Posted by
one hot minute on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 1:03:39 PM
On Sunday, August 27, 2006, The New York Times Magazine printed a piece regarding a new documentary film about the late Arizona Senator, Barry Goldwater.
Despite the 1960 book, "The Conscience of a Conservative" in which Sen. Goldwater clearly articulated his deeply felt philosophical objection to the roles of government as practiced by liberals in various institutions, The Times article cites several modern-day liberals who claim that Sen. Goldwater would be characterized as something of a modern-day liberal.
Certainly, there's been a shift in the political spectrum of definitions since 1960, especially along the lines of foreign policy.
For instance, Goldwater's close friend John F. Kennedy might be considered somewhat 'conservative' in many modern circles for his early '60's staunch anti-Communist stance, his support for democracy throughout the world, his advocacy for cutting taxes in order to promote economic growth, and his support for Israel.
However, since 1960 the shift has been to the left among the mainstream of the Democrat party.
As former Democrats such as Dennis Prager, Charlton Heston, and Ronald Reagan have all stated, "I didn't leave the Democrat party, the Democrat party left me."
Thus, many former Democrats---particularly those whom call once characterized themselves as "Kennedy Democrats"---have found a home in the modern Republican party.
And in 1960, Barry Goldwater was the avatar of the far-right among the Republican party.
Goldwater retired from the Senate in December 1987, and while he may have differed with the GOP mainstream during the '80's on abortion and a few issues regarding the influence of the Christian Coalition, those differences emanated from his decades long stern philosophy of limiting the involvement of government on most issues.
On the other hand, the Democrat party thrives on increasing the involvement of government on most issues.
And on matters of foreign policy, the party of FDR, Truman, and JFK has yielded to the isolationism, anti-American Exceptionalism, and anti-Israel yearnings of Carter, Moore, and Lamont.
The formerly-isolationist GOP has blossomed into the party of Reagan, Bush 43, and John Bolton.
Thus, by definition, the Democrat party has moved farther to the left on the political spectrum---away from Senator Goldwater.
The GOP may have also shifted to the left on domestic spending---thus the need for Porkbusters.org---but that shift has also been made away from Goldwater.
Certainly, one might expect that if screaming lefties such as James Carville, Ted Kennedy, and Al Franken are claiming Barry Goldwater as one of their own, that a possible explanation is that the planets have been realigned.
Incredibly, this Goldwater-lovefest by the left has taken place during the very same week that Pluto found itself kicked out of the league of planets !
Despite believing Pluto is a planet since 1930, we are now informed that it is no longer a planet.
Similarly, despite believing that Barry Goldwater was a conservative since around 1940, we are informed that he is no longer a conservative.
This certainly begs the question, "what other contrarian announcements will the liberal authoritarians amuse us with in the near future ?"
Here are the top 9 amusing proclamations to be made by authoritarian liberals this week.
9. Ronald Reagan's support for Communism was misunderstood.
8. Santa Claus actually hates toys.
7. John Madden's favorite sport is really figure skating.
6. Rachael Ray loathes cooking.
5. Hugh Hewitt loves the Los Angeles Times.
4. Osama Bin Laden's favorite musical is "Fiddler on the Roof."
3. Mary Katharine Ham is an LSU fan.
2. William F. Buckley is secretly a Southern Baptist.
1. Al Gore believes Islamo-fascism is a greater threat to the civilized world than gas-guzzling SUVs.