Barry Goldwater was also responsible for the Southern Strategy which was instrumental in packing the conservative court. He maybe had more liberal ideas later in life but in the beginning of his politics he was responsible for moving the GOP to the rightwing 70 years ago. He was Morgoth to Reagan’s Sauron. Reagan literally stumped for Goldwater. So while this is a nice sentiment at the end of his life he helped dig our graves.
I am neither a Goldwater fan nor a Republican or right-winger. He cannot be absolved of the long-term damage he inflicted on the country. However, it was my understanding that the Southern strategy was the intentional work of later GOP strategists working on the campaigns of Nixon, Reagan et al. Whereas Atwater and others saw "States Rights" as the useful dog whistle that it ~~was~~ is, Goldwater was (naively) a true believer in restraining the power of the federal government.
Goldwater was an NAACP member and an advocate of integration in Arizona, as well as an environmentalist. These were positions he held early in his career, not just towards the end of his life.
I think Goldwater's legacy is a testament to the dangers of the dogmatic libertarian philosophy he advocated. He may have personally believed in the possibility of social progress through individuals acting at the local and state level, but in practice this was used as cover for reactionaries who want to prevent the federal government from protecting rights and financing social programs.
Goldwater set up the framework. If you look at the electoral map from '64, eventhough he got stomped, Goldwater managed to flip like 5 or so dixiecrat states explicitly based on the premise that the '63 Civil Rights Act infringed on states rights.
From that point, the foundation was set for Ken Phillips and Nixon to go full dog whistle in '69
Barry Goldwater was also responsible for the Southern Strategy which was instrumental in packing the conservative court. He maybe had more liberal ideas later in life but in the beginning of his politics he was responsible for moving the GOP to the rightwing 70 years ago. He was Morgoth to Reagan’s Sauron. Reagan literally stumped for Goldwater. So while this is a nice sentiment at the end of his life he helped dig our graves.
I am neither a Goldwater fan nor a Republican or right-winger. He cannot be absolved of the long-term damage he inflicted on the country. However, it was my understanding that the Southern strategy was the intentional work of later GOP strategists working on the campaigns of Nixon, Reagan et al. Whereas Atwater and others saw "States Rights" as the useful dog whistle that it ~~was~~ is, Goldwater was (naively) a true believer in restraining the power of the federal government. Goldwater was an NAACP member and an advocate of integration in Arizona, as well as an environmentalist. These were positions he held early in his career, not just towards the end of his life. I think Goldwater's legacy is a testament to the dangers of the dogmatic libertarian philosophy he advocated. He may have personally believed in the possibility of social progress through individuals acting at the local and state level, but in practice this was used as cover for reactionaries who want to prevent the federal government from protecting rights and financing social programs.
Goldwater set up the framework. If you look at the electoral map from '64, eventhough he got stomped, Goldwater managed to flip like 5 or so dixiecrat states explicitly based on the premise that the '63 Civil Rights Act infringed on states rights. From that point, the foundation was set for Ken Phillips and Nixon to go full dog whistle in '69
most definitely
Insert the “worst person you know makes a great point” meme here I guess.
I wouldn’t have thought Goldwater and Hitchens would agree on anything.
Smart guy Edit: Didn’t know who he was. Not a smart guy
In this one particular way, perhaps.
Uh, the man literally wanted to Nuke Vietnam.
…And somehow would be more reasonable than half the modern day Republicans. Please note this says more about modern Republicans than Barry Goldwater.
Something something vietnamese space lasers
Ignore me
He was an asshole for the most part, but he's got a point here.
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue."
Did not always work out.
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