Where Have You Gone, Bill Buckley?

The New York Times ^ | 12/3/12 | David Welch

[publius1]

IT is a shame that William F. Buckley Jr. passed away in 2008. The conservative movement could use him — or someone like him — right now.

In the 1960s, Buckley, largely through his position at the helm of National Review, displayed political courage and sanity by taking on the John Birch Society, an influential anti-Communist group whose members saw conspiracies everywhere they looked.

Fast forward half a century. The modern-day Birchers are the Tea Party. By loudly espousing extreme rhetoric, yet holding untenable beliefs, they have run virtually unchallenged by the Republican leadership, aided by irresponsible radio talk-show hosts and right-wing pundits....

[publius1]

A plea for the establishment to take over -- but actually a Republican suicide note based on a faulty premise, that the Tea Party is the modern version of the John Birch Society. Eastern Seaboard Republican Derangement Syndrome in full dress.

[FreedomPoster]

The amount of straw used in constructing straw men concerning the TEA Party movement has led to substantial increases in straw futures prices.

[rgboomers]

So, the TEA PARTY’s plea for fiscal responsibility by the government is now “Extreme”? This is just simply out of whack with how the world should be.

[FreedomPoster]

Racist, extremist, politically untenable beliefs:

I feel like I've walked through the looking glass.

[Vaquero]

nothing wrong with the Birchers.

nothing wrong with Joe McCarthy either.

they were patriots who saw the writing on the wall and slowed down the Marxist takeovers that are occurring NOW.

and coming to a country near YOU a third term for our beloved dictator....wait and see.

[Daffynition]

What bunch of drivel...oh, it's from the NYT.....never mind.

[Drango]

Yawnnnnnnnnn.

[monocle]

Fanatic liberals are virgins as far as reality is concerned.

[silverleaf]

To the liberal left, OWS is a rational sympathetic group (bless their hearts) and Tea Partiers (along with Christians who do not believe in homosexual “marriage” now codenamed “h8ters”) belong in reeducation camps

I would bet 99% of the lamestream media audience doesn’t even know what TEA stands for (Taxed Enough Already)

(I guess resisting oppressive taxation by condescending arrogant wealthy oligarchs was a pretty radical idea back in 1775/6!)

[driftless2]

If people want to know why the Republicans keep losing elections, it's because of nitwits like David Welch who used be "director for the Republican National Committee." The problem isn't the Tea Party....that should have started sooner. The problem is getting rid of liberal-minded careerists like this jerk and keeping them out.

So this clown believes a group like the Tea Party, which believes in limited government and adherence to the constitution is the same as the John Birch Society whose leader believed Eisenhower was a communist. Now we have a real socialist in the White House, but Welch thinks the Tea Party is the country's biggest problem. This guy might be insane. He's certainly utterly incapable of discerning reality.

[driftless2]

"nothing wrong with the Birchers"

So you think Eisenhower was a communist?

[jimfree]

Go to Hell David Welch. The most extreme and radical force in America today is the Obama administration. The Tea Party asks him to play by the rules - he cries racism. ‘Nuff said.

[ilgipper]

Birchers are not the tea party, and this author is an idiot. Fact and fact. Tea party are people that think a 1-1.5 trillion dollar deficit is bad, and that the solution is getting government spending under control, not taxing our society to death.

That’s it. Nothing extreme unless one is a Marxist.

[WashingtonSource]

Actually, it’s David Welch that is the modern day John Bircher. He sees conspiracies where they do not exist and turns perfectly good trends into horrible bogeymen.

[publius1]

Was it Bill Rusher or James Burnham who had the famous line, “Eisenhower isn’t a communist. He’s a golfer.”

[Road Warrior ‘04]

It's a sacrilege to use William Buckley's name in the New York Times! Burn the NYT newspapers! Line your birdcage with the NYT! Wrap your fish in the NYT! Use the NYT for just about anything, but don't use William Buckley's name in the rag!