Kevin McCarthy Resembles His Namesake From the 50’s, Running Scare Tactics About Socialism

History may not repeat itself, but it rhymes. Back in the 1950’s, Joseph McCarthy had his own version of today’s Deep State, which he had discovered and was going to root out of government. That conspiracy theory ruined many peoples’ careers and lives, when security clearances were revoked — Robert Oppenheimer is a stellar example — and names began appearing on blacklists. McCarthy was able to harness a couple of simultaneous streams of cultural hysteria, chiefly the fear of America going the way of Russia, into a dictatorship which was called a socialist state, and the fear of the atomic bomb. These formed the fulcrum of Joseph McCarthy’s power.

Throughout all this, the word “socialism” featured prominently. Here’s what Harry Truman had to say about that.

What Joe Biden is doing has been compared to what Franklin D. Roosevelt did to get us out of the Depression. During the Depression, the federal government stepped into many sectors because they had no choice but to do so if the American economy was to be salvaged. The government went into the agricultural sector, the housing sector, the banks, and a lot of private capitalists, who felt thwarted in trying to make a profit, used the pejorative “creeping socialism.” If you want a definition of that term, the best one would probably be “anything that the government is doing.”

Now one of the differences of the 50’s and today, is that both major political parties were viable back then. Today the GOP is coming apart at the seams. So today, “socialism” is the scareword attached to everything the government is doing, but the opposing party has no agenda of its own to replace what the Democrats are doing. All they can do is gin up fear and along comes Kevin McCarthy, right on cue.

.@GOPLeader: “Republicans will work with anyone to build America up…” ? pic.twitter.com/tw2RHJ6gbV

— PatriotTakes ?? (@patriottakes) April 29, 2021

Kevin McCarthy invokes the lie that Biden wants to ban hamburgers pic.twitter.com/ZCbfnJLczj

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 29, 2021

We taxed and spent our way out of the Depression, but you’re never going to hear that. You’ll hear conspiracy theories about hamburgers, instead.

The buzzwords are already flying. Lauren Boebert is talking about Marxism being a Ponzi scheme and she is clueless. Marjorie Taylor Greene called MLB pulling its game out of Georgia “corporate communism” and assured one and all that the GOP would unite and fight same. This new iteration of the GOP doesn’t know the difference between any of these theories of government. They’re just words that have a bad sound, chiefly because our history of railing against the post-WWII Russia of Stalin is still fresh in the collective cultural mind, as is Cuba, the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, the whole enchilada that was the second half of the 20th Century.

The common thread here is provoking unreasoned fear that subversive elements in the government — in this case, President Biden and the entire Democratic party — are undermining America and planning to replace democracy with an “ism” communism, socialism, Marxism, anything with an ism is bad and un American. And all that the GOP knows is that it’s got to convince you that they are going to save you from that, just as Joseph McCarthy sought to convince people back in his day that he was really on to something devastating and pernicious in the government of that day. Now Kevin McCarthy says that he sees with clarity that the government is being controlled by subversives — the “radical left” — and they are going to take away your way of life, starting with your hamburgers. The good that social programs do for Americans is never mentioned.

Kevin, Take a long look at these pictures regarding socialism. pic.twitter.com/q91jTxUq89

— ohiogirl12 (@lthomas2689) April 29, 2021

Effective government is crucial to civilization. Government is that “common power” that Thomas Hobbes referred to.

“During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that conditions called war; and such a war, as if of every man, against every man.

“To this war of every man against every man, this also in consequent; that nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice have there no place. Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice. Force, and fraud, are in war the cardinal virtues.

“No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death: and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.”

Kevin McCarthy and the Trumpist end of the GOP want you to fear this administration and fear government in general. I guess that’s their official platform, fear. When Trump ran in 2020, they didn’t bother to announce a platform, but seemingly, by default, this is it, now. Fear. Vote Republican and they’ll save you from nameless terrors, or misnamed terrors, in all events.

As Obama said in reference to health care, “They don’t have a plan but they don’t like mine.” Nothing has changed. Paul Ryan used to declaim about “the nightmare that is Obamacare,” and now everything Biden does is characterized as the nightmare of socialism. Like the wolf in a fairy tale, socialism is right outside the door. And the Republicans still don’t have a plan of their own, they just hate his.

That’s it in a nutshell. The GOP is depending upon the crazies to keep them viable and restore them to power. They’re banking on ignorance and conspiracy theory to bring home their bacon and prevail above all. Sweet Jesus.