Conscience of a Conservative

Conscience of a Conservative reignited the American conservative movement and made Barry Goldwater a political star. It influenced countless conservatives in the United States, helping to lay the foundation for the Reagan Revolution in 1980. It covers topics such as education, labor unions and policies, civil rights, agricultural policy and farm subsidies, social welfare programs, and income taxation. This significant book lays out the conservative position both politically and economically that would come to dominate the Conservative Movement in American, clearly defining Goldwater’s uncompromising political views. Goldwater held freedom as the highest value in American society: freedom from law, freedom from government, freedom from anybody else's vision but your own. Much more than a political tract or soulless campaign book of the sort generated by every modern presidential campaign, Goldwater’s book continues to be read today because it lays out an intriguing political philosophy. Goldwater's conservatism is not isolationism, nor is it a cold-blooded commitment to the 'haves' as against the 'have-nots.' It is the creed of a fighter who has both a warm heart and a clear mind. Even today, there is more harsh fact and hard sense in this slight book than will emerge from all of the chatter of a normal session of Congress. One of a handful of truly authentic conservatives, Goldwater was said to speak with “the clarity of courage and the courage of clarity.”