The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

What Would William F. Buckley Jr.
Say About Eric Boehlert?

Posted on | February 2, 2010 | 24 Comments

Buckley might limit himself to the two most famous words of Rahm Emanuel, but the Media Matters mouthpiece blathers on for more than 1,200 words, playing the familiar (and dishonest) liberal trick of invoking dead conservatives to disparage living conservatives. This reminds me of something that Buckley once said to a liberal contemporary.

“Now listen, you queer, you stop calling me a crypto-Nazi or I’ll sock you in the goddamn face and you’ll stay plastered.”
– Bill Buckley to Gore Vidal, Aug. 28, 1968

The insistence of the Left that conservatives today are not truly conservatives, but rather are “pseudo-conservatives” — i.e., that conservatism has been infiltrated and hijacked by dangerous extremists — is a smear that originated with Marxist sociologist Theodor Adorno and was elaborated by Richard Hofstadter. (See my article “Political Psychosis,” which quotes Buckley’s brilliant evisceration of the Adorno-Hofstadter thesis.)

We ought to call such accusations what they are: Propaganda, intended to deligitimize and marginalize opposition to the Left’s agenda. Boehlert may mislead fools (hello, Charles Johnson) but he doesn’t deceive anyone who has studied history. Buckley was himself smeared by such tactics, as were Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and pretty much anyone else who ever dared stand up to the Left.

The specific target of Boehlert’s screed is James O’Keefe, whose Louisiana exploits have resulted in federal prosecution. Andrew Breitbart has defended O’Keefe against the various distorted accounts that have appeared in the media. Hannah Giles is also standing up for O’Keefe, as is Ben Stein.  Whatever the outcome of O’Keefe’s legal situation, nothing the Left says is going to cause conservatives to throw O’Keefe under the bus, yet people like Eric Boehlert, Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann keep yammering on as if their comments made any difference.

The same establishment media who studiously ignored John Edwards’ sex scandal as long as they could and the same leftist hacks who argued for Bill Clinton’s constitutional right to sodomize interns in the Oval Office now take it upon themselves to tell conservatives we ought to be scandalized because O’Keefe tried a hidden-camera stunt in a senator’s office.

Two words, Boehlert.

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Category: Andrew Breitbart, Journalism, Liberals

Comments

  • http://www.nationalreview.com/ William F. Buckley, Jr.

    I would dismiss Rahm Emanuel as you suggest.

    And while young Mr. O’Keefe might have made a tactical mistake in his zeal, I admire his determination in pursuing the hypocrisy of the left.

  • http://www.nationalreview.com/ William F. Buckley, Jr.

    I would dismiss Rahm Emanuel as you suggest.

    And while young Mr. O’Keefe might have made a tactical mistake in his zeal, I admire his determination in pursuing the hypocrisy of the left.

  • Philip P

    O’Keefe is a stuntman at best, a theater nerd at worst. Throw him under the bus? Why risk a hernia on that gotcha! huckster?

    14:59, 14:58, 14:57 . . .

  • Philip P

    O’Keefe is a stuntman at best, a theater nerd at worst. Throw him under the bus? Why risk a hernia on that gotcha! huckster?

    14:59, 14:58, 14:57 . . .

  • http://the-classic-liberal.com/ theCL

    Free O’Keefe! Free the Landrieu Four!

  • http://the-classic-liberal.com/ theCL

    Free O’Keefe! Free the Landrieu Four!

  • Philip P

    I thought conservatives support law and order? Or does that only apply when the criminals are poor and colored?

  • Philip P

    I thought conservatives support law and order? Or does that only apply when the criminals are poor and colored?

  • http://www.nationalreview.com William F. Buckley, Jr.

    Phillip P, you are not ready to sit at the grown up table.

  • http://www.nationalreview.com William F. Buckley, Jr.

    Phillip P, you are not ready to sit at the grown up table.

  • Philip P

    Not if it’s reserved for people who’re suckered by some scraggly huckster who confuses playing dress-up for journalism. If O’Keefe represents the best and brightest of young conservatism, we’re in serious you-know-what.

    At 25, your namesake, the late great WFB, was founding National Review, a brilliant and challenging publication that offered a vibrant array of writer-thinkers (Evelyn frigging Waugh!).

    At the same age, James O’Keefe — having tricked some idiot paper-pusher in a corrupt organization into saying exactly what you’d expect from an idiot paper-pusher in a corrupt organization — sits in prison for tampering with the phone of a U.S. senator.

    Great. Wonderful. Grand. Shit.

    Sorry if I have standards.

  • Philip P

    Not if it’s reserved for people who’re suckered by some scraggly huckster who confuses playing dress-up for journalism. If O’Keefe represents the best and brightest of young conservatism, we’re in serious you-know-what.

    At 25, your namesake, the late great WFB, was founding National Review, a brilliant and challenging publication that offered a vibrant array of writer-thinkers (Evelyn frigging Waugh!).

    At the same age, James O’Keefe — having tricked some idiot paper-pusher in a corrupt organization into saying exactly what you’d expect from an idiot paper-pusher in a corrupt organization — sits in prison for tampering with the phone of a U.S. senator.

    Great. Wonderful. Grand. Shit.

    Sorry if I have standards.

  • JC

    I remember seeing that WFB exchange (I was a small lad, sitting on my father’s knee) and I remember that it brought the whole exchange back to rationality.

    Vidal realized ad hominum arguements would no longer work, and that WFB was willing to take the gloves off.

    After that exchange, the debate went on swimmingly.

  • JC

    I remember seeing that WFB exchange (I was a small lad, sitting on my father’s knee) and I remember that it brought the whole exchange back to rationality.

    Vidal realized ad hominum arguements would no longer work, and that WFB was willing to take the gloves off.

    After that exchange, the debate went on swimmingly.

  • Miss Sharon

    I await the tell of the tape. I believe in O’Keefe. Listened to him today speak about what he could of the incident. He seems like a decent fellow who is cooperating with the feds. Landreui may not like what is on that tape…

  • Miss Sharon

    I await the tell of the tape. I believe in O’Keefe. Listened to him today speak about what he could of the incident. He seems like a decent fellow who is cooperating with the feds. Landreui may not like what is on that tape…

  • Philip P

    That one is in a situation to “cooperate with the feds” normally precludes one’s being a “decent fellow.” Sort of the territory of, you know, turncoat mobsters and busted mid-level heroin distributors and other scared-shitless felons!

  • Philip P

    That one is in a situation to “cooperate with the feds” normally precludes one’s being a “decent fellow.” Sort of the territory of, you know, turncoat mobsters and busted mid-level heroin distributors and other scared-shitless felons!

  • MrPaulRevere

    Google eric boehlert+sami al-arian and discover a treasure trove of links documenting the fact the esteemed Mr. Boehlert was in fact a shill for a convicted Islamist terror organizer and financier. Eric Boehlert is a pig.Just one mans opinion.

  • MrPaulRevere

    Google eric boehlert+sami al-arian and discover a treasure trove of links documenting the fact the esteemed Mr. Boehlert was in fact a shill for a convicted Islamist terror organizer and financier. Eric Boehlert is a pig.Just one mans opinion.

  • http://www.justgrits.wordpress.com Obi’s Sister

    I miss ol’ Bill…

    I wonder if he’d even talk to the foul-mouthed Rahm. Maybe he’d just punch him, dust his hands and walk away. Why waste the energy of Bill’s favorite five dollar words on a wanker who would have trouble looking them up in a dictionary?

  • http://www.justgrits.wordpress.com Obi’s Sister

    I miss ol’ Bill…

    I wonder if he’d even talk to the foul-mouthed Rahm. Maybe he’d just punch him, dust his hands and walk away. Why waste the energy of Bill’s favorite five dollar words on a wanker who would have trouble looking them up in a dictionary?

  • Rich Fader

    I suspect the Mahster would aver that fiber brings out the best in young Eric.

  • Rich Fader

    I suspect the Mahster would aver that fiber brings out the best in young Eric.

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