So, suppose that through a combination of different circumstances surrounding JFK's death, LBJ's campaign, possible Soviet aggression in 1963/64, etc, Barry Goldwater (somehow) manages to defeat Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The details of how Goldwater wins aren't really important; I'm more interested in what a Goldwater presidency would mean for various aspects of American life. The concept of an ardent conservative winning the presidency a decade and a half before the conservative movement really became mainstream is fascinating, and opens up some interesting possibilities.
- How would Goldwater deal with (or not deal with) the poverty crisis?
- What about earlier New Deal reforms like Social Security? Would Goldwater try to dismantle them?
- How friendly would he be with a Democratic or Republican Congress?
- How would the civil rights movement change? Goldwater was fairly supportive of civil rights, even if his own libertarian ideological leanings prevented him from supporting business desegregation.
- How would the conservative movement be affected?
- What about the space race?
- Goldwater was a noted hawk. How would he deal with the Vietnam War, the Second Indo-Pakistani War, the Six Day War, the Prague Spring or any other possible Cold War flareups?
- How would the Soviets react to such an aggressively hawkish American president? What about China? Beijing detonated its first nuclear bombs during the period.
- How would Democrats respond to such a staunch conservative winning the presidency? Who would try to run against him in 1968?
- If Goldwater has an unsuccessful presidency, would a moderate try to primary him? Who?
- Would a segregationist Southerner try to run an independent campaign, if Goldwater dissapoints them? If not, would the South still go his direction?