Why did some people find Barry Goldwater's views threatening?
1 Answer
Goldwater's Views
Explanation:
Goldwater was a bit of an extremists in term of policy. He is responsible for taking Republican policies and taking them further right. He rallied against things like The Great Society (The Great Society was a program launched by President Johnson to try and eliminate poverty and racial injustice.) and he also rallied against welfare programs. Goldwater was seen as a racist by many. That hurt his support among normal Republicans.
Photos like these Klan members supporting Goldwater were spread throughout the country. In which hurt his support for minorities.
Goldwater was also known as a huge supporter of the nuclear program. Nuclear war was a real threat back than and still kind of is today. The Johnson campaign released an infamous "Daisy" ad attacking Goldwater's support of using nuclear weapons. The ad is linked below.
The Election results were disastrous for Goldwater.
Goldwater lost by huge margins. Some very conservative states switched and voted Democratic. This election was the last time Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming voted Democratic. Goldwater even almost lost his home state of Arizona. He only won it by less than a percentage point. He did okay in the deep south, where his type of politics were more popular and widespread.
Overall, Goldwater fractured the Republican Party. Before then, Republican politics were pretty moderate. Like Susan Collins type of moderate. A more far-right wing of the Republican politics was created and still lasts to this day. He alienated Moderate Democrats, Independents, and mainstream Republicans.
