Analysis Of George Romney's Crashing The Party

George Romney's collapsed presidential campaign of 1968 was doomed for various reasons, not just his odd "brainwashed" statement. Chris Bachelder, in "Crashing the Party," argues that Romney's campaign had already begun to falter by the time of his gaffe. Bachelder argues that his campaign was "hampered" because Romney failed to endorse Goldwater in the 1964 campaign, he was unwilling to completely align with the Party organization, and his independent style prevented him from being completely accepted (Bachelder 131). Romney refused to endorse Goldwater based on principle, he did not feel comfortable endorsing someone who was heavily influenced by a certain group (in this case Southern whites). While he accepted the RNC's actions at the 1964