Goldwater defends extremism in RNC acceptance speech

Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with the line "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Speechwriter Karl Hess inserted the passage, drawing on Cicero. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller called the line "dangerous, irresponsible, and frightening"; moderate Republicans refused to endorse the ticket.