Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona is considered the father of the modern Conservative movement. He was a straight shooter who firmly believed in rugged individualism and small government. He opposed civil rights - because he was concerned about Federal Government overreach - which is why he supported abortion rights.
Goldwater ran for president in 1964 and was beaten in a landslide by Lyndon Johnson. We didn't see another strong conservative rise like Goldwater until 1980 with Ronald Reagan, but Reagan won and changed the face of American politics.
So what is happening now? Donald Trump appears to be on his way to a Republican nomination and some both inside and outside the GOP are predicting a Goldwater-like collapse.
What will become of the future of conservative politics in America?
Guest:
- EJ Dionne, columnist for the Washington Post, Senior Fellow at Brookings, and author of "Why The Right Went Wrong: Conservatism from Goldwater to the Tea Party and Beyond"
