Debunking The Goldwater Myth

Of the thousands of articles written about the sorry state of the Republican Party and conservatism, David Frum's debunking of the myth that the way out of the electoral wilderness is to find another Barry Goldwater is a must-read, although one that the people who most need to heed his message are unlikely to heed.

The nut graf:

"Goldwater’s defeat was a prelude to nothing except defeats on the floor of Congress in 1965-66. As the next presidential cycle begins, our priority should be to identify presidential candidates who can run strongly in every region of the country – not because we expect to win every region of the country, but because we want to help elect Republican congressional candidates in every region of the country. Our present strategy is one that is paving the way not merely to another defeat at the presidential level, but to a further shriveling of our congressional party –and an utterly unconstrained Obama second term that will make LBJ’s ascendancy look moderate and humble in comparison."