In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson was running for president against right-wing loony toon Barry Goldwater. He ran some campaign commercials against Goldwater, one of which got the title “Confessions of a Republican.” The campaign tried to appeal to the rational wing of the Republican Party. The section of the party not totally losing their minds about changes in civil rights and cold war hysteria. LBJ would defeat Goldwater is pretty decided fashion. One of the reasons for this big victory, according to analysts after the fact, was that Barry Goldwater was a nut job and most Republicans got sick of the extreme circus he was selling. Here’s a requisite Goldwater quote:
Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.
Here’s a highlight that might remind you of a current electoral campaign.
President Johnson, Johnson at least is talking about facts. He says, "Look, we've got the tax cut bill and because of that you get to carry home X number of dollars more every payday. We've got the nuclear test ban and because of that there is X percent less radioactivity in the food." But, but Goldwater, often, I can't figure out just what Goldwater means by the things he says. I read now where he says, "A craven fear of death is sweeping across America. What is that supposed to mean? If he means that people don't want to fight a nuclear war, he's right. I don't. When I read some of these things that Goldwater says about total victory, I get a little worried, you know? I wish I was as sure that Goldwater is as against war as I am that he's against some of these other things. I wish I could believe that he has the imagination to be able to just shut his eyes and picture what this country would look like after a nuclear war.
[bold is me hearing the entire Republican Party as one cacophonous sound]
Now maybe I'm wrong. A friend of mine just said to me, "Listen, just because a man sounds a little irresponsible during a campaign doesn't mean he's going to act irresponsibly." You know that theory, that the White House makes the man. I don't buy that. You know what I think makes a President - I mean, aside from his judgement, his experience - are the men behind him, his advisors, the cabinet. And so many men with strange ideas are working for Goldwater. You hear a lot about what these guys are against - they seem to be against just about everything - but what are they for?
Exactly. Watch the whole video below the fold. It’s around four minutes and a ton of fun. It’s déjà vu all over again.