It was just over 60 years ago that the tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy were repudiated when he was censured by the Senate in December 1954. Ever since then, McCarthyism — the reckless hurling of accusations at adversaries so as to destroy their reputations — has been considered one of the lowest forms of political behavior and one liberals love to crusade against.But McCarthyism isn’t limited to one party or ideology. And if liberals have any sense of self-awareness they will recognize the tactic has returned and is growing in their back yard.Harry Reid, the top Democrat in the Senate, was asked by CNN’s Dana Bash this week if he regretted his 2012 accusation on the Senate floor that GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney “hasn’t paid taxes for ten years.” Reid presented no evidence at the time and claimed he didn’t need any: “I don’t think the burden should be on me. The burden should be on him. He’s the one I’ve alleged has not paid any taxes.”Reid’s response in the interview was fascinating. When asked by Bash if his tactic was McCarthyite he visibly shrugged on camera, smiled, and said “Well, they can call it whatever they want. Romney didn’t win, did he?” White House spokesman Josh Earnest refused to criticize Reid for his comment because it “was three years old,” when in reality Reid’s televised reveling in it was only three days old.Las Vegas journalist Jon Ralston, who has observed Reid over the latter’s 30-year career in the Senate, has had enough. He revealed that he had written a harshly critical column in 2012 about Reid’s “ruthless, Machiavellian politics” in response to the senator’s accusation against Romney but saw it spiked by the Las Vegas Sun because its editor wanted to protect Reid.
Education, politics, and anything else that catches my attention.
Friday, April 03, 2015
Modern McCarthyites
Liberal hypocrisy knows no bounds:
This was absolutely disgusting … and made more so by the fact that he did it while wearing sunglasses, looking like a crime boss. (And yes, I know… he's had eye problems, so he gets a pass. Still didn't look good.) The worse thing is, in 2012, when the tax records of the previous year came out? Romney's taxes paid dwarfed Obama's -- not even close. And then he went on to do it again with charitable contributions. I didn't like Romney, I voted for Johnson, but you shouldn't be able to cheat so blatantly to win. Censur is absolutely appropriate.
ReplyDeleteAnd, in the "They're not all bad" category … I have one good friend who lives in Nevada and is unabashedly liberal … and she absolutely detests Harry Reid. But what can she do? Without public financing, the chances of unseating the senate majority leader are infinitesimal, and she's not going to vote for a Republican whose platform she disagrees with… but I think I heard her cheering when Reid said he would't run again...
ReplyDeleteMy university has been heavily supported by Reid, we have massive engineering labs with his name plastered all over them.
ReplyDeleteBut, he opposes my schools fight for CCW on campus, and because of this, our student body voted not to allow him to speak at our campus. There's been talk that once he is "out of power" in Nevada, the buildings already have investors who want their names and not his on the side.
His own state doesn't even like him, shouldn't the rest of the nation see that as a problem? Maybe that if we don't trust him, others shouldn't either?