Barry Goldwater
From RationalWiki
Barry Goldwater is considered by many to be the founder of the modern conservative movement in the United States. He also influenced the American libertarian movement. His ideas eventually reached the White House when Ronald Reagan won the Presidency in the 1980 election. Due to his views on abortion and gay rights, he was actually more liberal than today's conservatives.
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[edit] Political career
He ran for president in 1960 and 1964. The 1960 race was mainly an abortive "draft Goldwater" effort by some conservatives in the Republican Party, and Goldwater himself didn't seem too interested in campaigning. In 1964, however, Goldwater actively sought and won the Republican nomination, only to lose badly to Lyndon Johnson in the general election.[1] Many of his statements scared voters off during the campaign, including expressing a desire to end Social Security and the TVA, and hinting he would be open to using tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam. His campaign slogan, "in your heart you know he's right" was spoofed as "in your guts you know he's nuts", and the Johnson campaign ran an ad featuring a little girl pulling petals off a daisy while a nuclear countdown commenced.[2] The ad never mentioned Goldwater but the implication was clear that electing Goldwater would risk starting World War III. The 1964 race, however was the first time a Republican candidate managed to break through the solidly-Democratic deep south (primarily because of the Democrats' support for the Civil Rights movement), and he won five southern states plus his home state of Arizona. Richard Nixon took note of this and was inspired to develop his southern strategy for the 1968 and 1972 elections.
The modern organized conservative movement grew directly out of Goldwater's campaign, as did the early libertarian movement (the two were somewhat cross pollinating during the 1960s, before openly splitting over the draft and the Vietnam War). Phyllis Schlafly's 1964 book A Choice, Not An Echo was a best-seller during the Goldwater campaign and made her a well-known conservative activist, while Ronald Reagan emerged as a conservative icon during the campaign as well, and parlayed that into getting himself elected governor of California and later, president.
Goldwater served as a US Senator from 1953-1965 and 1969-1987.
[edit] A silly aside
At least one person thought it was funny to sign up on Conservapedia as "AuH2O".[3] As, probably, have many contributors to forums over the history of web 2.0.
[edit] Quotes
| “ | A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. | ” |
| “ | Every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass.[4] | ” |
| “ | 'On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in "A," "B," "C" and "D." Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? | ” |
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ 1964 Presidential General Election Results
- ↑ 1964 Presidential campaign spots
- ↑ Strictly speaking, though, Au.H2O is gold monohydrate. The user might need a separator somewhere to fix it, but a space makes it "Gold Water". Oh well, we all know what they mean.
- ↑ Time Magazine - The Brethren's First Sister: Sandra Day O'Connor
