CC Goldwater: Why McCain Has Lost Our Vote

[SunsetDreams]

Being Barry Goldwater's granddaughter and living in Arizona, one would assume that I would be voting for our state's senator, John McCain. I am still struck by certain 'died in the wool' Republicans who are on the fence this election, as it seems like a no-brainer to me.

Myself, along with my siblings and a few cousins, will not be supporting the Republican presidential candidates this year. We believe strongly in what our grandfather stood for: honesty, integrity, and personal freedom, free from political maneuvering and fear tactics. I learned a lot about my grandfather while producing the documentary, Mr. Conservative Goldwater on Goldwater. Our generation of Goldwaters expects government to provide for constitutional protections. We reject the constant intrusion into our personal lives, along with other crucial policy issues of the McCain/Palin ticket.

My grandfather (Paka) would never suggest denying a woman's right to choose. My grandmother co-founded Planned Parenthood in Arizona in the 1930's, a cause my grandfather supported. I'm not sure about how he would feel about marriage rights based on same-sex orientation. I think he would feel that love and respect for ones privacy is what matters most and not the intolerance and poor judgment displayed by McCain over the years. Paka respected our civil liberties and passed on the message that that we should conduct our lives standing up for the basic freedoms we hold so dear.

For a while, there were several candidates who aligned themselves with the Goldwater version of Conservative thought. My grandfather had undying respect for the U.S. Constitution, and an understanding of its true meanings.

More here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cc-goldwater/why-mccain-has-lost-our-v_b_137150.html

[DevonRex]

1. That's wonderful. Thanks for the link. K&R

[SunsetDreams]

2. your welcome :)

I think it's awesome, and thank you for the rec'.

[WI_DEM]

3. Before he died Barry Goldwater was appalled by the fundie takeover of the GOP

Of Jerry Falwell he said, "I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass."

[SunsetDreams]

4. loll I hadn't heard that one!

[Arugula Latte]

5. It's funny that Barry Goldwater, the icon of Republican extremism, would be a very moderate R today.

[WI_DEM]

6. that's true!

[TheWraith]

13. He once joked that Gingrich and company had moved so far right "They think I'm a socialist." nt

[TheCoxwain]

7. Barry Goldwater was primarily a Libertarain from what I understand - in which case his philosophy

would run counter to one espoused by the fundies where the govt has the right to poke into your bedrooms.

Common sense isn't it?

[WI_DEM]

8. Here is a great statement by Goldwater re: religion in politics.

On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.
I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in "A," "B," "C" and "D." Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?
And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of "conservatism."

Speech in the US Senate (16 September 1981)

[JimWis]

19. Wow that is a great statement. Puts my feelings into words that

I wouldn't have the ability to do myself. Thanks for sharing it.

[terrya]

9. There you go. From the granddaughter of "Mr. Conservative" himself.

That says it all.

[SunsetDreams]

10. kick

[indepat]

11. Seem to recall John Eisenhower giving some 20 reasons why he was not voting for

junior in 2004. Who among today's Republicans are cut in the Eisenhower/Goldwater mold? Who among today's Republicans stand for honesty, integrity and personal freedom, free from political maneuvering and fear tactics? :P

[SunsetDreams]

12. I believe there are but a few sadly

[indepat]

21. A precious few that can probably numbered on the fingers if not thumbs

:P

[AlinPA]

14. This has to hurt McCain real bad. He has said he is a Goldwater republican!

[Cha]

17. mccain is a Liar.

End of story.

[WI_DEM]

15. kick

[Cha]

16. This is what I was waiting to read..

"After the last eight years, there's a lot of clean up do. Roll up your sleeves, Senators Obama and Biden, and we Goldwaters will roll ours up with you."

Rec'd~ This is Huge..

[onager]

18. Some other Goldwater quotes...

"A lot of so-called conservatives don't know what the word means. They think I've turned liberal because I believe a woman has a right to an abortion. That's a decision that's up to the pregnant woman, not up to the Pope or some do-gooders or the Religious Right."

"Everyone knows that gays have served honorably in the military since at least the time of Julius Caesar...You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight."

(Usual Annoying Aside: Goldwater was off on his timeline. 300 years before Caesar, Thebes had the Sacred Band--a military unit made up of matched pairs of male lovers.)

Message to the Religious Right: "Do not associate my name with anything you do. You are extremists, and you've hurt the Republican Party much more than the Democrats have."

"I don't have any respect for the Religious Right. There is no place in this country for practicing religion in politics. That goes for Falwell, Robertson and all the rest of these political preachers. They are a detriment to the country."

"By maintaining the separation of church and state, the United States has avoided the intolerance which has so divided the rest of the world with religious wars...Can any of us refute the wisdom of Madison and the other framers? Can anyone look at the carnage in Iran, the bloodshed in Northem Ireland, or the bombs bursting in Lebanon and yet question the dangers of injecting religious issues into the affairs of state?"

"The big thing is to make this country...quit discriminating against people just because they're gay. You don't have to agree with it, but they have a constitutional right to be gay. And that's what brings me into it."

In (1996), with Senator Dennis DeConcini, Goldwater endorsed an Arizona initiative to legalize medical marijuana against the will of social conservatives.

http://www.answers.com/topic/barry-goldwater

http://www.liberalslikechrist.org/about/Goldwater.html

[JimWis]

20. Great post. And thanks to all for sharing the info & quotes.