Yep, probably Barry Goldwater. The song was written in 1961, and I think that by then, Goldwater was the darling of the extreme right. He took the Republican nomination for President in 1964, and lost by a landslide. He was always on the extreme side of conservatism, but he was quite philosophical and also a man of extreme integrity. He was one of the first to support admitting gays into the U.S. armed forces.

-Joe-

Little-known fact: 16-year-old Joe Offer worked as a volunteer for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 campaign. Joe thought LBJ was slimy.