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Defend McCarthy and his methods: 1954
washington_area_spark posted a photo:
Supporters of anti-communist crusader Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI) gather in New York to board a train to Washington, D.C. November 11, 1954 for a “National Rally for McCarthy” as the senator faced a censure charges.
The rally drew several thousand to D.C.’s Constitution Hall. However the U.S. Senate voted 67-22 December 2, 1954 to condemn McCarthy on two counts:
1. That McCarthy had “failed to cooperate with the Subcommittee on Rules and Administration”, and “repeatedly abused the members who were trying to carry out assigned duties…”
2. That McCarthy had charged “three members of the [Watkins] Select Committee with ‘deliberate deception’ and ‘fraud’ … that the special Senate session … was a ‘lynch party'”, and had characterized the committee “as the ‘unwitting handmaiden’, ‘involuntary agent’ and ‘attorneys in fact’ of the Communist Party”, and had “acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute, to obstruct the constitutional processes of the Senate, and to impair its dignity.”
McCarthy won election in 1946 as a conservative Republican who criticized Truman as “soft on communism” and accused the Democrats of “20 years of treason.” He voted for the Taft-Hartley act crippling labor unions and called for charges to be dropped against Nazi Waffen-SS soldiers who committed the Malmedy massacre.
He made is name, however, when he made a February 9, 1950 speech in Wheeling, West Virginia where he held up a piece of paper and claimed he had the names of 205 known communists who worked in the U.S. State Department.
From there he went on what could be characterized as a witch-hunt where he claimed communists were hiding under every bed in government agencies. He also named and targeted those he accused of “homosexual” behavior.
He utilized Congressional committee hearing process to humiliate witnesses. He achieved immense popularity before criticism of his bullying, innuendo, false and flimsy charges brought him down.
After the censure, he continued to give anti-communist speeches but was isolated from his colleagues and never regained the national stage.
He died at age 48 in 1957 of disease related to alcohol.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsk72YVXD
The photographer is unknown. The image is an auction find.
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