Sturdy political biography of the author of modern American
conservatism (not authorized, but written with its subject's
cooperation). Historian Goldberg (Univ. of Utah) is well grounded
in the big picture - the evolution of conservative thought and the
inner workings of electoral politics. This helps him to place
Goldwater in the tradition of the libertarian right and also to
document the social and political forces that brought him, if only
for a brief time, to the forefront of the Republican Party after
the collapse of Nelson Rockefeller's moderate agenda in the early
1960s. Goldberg's analysis of national trends of the time - and
especially of the role of the media - will be of special interest
to students of contemporary politics. Goldberg also has an
appreciation for the smaller details, such as Goldwater's
fascination with aircraft, radios, photography, and the outdoors,
the things that make the icon of conservatism human. (So, too, does
Goldwater's wry, self-deprecating humor, such as his saying to
journalist Stewart Alsop in the thick of the 1964 presidential
campaign, "You know, I haven't got a really first-class brain.")
Himself a resident of the West, Goldberg understands the "frontier
values" that affected Goldwater's conception of politics, such as
his belief that a government ought to operate like his mother's
household, "open, direct, and honest." Goldberg points out a few
ironies - for one, the civil libertarian Goldwater's championing of
Joseph McCarthy, saying, "the people who want to get rid of [him] .
. . are people who coddle communists" - and notes that Arizonans, a
conservative bunch and Goldwater's earliest constituency, have long
benefited from federal largess for which the anti - Big Government
Goldwater was largely responsible. All in ail, a useful addition to
the growing library of books (see Lee Edwards's Goldwater, p. 751)
on Goldwater's role in postwar American politics. (Kirkus Reviews)
Barry Goldwater is widely regarded as one of the most prominent and
controversial politicians of our century, a man whose influence on
American conservatism led President Ronald Reagan to honor him with
the title "Mr. Conservative" when he retired after thirty years in
the Senate. A populist from Arizona, Goldwater helped change the
complexion of the Republican Party both ideologically and
geographically and planted the seeds for the future growth of the
New Right. This biography is the most up-to-date and balanced
account of Goldwater ever written. Drawing on interviews with
Goldwater and with a wide range of his friends, family members, and
colleagues, as well as on family papers, Robert Goldberg provides
new and fascinating information about Goldwater's private and
public life. Goldberg describes Goldwater's youth, family, and
early business enterprises, showing how he both shaped and was
shaped by the increasingly sophisticated American southwest. He
tells us about Goldwater's political career and its aftermath,
giving insight into his opposition to the senatorial censure of
Joseph McCarthy; his 1964 presidential campaign; his role in such
political turning points as Watergate and Reagan policy in
Nicaragua; his lifelong interest in the military, which culminated
with the passage of the Goldwater Military Reorganization Act
during his last year in the Senate; and his recent attack on the
religious right in the Republican party. Engagingly written and
handsomely illustrated, the book presents a vivid picture of a man
who has attained almost mythical stature as a forthright,
tough-minded figure from America's past.
General
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