Would Barry Goldwater be part of the Tea Party today?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

No, and they'd probably consider him a RINO.

[Meursault]

Certainly not.

[Rockefeller GOP]

I'm guessing he'd support it to begin with but soon become one of its biggest opponents once social conservatives hijacked it.

[Peter the Lefty]

I'm guessing he'd support it to begin with but soon become one of its biggest opponents once social conservatives hijacked it.

I'd probably guess that too, but given his environmentalist tendencies, I'm not sure he'd have been comfortable with them in the beginning.

[Maxwell]

Goldwater views held still throughout the years, which means he would probably be initially happy with the movement, but eventually outraged.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Depends on what he would think of Ron Paul.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

He'd be viewed by the Tea Party like Ron Paul is viewed by the Tea Party (which is basically "meh, he has got a few good ideas but....). Just replace Paul's foreign policy views with Goldwater's views on social issues.

[TDAS04]

No.

[SWE]

Definitely not

[IceSpear]

RINO alert!

[Deus Naturae]

Maybe not, but he certainly wouldn't side with the "pragmatic moderates" that establishment-worshippers fetishize.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

Oh Berry, if you only knew how right you were.

[AggregateDemand]

I'm guessing he'd support it to begin with but soon become one of its biggest opponents once social conservatives hijacked it.

[Mr. Illini]

He would think they are the worst thing to happen to the GOP since the moral majority.

And he'd be right.

[7,052,770]

He'd be even more of a RINO to them than Reagan.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

"Moderate" is definitely not a word I would associate with Goldwater, but he was far too intelligent and independent-minded to be swayed by childish trends like the Tea Party.

[MATTROSE94]

He would think they are the worst thing to happen to the GOP since the moral majority.

And he'd be right.

Pretty Much this^ Didn't Barry Goldwater begin to endorse Democratic candidates in congressional races during the last few years of his life?

[Deus Naturae]

He would think they are the worst thing to happen to the GOP since the moral majority.

No, he wouldn't. He might not see eye to eye with them, but he would certainly prefer them to establishment moderates who support interventionist economic policies.

[TNF]

Of course he would.

They check off all the same boxes he did: pro-war lunatic, union-hater, pro-parasite, etc.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Of course he would.

They check off all the same boxes he did: pro-war lunatic, union-hater, pro-parasite, etc.

Been soakin' in a lot of LBJ campaign ads??

[TNF]

Of course he would.

They check off all the same boxes he did: pro-war lunatic, union-hater, pro-parasite, etc.

Been soakin' in a lot of LBJ campaign ads??

No, just recalling what Goldwater's actual record was, rather than the myth of the SUPER SANE AND NICE MAN GOLDWATER that hated unions, was pro-war (and stayed pro-war throughout his career), and was resolutely pro-tax relief for parasites.

[SWE]

Of course he would.

They check off all the same boxes he did: pro-war lunatic, union-hater, pro-parasite, etc.

So did Eric Cantor

[H. Ross Peron]

"Moderate" is definitely not a word I would associate with Goldwater, but he was far too intelligent and independent-minded to be swayed by childish trends like the Tea Party.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

He'd be even more of a RINO to them than Reagan.

"Now are are liberals of the Republican Party. Can you imagine that?" - Barry Goldwater to Bob Dole, 1996.

[Indy Texas]

He would think they are the worst thing to happen to the GOP since the moral majority.

And he'd be right.

Pretty Much this^ Didn't Barry Goldwater begin to endorse Democratic candidates in congressional races during the last few years of his life?

He endorsed Karan English for Congress in 1992 and during Clinton's presidency basically said he thought Clinton was a good president, though he never actually endorsed him in either campaign.