Sixty years ago today, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin began his rampage on the Communist issue, accusing everyone he could find of being a “Red”, a “Pinko”, or a “Fellow Traveler”, without any regard for the truth and for the damage he was doing to their reputations and lives.
Most Republicans backed him for political gain, not caring about justice and the truth. Fear and hysteria and panic reigned in that period, and only a few leaders of the Republican party spoke up against it.
One was Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, who issued a Declaration of Conscience on June 1, 1950, condemning Senator McCarthy’s methods and tactics. She was a conservative who demonstrated truly a “Profile In Courage”, which even John F. Kennedy, who later published a Pulitzer Prize winning book under that name, did not have, due to the fact that his father Joe helped to finance Joseph McCarthy.
Today, we have the Tea Party Movement which embraces similar characterics, coming across as racist, anti immigrant, ignorant, and promoting similar fear and hysteria, including willingness to utilize Tom Tancredo and Sarah Palin as advocates of its message, which includes conspiracy theories about Barack Obama and promotion of the concept that he is a dangerous “Socialist”. The Tea Party Movement has demonstrated that it is a right wing, fascist oriented, dangerous movement, much like Senator McCarthy represented sixty years ago.
And yet, who today in the Republican party is willing to speak up? Certainly, not the two women Republican senators from Margaret Chase Smith’s Maine, who have been thought to be moderates, but are unwilling to stick their necks out to speak up for what is right and good, instead choosing to remain silent.
I am referring to Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, who should show their courage and principle by denouncing the rightward trend of the party, and its collaboration with this extremist Tea Party Movement, but instead avoid any comment.
The Republican party will self destruct if they continue down the road of the Tea Party Movement, and the fact that Sarah Palin chooses to support and defend this movement, should eliminate her as someone who could be considered for national office, for which she has demonstrated absolutely no competence anyway.
For Sarah Palin, whose husband was involved in the Alaska Independence movement, to go to Texas and speak up for Governor Rick Perry, who advocated secession and nullification, bringing back memories of John C. Calhoun and the Civil War, is just more evidence of the dangers of the Tea Party Movement and Sarah Palin, its champion!
The party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Dwight D. Eisenhower should be totally ashamed on this anniversary of McCarthyism for its sinful past and its sinful present! What a disgrace for a major political party to have so little spine for what is good and decent! 🙁
I think we have to be careful to not group all Tea Party activists as “racist, anti immigrant and ignorant.” Sure, all political movements have their extremists and zealots, but many of the concerns Tea Party advocates espouse are credible. Let’s face it, the US dept is increasing, spending is rising and people are worried about the future. These are legitimate issues which, unfortunately, face America in the coming years. Basically, the Tea Party movement is supposed to be an embodiment of limited government, which is a credible and legitimate opinion to hold and express.
However, it can be agreed that the Tea Party movement has also become associated with many of the negative characteristics that you have described -violent revolution, racism, political labeling – and often these opinions are based upon an unfounded and illegitimate premise. This is the problem, the movement has abandon its argument of limited government, and shifted to an anti-Obama movement. Therefore, it can be argued that the Tea Party movement is being used and hijacked by Republicans for political gain. The irony though stems from the fact that many Republicans supported the growth in government and US dept that the Tea Party activists are angered about.
So, the foundation of the Tea Party movement is legitimate and its concerns credible. However, it has become apparent that the movement is being directed and pulled by different forces with different concerns. Nevertheless, due to that incredibly annoying1st amendment (sarcasm implied) we have to be tolerant of these views. In America we are allowed to call our President a Hitler no matter how stupid, immature and ignorant it may be. All in all, the Tea Party movement, just like any other political movement, will serve its purpose. Only time will tell what role the movement will have in our political paradigm.
6 Reasons the Tea Party Is More Dangerous Than McCarthyism
The Tea Party rebellion brings together six major political and economic trends of the last 20 years that are distinct from the anticommunism powering the McCarthy age.
http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/151908/6_reasons_the_tea_party_is_more_dangerous_than_mccarthyism