...is that there were, in fact, a lot of actual "witches": "The Venona Cables Proved American Elites Spied for the Communists. Liberals Are Still in Denial."
"Ah, American liberals! Marx love 'em! The most effective fifth column I ever saw. And still going strong, all these decades later."
A major problem is that Joe McCarthy was correct. But he was also a publicity whore, who saw anti-Communism as an issue to ride to glory. His ham fisted camera hogging discredited the cause and allowed actual Communists to embed in out government, bureaucracy, media, and entertainment sectors while pretending to be nothing more than "classical" liberals.
ReplyDeleteThis was at the heart of a dispute William F. Buckley, Jr. had with Evelyn Waugh. Buckley, of course, was not only a strong anti-communist, but an enthusiastic supporter of Joe McCarthy. Waugh held that one could sincerely support the cause of anti-communism while deploring Joe McCarthy's championship of it.
DeleteHe kept finding commies, and for that he can never be forgiven.
ReplyDeleteHe also didn't get rid of them. I'm pretty upset about that.