Democrats bringing back the era of McCarthyism

I think it is time for Democrats to resurrect the old congressional “Un-American Activities Committees.” Mainstays of the 1940s and 50s, these committees became famous for summoning well-known citizens and accusing them of participating in activities deemed to be “un-American” such as free expression.

The most famous of these inquisitors was Republican Senator Joe McCarthy, an extraordinary blowhard with a fertile imagination and total disregard for truth. Sort of a precursor to today’s Democrats Adam Schiff or Eric Swalwell. Imagine Elizabeth Warren or Jerry Nadler, glowering down at their hapless witness and intoning, “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Republican Party?” After eliciting implausible denials, they spring the trap by producing irrefutable proof of the accusations such as photos of the witness wearing a red MAGA cap.

In the old days, persons accused by the committee were “blacklisted” making them societal piranhas, unwelcome in public and unsuitable for employment. Blacklisting was the forerunner of today’s “cancel culture.” Of course, then, as now, the fake TV news would be broadcasting the entertaining performance. At the time, audiences did not know that a lot of the news they were given was fake, so most of this theater passed for fact. And the term “un-American” is so wonderfully ambiguous that the committees could include any behavior that suited their fancy.

Un-American activity committees. An ongoing opportunity to abuse government power to persecute political opponents. It’s what Democrats do best.

— David White, Oroville