like Backmann or Palin talk about Obama being communist and that the GOP is in a war against Democrats
That's not policy as much as its attitude, and perhaps hyperbole. There are always going to be people who's attitude or way of expressing themselves rubs you the wrong way in both parties.
The new generation of GOP members are really shadows of the previous generation.
I tend to hear that from the left and part of the center, for each generation or election cycle or other time period or grouping of conservatives and/or Republicans. Goldwater was before my time, but I know when he was running he was harshly attacked, later he was looked on less unfavorably. Reagan was called extreme, and by some "a dunce", then later its "Reagan was honorable" or "somewhat sensible", "not like Republicans today".
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The Only Good Conservative Dept. [Jonah Goldberg]
One of the more tedious forms of lazy liberal punditry is the "the only good conservatives are dead conservatives" refrain. The Left hated and demonized Buckley, Goldwater, Reagan et al. when they were alive, but the moment they depart this mortal coil, they are quickly rehabilitated by liberals as examples of the "good kind of conservative" as opposed to those mean, bigoted conservatives we're stuck with today. Mark my words, some day — hopefully a long time from now — liberals will do the same thing with Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin. Ramesh and I wrote about the phenomenon here and I discussed a bit here and elsewhere as well.
Anyway, here's Eric Boehlert getting his dress over his head about what Bill Buckley would think of today's conservative "journalists" (the scare quotes are his, natch). I find Boehlert as tedious as the next guy (and I'm amused at how he seems to think his is an original argument). Boehlert's one of these bought-and-paid for Soros hacks who thinks its a noble calling to personify all the faults he projects on conservatives.
Just for the record, though, my sense is that Bill would approve of much of what we see today. Oh, I'm sure he'd draw distinctions here and there. But Boehlert, who obviously doesn't actually know anything about Bill Buckley, should at least know that Bill loved Rush Limbaugh and approved of my book (at least how I described it to him on more than one ocassion. Typically, Boehlert completely mischaracterizes my book).
I'm no expert on Bill's views — at least not when compared to some of my colleagues — but the notion that Bill Buckley was horrified at populist protests against big government or happy-warrior cultural combat (from journalists or politicians) is just so much know-nothingism. Would Buckley have approved of James O'Keefe? I don't know, but I'd bet he would have loved the ACORN stuff. Would he have approved of Sarah Palin? My guess is his views would have been reflective of the basic attitude around NR today: He'd admire her fearlessness, accomplishments, and convictions but argue she should do more homework if she wants to run for president. Bill admired ornery populist politicians and liberals couldn't stand that about him (if memory serves, Dwight MacDonald was obsessed with the fact that Buckley admired Utah maverick J. Bracken Lee). Or maybe he'd have a different take. But whatever view he held it wouldn't stem from some alleged aversion to mixing it up.
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