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Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2009 > September > 27 > Entry
Those “nattering nabobs of negativism…”
William Safire died today. He was a writer - I remember him best for coining the phrase “nattering nabobs of negativism…” in reference to the media. Vice President Spiro Agnew famously employed that term in a speech. The so-called “liberal media elite” has been a whipping boy for generations of sharp tongued critics like Safire. He knew the media well. He was a part of it.
Safire never graduated from college. He was also proud of that fact. He was an unusual man. His politics were conservative. For many years he wrote for the New York Times. He was a word lover. Every Sunday I used to look forward to his column in the Times where he looked at our English language. He was a brilliant and difficult fellow. I’m reminded of the late William F. Buckley; another conservative - an intellectual - and a lover of language.
The New York Times reported that: “Mr. Safire called Hillary Clinton a “congenital liar” in print. Mrs. Clinton said she was offended only for her mother’s sake. But a White House aide said that Bill Clinton, “if he were not president, would have delivered a more forceful response on the bridge of Mr. Safire’s nose.”
Mr. Safire was delighted, especially with the proper use of the conditional.”
To read more on Safire click HERE:
Vick Mickunas
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