Reading/Video List

The Conscience of a Conservative reignited the American conservative movement and made Barry Goldwater a political star. It influenced countless conservatives in the United States, and helped lay the foundation for the Reagan Revolution in 1980. It covers topics such as education, labor unions and policies, civil rights, agricultural policy and farm subsidies, social welfare programs, and income taxation. This significant book lays out the conservative position both politically and economically that would come to dominate the Conservative Movement in American.

Due to the brutally frank and damning nature of his Washington tell-all, Congressman X insisted on anonymity as a precondition for the publication of his ‘confessions.’ His identity is known only to his editor and confidant, Robert Atkinson, the former chief of staff and press secretary for two Democratic members of Congress. As explained in the Foreward, the book is based on a series of informal conversations Atkinson had with Congressman X over a period of many years.

Atkinson is best known for his highly respected travel newsletter, Hideaway Report, which he wrote under the nom de plume Andrew Harper. He served as Editor-in-Chief for 28 years prior to his retirement in 2007. During that time he was regularly profiled in many leading publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Forbes. He currently resides in Boise, Idaho, where he serves on the Honors College Advisory Board at Boise State University.