You brought out the tax cuts of Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey's defense of the 2nd amendment. Both were mainstays of Goldwater's platform and yet he went to a stinging defeat to LBJ.
My statement was regarding democrats in the sixties that held positions that pubbies are afraid to defend now. Whether Goldwater won on lost and on what issues is irrelevant to my point.
But during that era, those positions were simply American values, not liberal or conservative. They still are or should be, but the GOP (not all)has been intimidated and lacks the backbone to take a definitive stand in their defense.