Glorious Disaster: Barry Goldwater's Presidential Campaign and the Origins of the Conservative Movement

Great book on the origins of the conservative movement. This book makes it clear to see how far the modern conservative movement has strayed from its origins. The book is a great read from a close associate of Goldwater who saw it all up close.

Senator Barry M. Goldwater, the colossally failed 1964 GOP Presidential nominee, has had more books written about him (and his quest for the White House) than many elected Presidents. This is due largely to the fact that he was the face of the Conservative revolution and because his candidacy gave birth to Ronald Reagan's political career. A Glorious Disaster: Barry Goldwater's Presidential Campaign and the Origins of the Conservative Movement by J. William Middendorf II is by far the best inside account of Goldwater's draft and candidacy. Middendorf, who was among the very first persons to participate in the Draft Goldwater movement, later served as treasurer for the candidate's primary and general election campaigns. Middendorf went on to have a successful career in government in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan Administrations including a stint as Secretary of the Navy (1974-1977). What makes this book different from many of the other Goldwater campaign memoirs is that the author worked closely with both the Citizens for Goldwater-Miller members (Clif White, Rus Walton, et. al.) and the Arizona Mafia (Denison Kitchel, et. al.) during the general election season. There were very few campaign officials who had a foot in both of these camps because of the bitter feelings held by the Citizens team after the Republican Convention in San Francisco (when the Arizona Mafia essentially took over from the Draft team and exiled the remaining members to the Citizens organization). Because of his dual associations within the campaign apparatus, Middendorf is able to offer a more global view of the dysfunction that undermined Goldwater's efforts to unseat President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Middendorf tells his story in a linear fashion from the Draft Goldwater days through Goldwater's defiant November 4, 1964 concession speech and beyond (the author provides a concise aftermath of the election and the broader post-1964 impact of Goldwater). Besides Middendorf's unique insights into campaign bombshells like the `Daisy' spot, he provides entertaining anecdotes like the story behind the stiff `Brunch with Barry' infomercial (try to imagine Barry Goldwater hosting a conservative version of The View). He also reveals what the candidate really thought of the orange-flavored campaign novelty drink named after him ("tastes like warm piss!"). Middendorf has not written a hagiography here. There are plenty of passages in the book that are less than complimentary to Senator Goldwater, but most of these scenes have to do with his campaign abilities and his sometimes brusque temperament. The book is written in an engaging, conversational style that moves right along. One of this reviewer's favorite parts of the memoir is Middenforf's description of the Citizens Committee's plan to change the rapidly sinking game of the campaign by releasing a political advertising film targeted directly at LBJ's perceived morality problems. The film, CHOICE, was vetoed for use by Goldwa

J. William Middendorff II, A Glorious Disaster: Barry Goldwater's Presidential Campaign and the origins of the Conservative Movement ( 2006, basic books, new york, 303pp) This is a fascinating and lively insider report from someone who really was an insider. Ambassador Middendorf played a significant role in the rise of modern conservatism within the Republican Party. As a Connecticut Republican with many friends in the moderate wing of the party he nevertheless early on saw the need for a new approach and a new movement. Bill was part of the draft Goldwater effort and part of the Goldwater Campaign and then Treasurer for the Republican National Committee as it bounced back from the disaster of 1964. He was in on an amazing number of meetings and worked with virtually every major conservative of that period. His observations are insightful and in some cases unique. Even though I had lived through virtually every campaign this book covers I still found myself with new reflections and new insights. From the perspective of 2007 the most stunning reminder was the level of ruthlessness, dishonesty, and viciousness which characterized the Lyndon Johnson campaign and Johnson's entire behavior. It is worth reading as a reminder of what a 2008 Clinton campaign might be like. Middendorf repeats a story I first heard from Tim Russert about Goldwater and Kennedy agreeing that in 1964 they would tour the country on Air Force One holding a series of debates and proving that there could be civility and collegiality even in presidential politics. Building on the debates of 1960 and enjoying each other's company a Goldwater-Kennedy contest would have led to a much healthier America. Middendorf also reminds us that results can shift with remarkable speed. The Goldwater defeat was seen as the beginning of the end for the GOP yet two short years later in 1966 there was a remarkable rebound. The GOP lost 529 legislative seats in 1964 and gained 700 in 1966. The GOP lost 37 house seats and gained 47 in 1966. One other fascinating reminder about how the world can change is the question of being a frontrunner for the nomination. On the Friday before the 1964 California GOP primary Nelson Rockefeller was ahead by 49 to 40 and on Tuesday Goldwater won the primary and with it the nomination. After the 1966 elections Governor George Romney was the front runner and polls showed him beating President Johnson 54 to 46, After he said "the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get when you go over to Vietnam....they do a very thorough job" his campaign collapsed. This is a useful book for anyone who would like to understand the rise of modern conservatism and anyone who would like to better understand presidential politics.

Wow. The origins of the conservative movement indeed!How much of a revolution was it? Consider this. In 1960,Richard Nixon received 50,000 contributions in his Presidential run,about the same as JFK.In 1964,Barry Goldwater received 1 1/2 MILLION! This is the story of how a small band of pioneers plotted to literally draft a man who didn't want to run and who knew he would lose,but who changed the party and the entire world by doing so. A glorious well-written historical work. As George Will wrote,"Barry Goldwater won..but it took 16 years to count the votes." Highly Recommended.5 stars.

'Tis the season, I guess, for men who were present at the creation of "modern conservatism" to publish memoirs of what they saw at the revolution. In October, 2005, Jeffrey Hart released "The Making of the American Conservative Mind: National Review and Its Times," and about a year later J. William Middendorf put out "A Glorious Disaster." Taken together, the two paint an excellent picture of the early days of what you might call "National Review" conservatism. I'd encourage the interested reader to check out both books, because they really do work well together. That's because while Hart's book is about ideas, and the growth of "National Review" magazine as the incubator of "modern conservatism," "A Glorious Disaster" is about nuts-and-bolts politics. Conservative educator Morton Blackwell (who is mentioned in this book as one of the Republican leaders tested in the fire of the Goldwater campaign) famously says "You owe it to your philosophy to know how to win elections." "A Glorious Disaster" is, as much as anything, about what happens when you *don't* know how to win elections. This is illustrated in a few ways in Middendorf's book: in the tensions between the experienced veterans of the Draft Goldwater movement (including our author himself) and the inexperienced "Arizona Mafia" the candidate insisted on surrounding himself with; in the conflicts within the Republican Party between the firebrand young conservatives on the one hand and the ossified Old Guard on the other, who had already surrendered to the New Deal and only wanted to offer a less-expensive, more-efficient version of Democrat policy; and finally the campaign itself, which pitted a candidate who never really wanted to run for President in the first place versus a man for whom nothing was more important than holding on to power. Readers interested in political campaigns could learn a lot from this book, regardless of their political orientation. If there's anything I'm disappointed with in this book, it has to do with the second half of the subtitle, "The Origins of the Conservative Movement." In fact, Middendorf spends a lot less time than I had hoped he would on how exactly "movement conservatism" grew out of the 1964 debacle to become the force that would emerge victorious in 1980 and more or less set the terms of debate ever since. He begins to sketch these developments toward the end of the book, but only in fairly general ways. Readers wanting to know more about this will need to look elsewhere. That complaint notwithstanding, this is a fine look back at the Goldwater campaign from the inside, and a good reminder for those who may have forgotten (or may not have known in the first place) how much conservatism and the GOP generally owe to Barry Goldwater. In a sense, it was really men like William Middendorf who did the work of building a "conservative movement." But they needed a standard-bearer to carry their ideas before a wider audience. In 1964, Barry Goldwater was