William F. Buckley Passes Away
Posted by Matt Ortega · February 27, 2008
Matt Browner-Hamlin informs readers that William F. Buckley passed away at the age of 82, and directs our attention to a piece written by Rick Perlstein at the Campaign for America’s Future. Writes Browner-Hamlin:
Though he was no role model of mine, I highly recommend Perlstein’s piece, as it provides a great insight into how Buckley modeled the way the battle of ideas between liberals and conservatives should be fought, contrary to so many of his contemporary cohort.
Hank Shaw, reporter for the Stockton Record, writes about the passing of Buckley:
But Buckley was greatest when matched against his mirror image, Gore Vidal. Vidal is the other great political intellectual of our time, Buckley’s perfect aristocratic foil. They weren’t terribly fond of each other, and their series of debates in the late 1960s was like watching a war of words between Socrates and Aristotle. Fantastic. I for one will miss Buckley, and will be eagerly looking to see if Mr. Vidal writes about his passing.
Shaw also featured a clip of Buckley battling Gore Vidal on ABC News during November 5, 1968 election coverage. Introduced by Frank Reynolds hours before former Vice President Richard Nixon defeated another former Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, for the presidency.
The great orator and former New York Governor, Mario Cuomo, comments on Buckley:
“I was privileged to know William Buckley for more than 20 years and was in fact his opponent in his last public debate.
He may not have been unique. But I have never encountered his match. He was a brilliant, gentle, charming philosopher, seer and advocate.
William Buckley died … but his complicated brilliance in thought and script will survive him for as long as words are read. And words are heard.”
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