The Goldwater Report (2023)
An Investigation Into the 1964 Presidential Election
Phyllis Schlafly, a spokesperson for the National Conservative Movement, warned viewers of the disregard shown by the Kennedy-Johnson Administration as America continued to disarm itself, despite the Soviet Union’s stockpiling of bioweapons.
Phyllis described Kingmakers that had manipulated and controlled Republican National Conventions since 1936.
These malevolent forces were “not as heads of states, but those who give orders to heads of states,” Phyllis described in her 1964 book “A Choice Not An Echo.”
In 1963 John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Dan Rather reported details surrounding John F. Kennedy death, as Walter Cronkite read documents given to him by external sources, likely drafted by the same officials responsible, in order to corroborate a believable story.
Despite their ideological differences in policy, Kennedy and Goldwater were longtime friends.
After Kennedy’s murder, Walter Cronkite noted that a “gap” appeared in the motorcade before the shooting occurred, saving Vice President Johnson.
The U.S. Presidential election of 1964 would be highly influential, effectively reshaping the political system in America. The Republican-backed platform featured Senator Barry Goldwater, an Episcopalian, and Representative William Edward Miller, the first Catholic nominated for office by the Republican party. Goldwater knew that his 1964 presidential campaign efforts were futile, and his platform was soon declared an extreme position by the Establishment media. Knowing this, Barry Goldwater did not seek a triumphant victory, but instead sought to bring awareness to the atrocities of the expanding reach for power experienced in America by the United States government.
William F Buckley, describing his friend, wrote, “Goldwater had brought a supernatural charm and utterly American savoir-faire into twentieth-century politics at a time when U.S. policy had become a gymnast’s complex of special interests, international entanglements, and straightening legislation.”
It became clear that something had to be done to wake up the American people, to the brewing new concentrations of power forming behind the scenes in the U.S. government.
The New York Times featured a 1963 Associated Press poll from earlier in November that had shown, about 4% of GOP leaders, claimed allegiance to Rockefeller.
Barry Goldwater took note of the Central Intelligence Agency’s suppression of his campaign. Calling them out by name, he publicized the visible influence of Communism over American political campaigns. To the CIA it was important that a Soviet ally would be elected, one that tolerated Communism and was willing to facilitate collusion with foreign entities on behalf of government interests, apart from the people. Barry Goldwater attempted to steer back the direction of our nation, and give the power back to the people. Although the federal government was unveiling their own Civil Rights legislation, Goldwater knew that equal conditioning was an endless and illusory battle which could never be won.
“The government gives nothing to its citizens that it does not first take from them.”
Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower was known for his policies of peace, including signing the 1954 Civil Rights Act, desegregating schools. Eisenhower publicly declared his support for Barry Goldwater, whom he considered a personal friend.
Barry Goldwater sought to Make America Great Again. In 1964, the Democratic National Committee launched a critical response, hiring actor William Bogert to play a distressed Republican. The four-minute fake interview showed a Republican voter, reacting in horror to Barry Goldwater’s campaign. Infusing deceptive lies into his sketch , the Democratic campaign succeeded in swaying the perception of voters across America. William Bogert would appear on the popular TV series, “M.A.S.H.” years later.
The Goldwater campaign quickly became defined by various anti-communist entities, some with more extreme views than others. The minutemen, and other militia groups, pledged their assistance to aid Goldwater in securing his presidency. Unlike Barry Goldwater, these special interest groups sought an opportunity to enact a counter-revolution, hoping their stockpiled weapons would soon be put to use.
Although Barry Goldwater was himself a politician, he sought to invoke civil equality to all people without first receiving permission from the federal government.
Goldwater believed that civil rights came from within the individual, and were not granted by the Establishment. Barry Goldwater saw the Civil Rights Act as an act itself, such as Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which failed to end slavery once and for all. To Barry Goldwater, it was obvious the government was the one legislating racism, propagandizing the people to uphold their depraved and inhumane system. As a result, Barry Goldwater voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Goldwater rejected Title II (Public Accommodations) and Title VII (Fair Employment) of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, citing that there was “no constitutional basis for the exercise of federal regulatory authority in either of these areas.” Barry Goldwater named these provisions “a grave threat to our constitutional republic.” This gave critical journalists an opportunity to draft convincing headlines which would spread to the general population. These false claims included that Barry Goldwater sought to eradicate social security, a tactic still used today. Additionally, they depicted Goldwater as a warmonger, citing his demand for a greater national defense, opposing national disarmament. Further claims introduced notions that Barry Goldwater was working in tandem with racist organizations, and that even he himself was a racist. What the public did not know, is that Senator Barry Goldwater was a lifelong advocate for the rights of Native Americans.
Title II refused the right for landlords to reject tenants for any reason. Barry Goldwater saw this giving the federal government too much power. In response, Goldwater stated that “I would not rent my home to a lot of whites for many reasons.”
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On July 16, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. responded stating, “while not himself a racist, Mr. Goldwater articulates a philosophy which gives aid and comfort to the racists. I feel that the prospect of Senator Goldwater being president of the United States so threatens the health, morality, and survival of our nation that I can not in good conscience fail to take a stand against what he represents.”
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Barry Goldwater also cited that Title VII “took the federal government further inside the private lives and customs of individual citizens than any federal legislation in American history.”
Goldwater wrote, “My aim has always been to reduce the size of government. Not to pass laws but to repeal them. Not to institute new programs but to eliminate old ones. Whenever possible and practical, government should be at the local and state level—not in Washington.”
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Barry Goldwater was a man misunderstood by many. He believed in America, liberty, and our God-given right to hold individual sovereignty. He was aware of the deep state and fought their agenda using strategy and experience working within the Senate.
Barry Goldwater’s ability to convey his political position was a dual-edged sword. On one side, he drew blood from the encroaching oligopoly of control. On the other, his position triggered a full-frontal political assault.
As Historian Lee Edwards writes, “Because the leader of the conservative movement voted against civil rights legislation at a defining moment in American history, although with the best of intentions and standing on constitutional ground, conservatives have been branded by most blacks as racists ever since.”
Rather than entertain populist positions of equality, Goldwater believed that Civil Rights was nothing more than a further adaptation of government intervention. The Goldwater campaign assured Americans that our nation would not devolve into a police state.
Goldwater stated, “Any government which can promise you everything you want can also take away everything you have…I am not directing my remarks against the laboring people of America…but against certain politically ambitious leaders in the labor movement.”
Despite the sway of government provocateurs financed by special interest groups, Goldwater remained committed to his beliefs. The federal government responded with veracity, quickly assembling propaganda painting Barry Goldwater’s campaign as racist, fascist, and other derogatory depictions. As intended, the public reacted to the political weaponization of the Goldwater campaign. The government and the media continued to rally support for President Johnson. As seen throughout the course of political history, those appointed to power often remain there.
The 1964 Presidential Election concluded in victory for Barry Goldwater. Although Goldwater “lost by a landslide,” according to the New York Times, he shed light on the blatant corruption that exists within our federal government. The final results of the 1964 Presidential election were 38.5% to 61.1%, with Johnson receiving 486 electoral votes and Barry Goldwater receiving 52. However, the success was in Goldwater’s campaign, which enacted the modern Conservative movement we know today. Barry Goldwater’s campaign made the federal government sweat, as he rightly convicted them of political atrocities, his words broadcasting across the nation. Beyond the 1964 election, Barry Goldwater’s message lives on. Despite the weaponization of the media and the dangers of an uninformed, or misinformed public, Barry Goldwater’s 1964 campaign stands as a reminder that the same issues which we the public face today, have been fought since the history of modern politics.
Don’t let other individuals influence your opinions to better conform to a narrative. Stand out apart from the crowd. Absolute power corrupts. The only acceptable form of centralized power is the people united. May God bless America.
Bibliography
1. Buckley Jr., William F. Flying High. 2008. Basic Books. Kindle Edition.
2. Buckley Jr., William F.. Up From Liberalism 1959. Hauraki Publishing. Kindle Edition.
3. Buckley, William F.. A Torch Kept Lit. 2016. The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
4. Dean, John W.; Goldwater, Jr., Barry M. 2008 “Pure Goldwater.” St. Martin's Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
5. Edwards, Lee. Goldwater: The Man Who Made a Revolution (p. 228). Regnery History. Kindle Edition.
6. Goldwater, Barry. Goldwater. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
7. Goldwater, Barry. Remembering Kennedy (Barry Goldwater Book 1). 2013. G&A PUBLISHING INC.. Kindle Edition.
8. Goldwater, Barry. The Conscience of a Conservative (p. 8). Digireads.com. Kindle Edition.
9. Goldwater, Barry. The Conscience of a Conservative. 1960. Digireads.com. Kindle Edition.
Schlafly, Phyllis. A Choice Not an Echo: Updated and Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition. Regnery Publishing. Kindle Edition.