Man Of The West

I just got finished watching Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater, and HBO documentary produced by his grandaughter.  I won't go into the minutea of it, but I must admit that I was incredibly entertained by its presentation, which was fair and compelling.  It deals with every aspect of Goldwater's life from his campaign for the presidency, relationship with JFK, his career as a conservative pioneer, and his later disenchantment with where the Republican Party went.  My only problem with it is the inclusion of Al Frankan, who adds nothing but the usual taunt that Goldwater would be ashamed of conservatives.  I'm a sucker for good documentary, and this was very well done adn really gives you a full portrait without too much ideology from either side.  But what comes away from all of this is one thing.

Barry Goldwater was American's last great Western hero.

Everything about him breathed the West.  The sharp lines on his handsome face resembled the rocks and and edges of Arizona's canyons.   His belief in government out of people's lives from from his own life of in the Arizona Territory, camping and flying his plane as free as God made him.  Also, his plain decency and honesty is borne from a life lived where no other attitude was accepted.  Its clear that Arizona WAS Barry Goldwater, and that sort of politicians is gone these days.  It was as if Goldwater was chiseled out of the rocks of the Colorado River.

Comments

[Vivian J. Paige]

I thought it was a good piece, too. I wrote about it a while back, when it was first released.
http://blog.vivianpaige.com/2006/09/25/mr-conservative-barry-goldwater/

[ADB]

Did you know that Hillary was a Goldwater Girl. How times have changed!

[Chris]

Hilary is actually in this! She's really good, too.

[NoVA Scout]

Goldwater's 64 campaign was the first national campaign I worked on. What a man. I'm hard put to think of anyone today who resembles him. McCain actually comes close in many ways.