If You Were Barry Goldwater's Campaign Manager in 1964...

[Derek]

Barry Goldwater got it from all angles. The GOP criticized him for being extreme because the party was very centrist at that point. The left had finally won the day on their welfare programs. Our nation was mourning the loss of JFK who had only passed a year earlier. Not much could've been done. In fact JFK would've been a much closer match for Goldwater. My strategy would've been simply to go to the mid-western and southern states to ask the people if they want the big government to have its tentacles in their towns or communities. At one point Johnson was arrogant enough to refer to Americans as the masses. Use that quote. Point out that we were spending enough money per student through taxes to send them all to Harvard for a year. Ask what they're getting in return.