"Extremism in the Defense of Liberty:" Barry Goldwater's 1964 Republican National Convention Acceptance Speech, Undone by Two Sentences?

Barry Goldwater

With the partly online 2020 Republican National Convention starting today, let’s talk about the most influential Republican Convention speech ever. On July 16, 1964, United States Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona accepted his party's nomination in a speech that was well-crafted and eloquent – except for two ill-chosen lines. After those regrettable lines, Goldwater’s campaign to be President of the United States was over except for the shouting. 

A bit of background. In 1964, the Vietnam War was cranking up to horrific proportions. The Cold War raged across the globe, the Birmingham civil rights marches led to police riots, and the Ku Klux Klan gasped for breath while losing power throughout the South. I was a middle school student; atomic weapons attack drills were as much a part of my childhood then as active shooter drills are today. 

The last thing voters wanted in 1964 was an extremist. Goldwater, one of the intellectual grandparents of today’s conservative movement, was routinely labeled as an extremist. Like most conservatives of today, he wanted to shrink the government’s social programs. He favored more funding for national defense. He supported the controversial conspiracy theorist Senator Joseph McCarthy. Goldwater did offer lukewarm support for the civil rights movement. 

It is one thing, however, when the opposition calls you an extremist. It is something else for a speaker to boast about it. For the most part, Goldwater’s speech uttered the expected platitudes about freedom and liberty. That is, until near the end, when he destroyed his own campaign with these fateful words: 

“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. 

“And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

From a logical viewpoint, it’s hard to argue with what Goldwater said. Yes, we should support justice. No one wants to go to court to find that the judge is only interested in moderate justice. Logic, however, is not why people vote for presidents. Goldwater gave his critics all the fuel they needed. He rejected moderation when the nation craved moderation. 

Goldwater’s electoral doom was assured. His general election opponent, incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson, called Goldwater a “ranting, raving demagogue who wants to tear down society.” Goldwater lost in a landslide. He carried only Arizona and part of the Deep South. Johnson swept the rest of the nation.  

I mentioned last week that one striking sentence can make a great speech memorable. In Goldwater’s case, two striking sentences ended his presidential aspirations forever.

Earlier Post: William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” 1896 Democratic Convention Speech

Earlier Post: We’ll Remember Julia Louis-Dreyfus at DNC for One Big Wisecrack

Image: US Senate, via Wikimedia