Christopher Buckley's Forced Resignation and the Right's Intolerance Problem
If you savor intolerance, try reading the National Review. Founder William F. Buckley's son, Christopher Buckley, offered to resign his column (although one gets the impression if he hadn't offered, he would have been unceremoniously tossed out the window) because he wrote a column for thedailybeast.com endorsing (OMG!) Barack Obama for president.
Buckley writes further on that site about why he resigned and what kind of E-mail response his action drew:
I had gone out of my way in my Beast endorsement to say that I was not doing it in the pages of National Review, where I write the back-page column, because of the experience of my colleague, the lovely Kathleen Parker. Kathleen had written in NRO that she felt Sarah Palin was an embarrassment. (Hardly an alarmist view.) This brought 12,000 livid emails, among them a real charmer suggesting that Kathleen's mother ought to have aborted her and tossed the fetus into a dumpster. I didn't want to put NR in an awkward position.
Since my Obama endorsement, Kathleen and I have become BFFs and now trade incoming hate-mails. No one has yet suggested my dear old Mum should have aborted me, but it's pretty darned angry out there in Right Wing Land. One editor at National Review—a friend of 30 years—emailed me that he thought my opinions "cretinous." One thoughtful correspondent, who feels that I have "betrayed"—the b-word has been much used in all this—my father and the conservative movement generally, said he plans to devote the rest of his life to getting people to cancel their subscriptions to National Review."
Hmmmm, so now we find out so-called Pro-Lifers are Pro-Choice when it comes to stifling public dissent. How bizarre! Nice bunch that. I'd love to get my Thomas Jefferson Street colleague Michael Barone's reaction to Buckley's treatment.
Buckley's decision doesn't seem to be too out of line with those of many other conservatives. Yesterday's CBS News/New York Times poll shows Senator Obama with a 14 percentage point lead nationwide over Sen. John McCain.
That wide a margin (which will surely tighten before Election Day) means Obama is drawing lots of support from his philosophical opponents. It's the economy, stupid! (Not you, of course—just mimicking the now-infamous James Carville slogan.)
Tags: media | presidential election 2008 | Barack Obama
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Mr Buckleys opinions
Chris has an illegitate kid who he refuses to acknowldege ( see Page Six). He black -mailed his dad into disowning the kid in his will (his mom refused). Where EXACTLY does Right to Life lead one???? Chris is married, catholic, has a girlfriend his daughter's age and PRETENDS to be a reformed republican. HIs father BEGGED him to acknowledge his ilegitamate kid (who he refers to as "the BASTARD") He has always been a wild man and of no political party. His revalations and firings and comments are all waged to gain the most money for his newest book. Ask his "WIFE". Or his legitimate kids. Or his dog.
Christopher Buckley's decision to vote for Obama
I have been led to believe that Christopher Buckley made his decision because of Obama's so-called eloquence in writing his books. I can't imagine that Mr. Buckley hasn't heard about some very wwell-founded suspisions that William Ayer wrote at least one of them for Obama. I beg Mr. Buckley not to ruin the future of my country and the future of my children and grandchildren by voting for this candidated who would prove to be an unmitigated disaster as a president. The stakes are too high for such careless thinking.
Religion sickening America?
"ignoring the fact that a radical religious movement that has sickened America beyond belief, is driving more people away."
-Cynthia of CA
Being that not many laws have gone their way since the defeats of the early 1960's (i.e. prayer removed from schools) and 1970's (i.e. Roe V Wade), how is it that religious Christians are sickening America? Is it that they're freely expressing their point of view? Or maybe it is that they are actually supporting and voting for candidates that support their values and ideas just as the left does. Or perhaps it is that they would rather freely teach their children their beliefs and thoughts on responsible human sexuality and relationships rather than leaving up to the current perpetuators of pop culture. Or maybe it is that they might actually teach their children intelligent design of our universe (a view held by really small brains such as C.S. Lewis and the like). Or maybe it is that they say that killing in the name of convenience or mercy isn't healthy in a civilized society. Dang! These people are really sick.
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