He convinced me that ideas are important and I became a Goldwater supporter as a teenager. Because of Goldwater, I eventually persuaded my democrat parents to change their registration. Because of Goldwater, California got Reagan and because of Goldwater, the Nation got Reagan.
I remember Reagan's speech in support of Goldwater. Brillant! And the media tried years later to label Reagan as a mental light-weight, just as they have attacked G.W. Bush!
And I remember the sad state of politics when Goldwater ran and who was in the Senate and House. I heard the pigs left because they could not stand the stench!
I was only 15, but "in my heart, I knew he was right."