You didn’t have to guess which one was former U.S. Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr.

He looks strikingly similar to his father (the late Arizona senator who was the Republican nominee for president in 1964). So he stood out when, as part of the Congress to Campus program, he came to Rhode Island College on Sunday night for a panel discussion titled “All in the Family: Our Greatest Political Legacies.”

The panel included former U.S. Rep. Beverly Byron, D-Md., former Democratic Lt. Gov. Richard Licht and two men gearing up to run for governor in 2010 — Democratic General Treasurer Frank T. Caprio and former U.S. Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee, a Republican-turned-independent.

They all offered interesting anecdotes and insights. But it was hard to ignore Goldwater. He said, “Politicians, like diapers, need changing and probably for the same reason.” He broke down the meaning of the word “politics,” saying “poli” means “many” and “tics” means “blood sucking creatures.”

And Goldwater, a Republican congressman from California from 1969 to 1983, recalled that he decided to run for Congress while at a GOP convention “sitting in a bar with a bunch of my buddies. They came up with the idea that I should run for Congress. By then, there were already 12 people declared for that position, and I said, ‘You know something, I’m not interested in going to Congress. I’m enjoying making money.’ Well, we kept talking and drinking, and talking and drinking. And by the time the evening was over, I was a declared candidate.”

Goldwater won. “Next thing I know I’m in the halls of Congress getting sworn in, and my dad and mother were looking on,” he said. “I’ll be honest with you, I then understood the meaning of the Peter Principle” (employees rise to the level of their incompetence). But he said he was a “quick study” and ended up authoring the 1974 Privacy Act.

As he was telling his story, I thought about what would happen if most of us spent a night with our buddies, drinking and thinking about Congress. My guess is we’d end up hung over — and unelected.

No doubt there’s something admirable about a family tradition of serving the public in elected office. And I could understand the value of such legacies as Licht talked about his uncle (former Gov. Frank Licht), Chafee talked about his father (former Sen. John H. Chafee) and Caprio talked about his father (Providence Municipal Court Chief Judge Frank Caprio).

But I have to say I’m most impressed by those who rise to the top based only on merit and hustle, without the benefit of family name recognition and wealth. I’m not saying members of political dynasties can’t be excellent public officials. I’m just saying I’m a fan of meritocracy, of rewarding talent and achievement.

Chafee said 14 of the 100 senators had “legacy issues” in 2006, including Republicans (Elizabeth Dole and John Sununu) and Democrats (Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ted Kennedy).

Of course, Rhode Island has U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, and Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch is running for governor. (His father was mayor of Pawtucket. His brother, Democratic Chairman William J. Lynch, might run for attorney general.)

Caprio said, “There’s no doubt about it that name ID and recognition is a factor in any election, but the great thing about our country — different than some other countries — is we have something called elections, and it’s the will of the people that decides when there will be a legacy or not. It’s not by birthright.”

It’s a good point: No matter what your name is, every election cycle, you have to earn it.

efitzpat@projo.com