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