Goldwater And Bush
Andrew Sullivan has a very interesting, albeit little too, umh, passionate for my taste, post up about Barry Goldwater and the documentary that aired two days ago on HBO made by his granddaughter C.C.
Filter out the over-the-top anti-Bush stuff: if you do, it provides, in principle, for a good read: his main point is that George W. Bush is not a (Goldwater) conservative. That is, in my opinion, correct. George Bush’s administration is for an important part inspired / influenced by Christian Right and neoconservatism. Such a combination, quite clearly, will not, overwhelmingly, favor genuine conservative policies.
When one votes Christian Right and neoconservatists into office, one can be damn sure of one thing: that their policy will not be genuinely conservative.
1+1=2
Lastly, I am wondering what those of you who watched the documentary think of it… If you’ve watched it and got some thoughts about it, praise or criticism (or both of course), please leave a comment.
9 Responses to “Goldwater And Bush”
I haven’t watched it yet, I did Tivo it and was able to transfer it to my PC… maybe I’ll watch a little at lunch time.
Rambie: cool, let me know once you watched it!
What is wrong with the anti-Bush analysis. AS was a big supporter of Bush untill he gave up his “principled conservative policies”. He also is anti-Rove.
I actually did watch the documentary, and while it was a little hard to follow, I think it captured what Goldwater was all about. He was a Conservative and a libertarian, who also was a genuine patriot. While he was vilified in the ’64 presidential campaign, and lost in a landslide, he did sow the seeds for the Conservative movement. Also, he had several admirable traits-he believed in what he said and what he stood for, hated liars, and was able to put politics aside for friendship.
Goldwater was actually pro-choice, as that fit with his belief that the government should keep its nose out of the lives of private citizens, and in his final days railed against the Christian right’s growing influence over the Republican party. Compared to today’s weasels, he was a man of extreme integrity. He said what was on his mind, and cared not at all that it cost him votes. He once made an ill-fated comment about sawing off the eastern seaboard with its liberal establishment, and letting it drift into the Atlantic. LBJ’s campaign manager used the comment in a graphic campaign commercial, which of course, cost him votes. He was not PC!
Michael-you should watch it if you can get someone to send you a DVD, it was an interesting bit of American political history.
Yes: Rambie and I are working on it right now!
Sounds very good, I definately am looking forward to watching it.
Why was it hard to follow, if I may ask?
Michael, you seem a bit dismissive of the conclusion that Bush isn’t a Goldwater conservative, but there are plenty of Goldwater conservatives who didn’t figure that out for a long time (my father included), and probably a few out there who still haven’t been clued in…
Don’t know if this is the right place for this, but the Goldwater thing got me thinking “Why does Bush still have 40% of the vote?”
Then I saw this: LINK
and it all makes a bit more sense.
Michael- It skipped around a lot in time and subject matter, interspersing archival footage of Goldwater’s speeches with home movies of his family. I had to really concentrate to watch it.
He was a sort of Renaissance man of his time – a photographer, great outdoorsman, politician, pilot- who very much believed in the power and rights of the individual.
He was also an ultrahawk- and saw no reason why atomic weaponry couldn’t be used in the same manner as our conventional weapons. Goldwater seriously favored using nuclear weapons to defoliate the jungles of Viet Nam. Johnson’s campaign successfully portrayed him as some kind of dangerous right wing nut, but today he might be considered left on center on some issues. I think the neocons would love him, but he’d run into trouble with the social conservatives in the Senate.
I recently came across an article in Mother Earth Magazine 1975 issue. It’s an organic gardening magazine, but had politcal, and social figures intervied as well. In the interview section was a discussion with Goldwater’s top speechwriter during the 60′s, and uber warhawk Karl Hess. The oddest thing was how he went from being a far right speechwriter, and later pentagon hack to dropping out of society, and denouncing his former ways by the late 60′s to the point of not paying his taxes for 7 years previous to the date of the article.
He denounced the GOP for selling out to corporate america and the war industries, and Goldwater peeved off his own by agreeing, and staying in touch with Hess during this time.
I could send you the part’s of the article that pertain to the socio-politcal, while deleting the back to the land frontierman stuff if you wish Michael. It’s very enlightening stuff, and shows how even those that were poltically close to Goldwater might have influenced him as well.