2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumTed Cruz Communist Slurs Not New – He Is The New McCarthy
America has been watching in shock as the saying the more things change, the more they stay the same is materializing before ones eyes. Texas Senator Ted Cruz has morphed into Joe McCarthy. Anyone watching the manner he presented leading questions to Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel would have thought Cruz to be an understudy of Joe McCarthy, likely to have watched his every machination in Congress.
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said that some of the demands Mr. Cruz made of Mr. Hagel were out of bounds, quite frankly. Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, issued a public rebuke after Mr. Cruz suggested, with no evidence, that Mr. Hagel had accepted honorariums from North Korea.
All I can say is that the appropriate way to treat Senator Hagel is to be as tough as you want to be, but dont be disrespectful or malign his character, Mr. McCain said in an interview.
Democrats were more blunt.
He basically came out and made the accusation about money from North Korea or money from our enemies, and he just laid out there all of this accusatory verbiage without a shred of evidence, said Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri. In this country we had a terrible experience with innuendo and inference when Joe McCarthy hung out in the United States Senate, and I just think we have to be more careful.
McCarthy-like attacks by Ted Cruz on the opposition has been standard for some time. The New Yorker reports
He then went on to assert that Obama, who attended Harvard Law School four years ahead of him, would have made a perfect president of Harvard Law School. The reason, said Cruz, was that, There were fewer declared Republicans in the faculty when we were there than Communists! There was one Republican. But there were twelve who would say they were Marxists who believed in the Communists overthrowing the United States government.
Cruz is an intelligent man. There is a method to and a reason for this type of behavior. His reason is to get notoriety. His method has proven to get attention. He should however remember that all those that have practiced his form of attack, have ultimately failed both politically and personally. He does not need to look as far back as McCarthy. He simply need to revisit all the Republicans that attacked President Clinton. Their own misdeeds were uncovered. While President Clinton was left with a reputation of a flawed but decent human being doing positive things for the world, their political life is non-existent and they are all considered hacks now by most.
Many will view the young freshman senator, including many in his own party as pushing the limits. His escalation is simply an outgrowth of a behavior openly promoted by the party. Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential candidate was just as caustic and partisan as she levied accusations. The establishment did nothing to reign her in. The GOP Chairman Reince Priebus continues unfounded attacks and lies on the administration policies with the intent of misleading all. While Ted Cruz is the new McCarthy, his teachers were all the prominent leaders in his party.
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montanacowboy
(6,089 posts)the first time I saw him I thought, Jesus, he looks like McCarthy
Paladin
(28,261 posts)This dangerous little creep needs to be marginalized and neutered just as soon as possible. The McCarthy comparison is a a good fit---let's run with it.
Kingofalldems
(38,458 posts)John2
(2,730 posts)that stands out as intelligent about him. I guess that is an individual perception. I consider him repugnant and shouldn't be in any leadership position at all. He hasn't said anything intelligent at all to me. If he is intelligent, then everyone that has manipulated people for self gains would be intelligent. He has done nothing but twist facts. What is the difference from a psychopathic liar?
Gabby Hayes
(289 posts)In the Texas GOP primaries, David Dewhurst saturated the airwaves with ads accusing Cruz of stealing industrial secrets for China and defending abuse at a private juvenile prison. Copies of those ads have disappeared, but the images of that angry American businessman, and especially the grieving Mom talking about her dead son, live on the memories of anyone with a conscience. Ted's mealy-mouthed defense against Dewhurst's accusations and his bizarre behavior as a senator are evidence of some other really big, rotten secrets in his past.
Your words are a trail of bread crumbs, Ted, keep talking.
Bake
(21,977 posts)He's been totally vindicated by history ...
Bake