Goldwater’s Political Flexibility

by | Quotes

“Occasionally … Goldwater shoots from the hip; it is at least possible that he hated himself the morning after that interview. But it is more likely, I am sorry to say, that Goldwater’s grip on conservative principles just isn’t (and perhaps never was) the absolutely dependable thing we believe it to be … he endorsed Nixon for the Republican nomination in 1968 … It is an open secret that Goldwater is in Ford’s camp today, ready to endorse him … when it will do the most good. He said publicly in November 1974 that Rockefeller would be “acceptable” to him as Ford’s choice for Vice President. And now he proclaims that Rockefeller “would be a damn good president”! Every dog is entitled to one bite, they say—but four?”

Source: The Rise of the Right (1984)

Keywords: biography,campaigns,conservative-leadership

Author

  • William A. Rusher (1923–2011), publisher of National Review (1957–1988), was a leading conservative spokesman, columnist, and author. He helped draft Barry Goldwater for the 1964 GOP nomination, shaping the party’s future. A Princeton and Harvard Law graduate, he served in WWII, worked in law, and advised the U.S. Senate. In 1989, he became a Distinguished Fellow at the Claremont Institute and remained active in conservative circles until his passing in 2011.

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