Goldwater is drafted in 1972 and/or 1976 by the Libertarian Party for President

[defe07]

I was wondering what would've happened if Barry Goldwater was drafted by the Libertarians in 1972 and/or 1976. Could he have made a big dent for the Libertarians in the future and how does he do in either '72 or '76 (or both)?

[perdedor]

He would do quite poorly I'd imagine. He did pathetically as a Republican, as a third party candidate he'd be much worse off.

[AltWorlder]

I doubt that the Libertarian Party (or any other third party) had any more credibility back then than they have today.  What would be more interesting is if he joins it to "legitimize" the third party, possibly bringing like-minded Republicans with him, creating a firm basis on which to pursue a small-government platform.  And so, the GOP never claims to be a party of small government, just scaled-back, more moderate-sized government in contrast to the New Deal Dems.

[The Hack Hater]

He'd be looked at as an even bigger joke for agreeing to being the candidate of a party that had just barely formed and had no chance of winning any substantial offices in the 70s.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If Watergate had ended up doing the Republican Party even more damage than it did, I could see it fracturing and the small government Republicans largely ending up in the Libertarian Party for 1976.  But even in that eventuality, while Goldwater might join the Libertarian Party, I can't see him being the party's standard bearer in 1976.

[jokerman]

If Watergate had ended up doing the Republican Party even more damage than it did, I could see it fracturing and the small government Republicans largely ending up in the Libertarian Party for 1976.  But even in that eventuality, while Goldwater might join the Libertarian Party, I can't see him being the party's standard bearer in 1976.

I've got to disagree, Ernest.  If anything, Watergate was the event that sparked a generation of cynicism about the federal government, helping small government Republican Ronald Reagan eventually suceed with his brand of politics.  Watergate was bad for the GOP on the short term, but a goldmine for them in the long term.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Hilarious

[defe07]

You guys don't think Goldwater could've made a decent run for President in '72 or '76? I'm no expert but I do know that the country was fed up of Tricky Dick in '72 and Ford's pardon before '76 would've both turned alot of Republican voters off I think. Of course, I'm not expecting Goldwater to win this what-if election nor do I think he would, I'm only curious if he would've done well for a Libertarian, like getting 5% nationwide or something like that.