Conscience of a Conservative

by Barry Goldwater

Overview

In 1960, Barry Goldwater set forth his brief manifesto in The Conscience of a Conservative. Written at the height of the Cold War and in the wake of America's greatest experiment with big government, the New Deal, Goldwater's message was not only remarkable, but radical. He argued for the value and importance of conservative principles--freedom, foremost among them--in contemporary political life. Using the principles he espoused in this concise but powerful book, Goldwater fundamentally altered the political landscape of his day--and ours.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781477510353
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	05/15/2012
Pages:	102
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Barry Goldwater (1909-1998) was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr. Conservative". Goldwater is the politician most often credited for sparking the resurgence of the American conservative political movement in the 1960s. He also had a substantial impact on the libertarian movement. Goldwater rejected the legacy of the New Deal and fought through the conservative coalition to defeat the New Deal coalition. He mobilized a large conservative constituency to win the hard-fought Republican primaries. Goldwater's right-wing campaign platform ultimately failed to gain the support of the electorate and he lost the 1964 presidential election to incumbent Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson by one of the largest landslides in history, bringing down many Republican candidates as well. The Johnson campaign and other critics painted him as a reactionary, while supporters praised his crusades against the Soviet Union, labor unions, and the welfare state. His defeat allowed Johnson and the Democrats in Congress to pass the Great Society programs, but the defeat of so many older Republicans in 1964 also cleared the way for a younger generation of American conservatives to mobilize. Goldwater was much less active as a national leader of conservatives after 1964; his supporters mostly rallied behind Ronald Reagan, who became governor of California in 1967 and the 40th President of the United States in 1981. Goldwater returned to the Senate in 1969, and specialized in defense policy, bringing to the table his experience as a senior officer in the Air Force Reserve. His greatest accomplishment was arguably the passage of the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, which restructured the higher levels of the Pentagon by increasing the power of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to direct military action. In 1974, as an elder statesman of the party, Goldwater successfully urged President Richard Nixon to resign when evidence of a cover-up in the Watergate scandal became overwhelming and impeachment was imminent. By the 1980s, the increasing influence of the Christian right on the Republican Party so conflicted with Goldwater's libertarian views that he became a vocal opponent of the religious right on issues such as abortion, gay rights and the role of religion in public life.

Table of Contents

General Editor's Introduction     vii
Foreword   George F. Will     ix
Preface     xxi
The Conscience of a Conservative     1
The Perils of Power     7
States' Rights     17
And Civil Rights     25
Freedom for the Farmer     33
Freedom for Labor     39
Taxes and Spending     53
The Welfare State     63
Some Notes on Education     71
The Soviet Menace     81
Afterword   Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.     121
Index     139

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"For a man who proudly described himself as 'simple,' Barry Goldwater remains a historical puzzle." —-Angus Burgin, The New York Sun

Editorial Reviews

"For a man who proudly described himself as 'simple,' Barry Goldwater remains a historical puzzle." ---Angus Burgin, The New York Sun

From the Publisher

Goldwater laid out his conservative views in this work, published four years before his unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1964. In it he expounds upon issues such as states’ rights, civil rights, taxes, and national budget deficits, many of which can be found in today’s headlines and blogs. Johnny Heller’s workmanlike narration, lacking vocal variation, does not enliven what is essentially a philosophical treatise in support of freedom as our nation’s most important value. Though Heller’s timing, pacing, and precise diction are well done, it’s still difficult for the listener to stay focused. Social conservatives and those who wish to better understand them will benefit by this book, but listening to it proves to be a challenge. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2011 - AudioFile