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October 5, 2006 I was 7 years old when Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater was selected to be the Republican nominee for president in 1964. Young, yes. But also very politically aware because of my parents, who were devoted Democrats and extremely anti-Republican and most definitely anti-Goldwater. I remember my mom, who was a government employee for most of her early adult life, talking about how we might end up in a nuclear war if Bad Boy Barry were elected, and how that would be such a horrible way to die. Even my dad, who was as laid back as he was liberal, used to bristle at the mention of Goldwater. So I naturally became a big fan of Lyndon Johnson, the incumbent Democratic president, who had taken over when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. After all, I certainly didn't want to die at seven years old with my skin burning off and my body parts melting. And reinforcing all was "The Daisy Commercial." If you're 18 or 85, you've either seen or heard about the TV ad that Johnson's campaign ran in 1964, depicting Goldwater as not only a war monger with no conscience, but nuclear war-monger with no conscience. On September 7, 1964, the commercial aired, depicting a little girl plucking a daisy, counting down with each petal "eight...seven...six..." until it reached one, and an atomic bomb exploded into a mushroom cloud on screen. Then an announcer piped in with the words: "These are the stakes – to make a world in which all of God's children can live, or to go into the dark. Vote for President Johnson on November 3. The stakes are too high for you to stay home." This inflammatory piece of history aired just once – during a Movie of the Week – and the Johnson campaign was blasted for using the threat of nuclear annihilation as election ammunition. Goldwater, in fact, threatened to sue the Johnson group if the ad weren’t pulled. But it destroyed any chance Goldwater had of winning the presidency, as he took just six states and 38 percent of the popular vote against landslide-winner LBJ. And it had this young man believing that Barry Goldwater was the devil on earth.  To many, Goldwater was the Constitutional gold standard. Fast forward to September 2006. I learned that Goldwater's granddaughter, CC Goldwater had produced a documentary on Barry that was to air on HBO. Being a political junkie, I made sure to set the TiVo, because I was going to be on vacation, and I certainly didn't want to miss a documentary about the devil. My fiancée and I returned from our trip late on a Friday night, and literally the first thing I did was head for the TV to watch "Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater." I was anticipating a fun couple of hours, reliving Satan's majestic loss to Johnson. I mean, even his flesh and blood couldn't cover up the fact that this guy wanted the whole world to implode, right? Things turned out a bit differently than I planned. When I was done watching the documentary, my feeling about Goldwater had changed about 170 degrees. I still don't like the fact that he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but now I understood why. Barry Goldwater was a true advocate of small government and states’ rights, which meant that civil rights and abortion reform and many other matters should be decided by states, not the federal government. Which, as unrealistic as that may sound today, is the way the framers actually set up the running of this country. States' rights are supposed to supercede all others. It isn't that way anymore, but it's supposed to be. Goldwater today probably wouldn't even be considered a conservative, most likely a libertarian. He would most definitely be at odds with the current president and his administration, confirms his granddaughter, CC. "Yes, I think he'd be very upset with the way things are happening today," she said. "He was a strong believer in people having control of their own lives, and not having the federal government intrude on private matters. He was very much a believer that a woman should have the final say over her own body, including the right to have an abortion if she chooses to. Not that he agreed with abortion itself, but he felt that a person--not the government--should make those decisions." Doesn't sound much like any of today's prominent "conservatives" does it? For CC Goldwater, this documentary was a labor of love, and something that very nearly didn't come to fruition. "I wanted everyone to get a fair and true look at who my grandfather was. People have their own ideas, mostly from the way the media portrayed him in the 50s and 60s. But (his family) knew better. He was a charming, handsome, brilliant man who deserved a lot more credit than he got when he was alive. However, it wasn't an easy sell to HBO. "At first, it was 'thanks but no thanks.' Let's face it – a Barry Goldwater documentary on HBO just didn't seem to fit perfectly. So, I ended up producing a demo-documentary to show HBO what we would be doing. When they saw it they became very supportive and gave us the green light. And we got it done in about 12 months." Even though a family member produced the film, it also shows some of Goldwater's warts, such as his son, Barry, revealing that his father had a hard time telling his children that he loved them. And pointing out that sometimes Goldwater put politics or other's needs ahead of his family's needs. But all in all, it's an amazing look at maybe the most miscast politician of the 20th century. And a man we could sure use today to reign in the so-called conservative politicians of today, who are advocating a bigger government and infringing on citizen's personal rights. "Yeah, I think my grandfather might have had a few things to say to George Bush if he were alive," said CC Goldwater with a laugh. We can only imagine. Joe McDonnell is an award-winning radio talk show host and investigative reporter. You can reach him at
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