The eulogies permeate the stratosphere. All points of view claim William F. Buckley gave the conservative movement that much needed intellectual jump into the mainstream, but more importantly bestowed upon it class!
Conservative cartoonists are portraying him on level (or besting) even God. Conservative pundits genuflect in his honor for making it possible for both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush to become two-term Presidents. Add to that the additional spin off of bringing to the forefront such conservative political luminaries as Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, William Kristol, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter. Hear Here!
But it was bringing that unique Buckley class to the conservative movement that is the big emotional story in his humble life. From a wealthy East coast family of chipmunks he rose to become the son of a wealthy East coast family of chipmunks.
Buckley first came to prominence in the 1950’s when he played one of the backup singers for Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was a tentative issue from the gitgo as he was cast as the goofy Theodore rather than the intellectual Simon. Stardom took its toll as both Alvin and Theodore were busted for smoking pot on the Buckley family yacht, the SS Acorn. But jail and rehab turned Buckley’s life around and he soon became the spokesman for segregation, law and order, the Vietnam War, and of course the central intellectual aspect of conservative ideology, acorns for the wealthy and acorn shells for everyone else. To differentiate himself from the conservative standards of the times, – to give his aura class – Buckley had his teeth fixed (somewhat), removed his Confederate flag tattoo and traded in his pickup truck for a Jaguar.
Bill will be missed by all who have taken his life long work to heart, that high road of never giving a rat’s ass about anyone other than yourself and people just like you.