J. William Middendorf II - A Glorious Disaster: Barry Goldwaters Presidential Campaign and the Origins of the Conservative Movement

Theres much to like about J. William Middendorf IIs new book. First, of course, is the titleA Glorious Disasterwhich is dead on and may finally help to strip away the Velcro long stuck between the name Goldwater and the noun debacle. Then theres the author, Bill Middendorf, who bolts into politics with typical businessman swagger and, atypically, stays to create his own space, develop survival skills, and do much good. And finally, theres the candidate, Barry Morris Goldwater, without whom there would have been no campaign and no movement and maybe no magazine quite like this one.

Weekly Standard

Lively... a breezy, anecdotal chronicle.

Library Journal

[A]n interesting insiders account of that election and its aftermath.

Kirkus

I covered the Goldwater presidential campaign closely, but Bill Middendorf provides significant facts and insights that were new to me. This is a fascinating book that reveals the background for Republican developments of the last forty years.

ROBERT NOVAK, nationally-syndicated columnist and author

Barry Goldwater was a great pioneer in the conservative causeand Bill Middendorf tells so well the obstacles faced in Barrys 1964 campaign for the presidency.

JOHN MCCAIN, United States Senator from Arizona

The account by Bill Middendorf of the Goldwater enterprise is very good history, wonderfully revealing, by someone who was there and critically situated. Middendorf writes with authority, as one would expect. But he writes, also, engagingly. Anyone interested in high moments of 20th century American politics will read this entertaining book gratefully and with keen appreciation.

WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY JR.

Bill Middendorf has written a riveting insiders account of the historic 1964 presidential campaign and the most important loser in modern American politicsBarry Goldwater.

LEE EDWARDS, author of Goldwater:
The Man Who Made a Revolution

This is an absolutely riveting account of the draft, nomination and defeat of Barry Goldwater in the early 1960s, written by a man who saw and, in impressive detail, tells it all. Historians and grassroots conservatives will find Bill Middendorfs story of those days indispensable, for he was thereand deep on the inside.

WILLIAM A. RUSHER, author of The Rise of the Right

Bill Middendorfs truly inspiring bookprovides first-hand insights into the genesis of modern conservatism. A Glorious Disaster vividly reminds us of the struggle to throw off the shackles of the New Deal and restore conservatism to Americas mainstream.

EDWIN J. FEULNER, President, The Heritage Foundation

A Glorious Disaster

BARRY GOLD WATERS
Presidential Campaign and the
Origins of the Conservative Movement

J. William Middendorf II