Who is Today's Barry Goldwater?

We're sure most of our readers would like to forget the 1964 presidential election between Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson, a man who basked in the glory of Kennedy's popularity, and Republican Barry Goldwater, a man who donned the mantle of a pioneer in the modern conservative movement.

Johnson won 61% of the popular vote, successfully painting Goldwater as a right-wing legislator who wanted to abolish the state-run social welfare programs. It wasn't that long ago that a Democrat from Texas could not only win the nomination, but get eleceted President of the United States!

Some actor named Ronald Wilson Reagan recognized in Goldwater a fidelity to principles and a strength of character. The future President Reagan made a speech in support of Barry Goldwater and his modern conservative movement. This speech, as stirring as it is, begs the question "Who would Ronald Reagan support today?" Who, in the Republican Party, shares Barry Goldwater's characteristics?

You can also read a transcript of President Ronald Reagan's speech.

Maybe President Obama and the Democrats in Congress should take special note of this quote from President Reagan's 1964 speech:

We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one. So they are going to solve all the problems of human misery through government and government planning. Well, now, if government planning and welfare had the answer and they've had almost 30 years of it, shouldn't we expect government to almost read the score to us once in a while? Shouldn't they be telling us about the decline each year in the number of people needing help? The reduction in the need for public housing? But the reverse is true.