Vices and virtues, diversity and unity.
- Goldwater now asks his audience to think about the beginning of the Republican Party, back in the days of Abe Lincoln and slavery. Republicans may have disagreed on a lot of things, but they agreed on one major item: slavery was bad and it needed to get gone.
- Today, Republicans still disagree on things, but all GOPers need to unite behind the cause of protecting freedom, both at home and abroad.
- He welcomes anyone who stands for freedom to join his cause, and asks that the party keep from becoming "fuzzy and futile" by splitting itself up and assigning each little faction its own "unthinking and stupid" label (132).
- And now we come to the most famous line of the speech: "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue" (133-34).
- His critics went nuts over this line, taking it as further proof that Goldwater was aching to get his cowboy finger on the nuke button. But hold the phone, folks; he was actually paraphrasing Cicero, who used a similar line back in the day defending his own state's government against perceived dangers to Rome.
- To this day, Goldwater fans say he was only reiterating the importance of protecting freedom, while his critics argue that he was actually defending forms of political extremism that most folks find distasteful and maybe a little scary.
- After that little mic-drop, the audience goes wild. Barry reins them back in by telling them that the greatest thing about the American system is its "reconciliation of diversity with unity" (135). In other words, being different and coming together as one country aren't mutually exclusive here in the U.S.
- We can't just get angry and assume the worst of people just because they think differently than we do.
- After all, Republicans aren't out there trying to make everyone a bunch of clones; the Republican cause is to protect and promote freedom and individuality, here and all around the world.
- It's a "human cause," he says, for "humane goals" (139). (This is in contrast to the "computer regimented sameness" pushed by Democrats and liberals that he laments in the previous section (137).)
- The Republican cause won't be fulfilled until it's inspired the world and made it possible for America's tomorrows to be at least as good as its yesterdays.
- In closing, Goldwater repeats his proud and humble acceptance of the Republican nomination and promises to fight the good fight.
- Then he says thanks, the crowd cheers, and Barry heads off to lose the election by one of the greatest margins in the history of margins.