Libertarian Conservatism: Difference between revisions

Barry Goldwater was the [[File:RepubUS.png]] [[Conservatism|Republican]] senator of Arizona from 1953-1965 and 1969-1987. At the time he was considered to be on the "fringe right-wing" of the party for his opposition to the legacy of the [[File:FDRismF.png]] [[Social Liberalism|New Deal]] and support of [[File:Libertarian.png]] laissez-faire economics, as this had alienated the more moderate and liberal wings of his party. Despite being a member of the NAACP and a supporter of desegregation, Goldwater had reluctantly voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because he believed it partially violated the rights of businesses. He was selected as the [[File:RepubUS.png]] [[Conservatism|GOP]]'s presidential candidate in 1964, where he lost by a landslide against the [[File:Demcr.png]] Democratic President [[File:NeoprogProgHawk.png]] [[Social Authoritarianism|Lyndon B. Johnson]], after being successfully portrayed as a [[File:Rpop-tinfoilhat.png]] [[Right-Wing Populism|far-right]] extremist by LBJ's campaign. Although losing, his campaign is credited for pushing the GOP to the right and helping inspire the rise of [[File:Reagan.png]] [[Neoconservatism|Ronald Reagan]]. Despite his stanchly conservative views, he advocated for desegregation in the US military. Goldwater's views on social and cultural issues grew increasingly more libertarian over time nearing the end of his career (he believed that they were an integral part of true conservatism) as by the mid-1980s , he had spoken out in support of [[File:Gay.png]] the LGBT+ people being able to serve in the military, [[File:Glibr.png]] [[Green Libertarianism|environmental protection]], abortion rights and the legalization of medical marijuana.