The life and political legacy of conservative American politician Barry M. Goldwater (1909–1998) gets a liberal makeover in HBO's new documentary Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater. Although the documentary touches only briefly on Goldwater's pro-gay activism, it will nonetheless be of special interest to gays who seek to understand the American political process, as it sheds light on how the religious right has risen to power in the Republican Party. Mr. Conservative may even hold clues to a way out of the Democratic Party's current funk of political impotence.

Goldwater's gay grandson, Ty Ross, who is considering following in his grandfather's political footsteps, believes that the Democratic Party needs to better publicize its message. “They say Democrats don't have a message,” Ross tells AfterElton.com in a recent interview, “but their message is: You care for your fellow human beings, you care for women, you care for minorities. I mean, how hard is that to do?”

Created, produced and narrated by Goldwater's granddaughter and Ross' sister, C.C. Goldwater, Mr. Conservative features interviews with many prominent political players, ranging from Sen. Edward Kennedy to former TV anchorman Walter Cronkite.

Although one might expect that a biography of such a famous American conservative would be one big moral majority love-fest, right-wing interviewees are scarce in this film. They are so scarce, in fact, that one suspects that more than a few conservative Republicans declined to be featured in Mr. Conservative.

The film does offer testimonials, and a surprising amount of praise for Goldwater, from liberals of all sorts. In addition to Kennedy and Cronkite, we hear from Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain, humorist Al Franken, White House reporter Helen Thomas, Democratic political consultant James Carville and former White House Counsel John Dean.

It is clear that they are all pleased to be interviewed for this documentary. There is considerable irony dripping off the screen as Democrats happily praise the integrity of a Republican who became such an apostate to many in his own party.

In this documentary, the man who was “Mr. Republican” and “a conservative's conservative” to many in the GOP is treated more like a liberal Democrat than a rank-and-file Republican. For example, we learn how Goldwater was actually “an unsung hero of Watergate” for helping to convince Nixon to resign. Later in life he labeled Nixon the “most dishonest man” he ever met, and he even refused to attend President Nixon's funeral because he “cheated” the country.

Mr. Conservative is personal as well as political. We learn of Goldwater's fascination with photography and aviation and of his special love for the Native Americans of Arizona. We hear recollections from several of his family members and descendents, including Ty Ross.

“Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” — B. Goldwater, 1964 Republican National Convention

Goldwater's 1964 failed bid for the presidency went up in a mushroom cloud of voter disgust — mostly because he advocated the use “the bomb” in Vietnam. He also alienated himself from most Americans with his opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

His loss cost the conservative movement dearly. Even with Nixon's 1968 Republican presidential win, the country headed into the 1970s with liberals pretty much still in control of the national agenda. Branded as political curmudgeons, conservatives went into hiding — but they were also biding their time for a comeback.

Nixon's “silent majority” was just a forewarning of preacher Jerry Falwell's “moral majority.” Right wing Republicans were finding a receptive audience among fundamentalist Christians and other intolerance-preaching, fanatical moralists.

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