“The bottom line here is you’re worth taking seriously.”
I appreciate your generosity, and I certainly agree with the great majority of what you said in your last post.
He wasn’t perfect.
And I wasn’t trying to characterize the entirety of his career.
Without him, there would have been a vast gulf between the conservatism of Welch and the John Birch society, Ayn Rand and others, and the general need of the American populace for an approachable alternative to the socialism of the anti-religious left.
Unfortunately for him, and us, the foibles of a few of his beliefs became de rigeur for the politico-fashionistas of the Establishment Republicans who were more than happy to wear the mantel of Buckley’s conservatism at the same time that they were perverting the primary message.
In my opinion this is how the neocons slowly came to be regarded as both conservative, and torch bearers of legacies of Reagan, Buckley, and Goldwater.
It’s generally the chinks in the armor that expose the weakness of the warrior.
I believe the modern neocon movement exploited those weaknesses in order to control the original conservative movement to which they were so antithetical. And still are.
And, by the way, you and I both share the belief that we fight not against flesh and blood. And that the name of Jesus is like garlic to the secular left.
So, I’m not being ‘stupid”. I’m simply too old to care much for people who believe in human perfection, like some do when thinking about our friend WFB.
If you’re really interested in engaging in an assault on our (mainstream American) preconceptions and beliefs, you might appreciate the book “American Betrayal” written by Diana West.
Hard book, challenging.