By Jamie44,
a Trail Mix Contributor
We have all seen the “Daisy” commercial multiple times. Obviously the Republican candidate for President in 1964 was dooming us all to a nuclear conflagration unless we would have the good sense to vote for Lyndon Baines Johnson. We have all heard the quote “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” The man was capable of anything, and we were all afraid.
In the wake of the Kennedy assassination and the loss of “Camelot”, this was a risk we could not take. The end result was a political wipeout never seen before.
More than a half century later, I am longing for a Republican party that was that sane and remembering a man whose reputation was in many ways the opposite of what was presented to the public. To put it simply, Barry Goldwater was a good man. Compared to the current Republican candidate and the party as it exists, he would be a worthy opponent but more than likely he also now would be a Democrat. Why do I believe this? Because of his actions after that overwhelming defeat.
After Goldwater again became a senator, he urged Nixon to resign at the height of the Watergate scandal, warning that fewer than ten senators would vote against conviction if Nixon were impeached by the House of Representatives. The term “Goldwater moment” has since been used to describe situations when influential members of Congress disagree so strongly with a president from their own party that they openly oppose him.
The GOP now has a candidate thoroughly rejected by whatever bit of sanity left in the party … a massive meltdown and “Goldwater moment”.
All of the above was on the political front, but Barry Goldwater was a whole man. He was a ham radio operator who regularly “chatted” with other aficionados all over the globe. He was a photographer well known for his images of his beloved Arizona and the indigenous people and he was so “conservative” that he rejected the concept that intrusive religion had any part in politics and was a strong advocate of gay rights and freedom of religion: “You don’t need to be straight to fight and die for your country. You just need to shoot straight.” … and: “I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass.”
So right now, I’m missing Barry. I’m missing the Republican party of my childhood. I hate what the GOP has become and I think Senator Goldwater would be ashamed. This year he would have also been a truly great GOP candidate.
More Posts by Jamie44
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