on 10/11/2008 3:14:03 PM PDT by Urbane_Guerilla
I respectfully disagree. WFB was a rara avis. It was not an English accent he had. It was his accent. He was a performer, no doubt. His accent was part of his performance. Buckley was the Ann Coulter of his time mutatis mutandis (although far more consequential).Naaah... Coulter and WFB as close to polar opposites as you can get. Anne is an entertainer, she says a lot of stuff but she really doesn't believe much of it(look into her personal life if you don't believe me). WFB was all about being a public intellectual and the "alpha male" of his particular jet set. That's why he did all the cruise stuff. That's also why he quietly fired anybody at the NR that might outshine him too.
Wrong.
Buckley didn't fancy himself an aristocrat, and there wouldn't be any FRee Republic -- or any other modern conservative institutions -- if it hadn't been for him.
His accent resulted from the fact that he learned English in France, at the age of seven. He was born in Mexico. His first language was Spanish, and his second was French.
Wrong.Trust me. WFB was perfectly able to speak unaccented American English. He was more interested in sounding upper class and smart.Buckley didn't fancy himself an aristocrat, and there wouldn't be any FRee Republic -- or any other modern conservative institutions -- if it hadn't been for him.
His accent resulted from the fact that he learned English in France, at the age of seven. He was born in Mexico. His first language was Spanish, and his second was French.
Not in the least.
Not in the least.Ooooh... consider me zinged.
William Buckley was just 2 years younger than his brother James (N.Y. Senator, 1971-77), who spoke with no noticeable accent. Both were born in New York City.
If it helps any, I agree with you. :) Could never stand the phony way he spoke.
Buckley fils is typical third-generation trust fund trash. One of his stated reasons for supporting 0bama is that he is a Harvard Man, and another is his horror at Palin's gaucherie. So his support is simply a matter of class judgment. His smarm will earn him plaudits among the social circle in which he considers himself a member. But his position of privilege is built on his grandfather's oil money, and oil is dirty.
I hope you're correct. But, my money's on the establishment's continuing its leftward slither. Never before have I seen such a gulf between it and its rand-and-file.
So what?
Mr. Buckley at a press conference in 1965. His 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.
If it helps any, I agree with you. :) Could never stand the phony way he spoke.thanks :)
What a sad and disturbing article. Obviously the “predeceased” part is some legal lingo, but the sentiment stinks.
And as for Christopher, my goodness, and I suppose he thinks he’s got couth!
Since his father died Christopher is probably not getting invited to the fancy parties by people trying to get close to his dad. By supporting Obama he will now become the darling of the liberal set and get back on the A-list.
Christopher Buckley is just another hot-tub conservative, like David Brock. And the “Sorry, Dad” column was nauseating - - that simple narcissist Christopher Buckley couldn’t care less what his father would have thought of his betrayal.
Ah, so you are familiar with the huge block of “USDA Cheese.” A friend of mine who was raised in the Red Hook projects (but now a senior manager at a market research firm) told me how she refused to eat cheese for years.
Buckley spoke with “Locust Valley Lockjaw” which was the common accent of the Anglo and Dutch elite in the northeast (think FDR, Thurston Howell). You really don’t hear it much anymore.
When I met WFB as an 18 year old, he was kind, gracious, and a bit intoxicated. My kind of guy.
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