Being Barry Goldwater's granddaughter and living in Arizona, one would
assume that I would be voting for our state's senator, John McCain. I am
still struck by certain 'dyed in the wool' Republicans who are on the
fence this election, as it seems like a no-brainer to me.

Myself, along with my siblings and a few cousins, will not be supporting
the Republican presidential candidates this year. We believe strongly in
what our grandfather stood for: honesty, integrity, and personal
freedom, free from political maneuvering and fear tactics. I learned a
lot about my grandfather while producing the documentary, Mr.
Conservative Goldwater on Goldwater. Our generation of Goldwaters
expects government to provide for constitutional protections. We reject
the constant intrusion into our personal lives, along with other crucial
policy issues of the McCain/Palin ticket.

My grandfather (Paka) would never suggest denying a woman's right to
choose. My grandmother co-founded Planned Parenthood in Arizona in the
1930's, a cause my grandfather supported. I'm not sure about how he
would feel about marriage rights based on same-sex orientation. I think
he would feel that love and respect for ones privacy is what matters
most and not the intolerance and poor judgment displayed by McCain over
the years. Paka respected our civil liberties and passed on the message
that that we should conduct our lives standing up for the basic freedoms
we hold so dear.

For a while, there were several candidates who aligned themselves with
the Goldwater version of Conservative thought. My grandfather had
undying respect for the U.S. Constitution, and an understanding of its
true meanings.

There always have been a glimmer of hope that someday, someone would
"race through the gate" full steam in Goldwater style. Unfortunately,
this hasn't happened, and the Republican brand has been tarnished in a
shameless effort to gain votes and appeal to the lowest emotion, fear.
Nothing about McCain, except for maybe a uniform, compares to the same
ideology of what Goldwater stood for as a politician. The McCain/Palin
plan is to appear diverse and inclusive, using women and minorities to
push an agenda that makes us all financially vulnerable, fearful, and
less safe.

When you see the candidate's in political ads, you can't help but be
reminded of the 1964 presidential campaign of Johnson/Goldwater, the
'origin of spin', that twists the truth and obscures what really
matters. Nothing about the Republican ticket offers the hope America
needs to regain it's standing in the world, that's why we're going to
support Barack Obama. I think that Obama has shown his ability and
integrity.

After the last eight years, there's a lot of clean up do. Roll up your
sleeves, Senators Obama and Biden, and we Goldwaters will roll ours up
with you.

That's nice, Harry.

Tim wrote:

That's nice, Harry.


And with a cry of "qu'ils mangent de la brioche," Sarah Palin was
endorsed by Marie Antoinette.

--
A Harry Krause truism:

"It's not a *baby* kicking, beautiful bride, it's just a fetus!"
[A Narcissistic Hypocrite]