[wideawake]

Barry himself was under the sway of his Liberal wife by the time he passed away and was becoming a bit of a crank.

He had already been a crank for quite some time before his first wife died in 1985.

There is a long list of Goldwater's scummy moves to demonstrate that he talked a good game but never actually acted like a conservative.

I'll select one: in 1976 Ronald Reagan asked Goldwater, whom he had once considered a mentor, for his endorsement in the Republican primaries.

But Goldwater endorsed Ford instead, because Ford was the GOP's champion of abortion on demand.

As a result, Reagan narrowly lost the NH primary and we wound up with President Jimmy Carter.

Being useless would have been an aspiration for Goldwater.

[Badeye]

Very astute post.

[Moonman62]

He had already been a crank for quite some time before his first wife died in 1985.

I've read his autobiography, and I'd say he was on the edge all his life.