So now, Gov. Scott Walker is Tailgunner Joe McCarthy come back to life. Truly, the shamelessness of today's Left knows no limits -- or history!
Yet, this is how a tenured professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison stretches logic and ignores facts to further his political agenda, by slandering Scott Walker and his supporters as McCarthyites.
Feel free to express your hard-won First Amendment freedoms after reading this from University of Wisconsin history professor Jeremi Suri:
Today, the Tea Party has revitalized McCarthy's playbook. Based largely in small towns and rural areas of the United States, Tea Party supporters have broken most assumptions of civil discourse, attacking their opponents, often denying that their opponents are even "American." They have exploited the modern media with simple catchy phrases, distorted images, and intentional distortions of the truth. Most of all, they have targeted vulnerable groups with weak local ties, groups that resemble those attacked by McCarthy: unions, mainstream celebrities, intellectuals, and civil servants. Sometimes they even lapse into their accusations against Jews and communists such as when they attack Chicago mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel as un-American and condemn health care reform as socialism. [Blaska comment: imagine, condemning health care reform! How unAmerican!]
The rhetorical extremism of the Tea Party is McCarthyite in tone and substance.
In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker has gone farther than any other elected politician since Joseph McCarthy in applying this agenda. It is not a coincidence that he and McCarthy come from similar Wisconsin circumstances. [Suri: The New McCarthyism]
"Broken most assumptions of civil discourse?" Like, occupying the State Capitol overnight? Banging drums and shouting down those who would disagree? Causing a constitutional crisis by fleeing the state rather than debating the issues? Threatening life? Damaging property? Engaging in secondary boycotts? Closing down schools?
Catchy phrases? How about "this is what democracy looks like?"
Walker comes from similar circumstances as Joe McCarthy? Didn't know the governor grew up on a chicken farm. Did Walker double date with JFK? Was Walker a county judge? Irish Catholic? An alcoholic?
Here is a similarity: Professor Suri and McCarthyism: "the practice of making unfair allegations ... in order to restrict dissent or political opinions."
At least Suri did not liken the governor to the Fuehrer. Prof. Suri concludes:
... Like McCarthy, Walker and the Tea Party have traveled so far down the path of hatred that they cannot turn back. They will get nastier, and more uncontrolled, before they are stopped."
How about nails in the driveway? Is that nasty, Suri? [Sen. Kapanke target of threats, vandalism.]
Sloppy, tendentious, facile, and unprofessional. This is not academic research but partisan name calling. The bullhorn guy makes more sense.
The bullhorn guy
This is hilarious! The incomparable Meade -- Althouse's better half -- captures the absurdity of one spectacularly self-centered and entitled representative of the liberal echo chamber that is Madison. This is Ernie Kovacs good. Meade wisely remains silent as Bullhorn Mouth blabbers on and on, kvetching about working a 40-hour week. (Repeat to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme song.) A 40-hour week!
The Althouse talks about it here.
The dog that didn't bark
Deke Rivers over at Caffeinated Politics asks a very good question: where were the national Democrats at the siege of the Capitol? Where, especially, were Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold?
From day one of the protests there was one person that I though very noticeably absent from the microphone at the Capitol. That was our own Senator Russ Feingold who could have set the crowd afire.
Hooray for Tim Cullen. He is starting a constitutional amendment to prohibit the action which he himself committed. Does that not suggest that he realizes what he and the other 13 did was wrong? Really, tho, it's unnecessary. Article IV Section 7 of the Constitution already provides a remedy for truant legislators.
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