This is really getting into dangerous territory, the stuff Rubio is pushing. Nobody here is old enough to remember McCarthyism, but I was involved in as the son of a man who got tarred with the red paint brush, when an East Texas goat roper who probably didn't wear shoes before he got drafted for the war, accused the University of Housto…
This is really getting into dangerous territory, the stuff Rubio is pushing. Nobody here is old enough to remember McCarthyism, but I was involved in as the son of a man who got tarred with the red paint brush, when an East Texas goat roper who probably didn't wear shoes before he got drafted for the war, accused the University of Houston of hiring a "red" to created their school of electrical engineering. Somehow, someone had given him a copy of the Harlingen TX sheriff's report of my father making a forced landing there in a storm in 1938, and them finding the airplane full of guns and ammunition he was flying to Mexico for shipment to the Spanish Republicans in the Civil War. As the FBI put it, he was a "premature anti-fascist." So in the middle of first grade we left Houston and returned to Denver, and my dad went from head of the school to his old pre-war job at the Bureau of Reclamation. Life changed. And I was told not to tell any friend at school why I was there. It was 10 years before they got a new Chief Engineer who noticed my father had more patents in his name than the entire rest of the laboratory, and created a position for him worthy of his talents. That was an ugly, ugly time, and for these fuckwits to play around with bringing it back is just awful. I have other friends who were the "collateral damage" to those times, and nobody forgets it.
Totally. Give her 10 min alone with him and no cameras or microphones. She’d make mincemeat of him.
Your “mccarthy red” story, TC, is as sobering as others I have heard. As I read letter today, it’s what comes to mind. That Rubio and Gaetz are both in Florida is no surprise. They act as if seat of government is at Mar-a-Largo.
Having been stunned by HCR's letter today, especially Rubio's wannabe-McCarthy op-ed, I was just sitting here pondering the eternal question, "NOW what can/must I do?" The postcards I sent to VA voters and the only phonebank shift I did to call VA voters, last night, are clearly not enough. The perfect answer, in the next fifteen minutes anyway, is to give the biggest donation I can to Val Demings and tell Rubio's office his full-authoritarian-nutty op-ed prompted me to do it. Then post it on FB and urge friends to donate to Demings, too. The problem is that these days, nothing feels like enough. The Former Occupant, Trump, hasn't just poisoned the well, he's poisoned the water supply of the 80% of Republicans who actually believe his Whopper Lie . I don't want to underestimate the threat by thinking "I'll give more than I can afford, write some voter postcards, and make some voter calls, and that will be enough." At what point do Democrats and progressives, ie. We The Reality-Based, need to give up not just chunks but rather the _majority_ of our time and income, to defend democracy, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the truth, while we still can do so without bloodshed?
Everything we do to fight for freedom is not in the “enough or not enough”category. It is an on going belief in democracy…in times of danger and in times of peace. It is the way we live with others. It is our legacy. Every single one of us.
Rubio, so I was told, has sponsors with very deep pockets. Like many R '"front-men" (and women) Rubio is not very bright. It would not surprise me to learn that his letter was written for him by the same ideologues that pay him so well. Any chance they can be exposed?
"Gaetz s wannbe human...." love this. I might suggest that there are several others high on the list of wannabes, i.e. Taylor-Greene, Boebert, Gosar. The list goes on and on.
Funny you should say that Christine. I read a WP article over the weekend that the Journalist claims that is exactly what TFG is doing.Illegally of course. In times gone by , every ex president after leaving the WH could have what was known as “The Red Phone “. Not all wanted it.It is basically a direct line to All offices in the WH.Maybe more ? As we all know he never conceded . And a new gig in Trump Tower’s is a Bar called 45. With all photos of him stating “The President of The U.S. Logo’s.He is going about life as if he won the 2020 election. As also his followers believe. Now call me crazy but I’m thinking it’s against the law to impersonate a President. How does he get away with using the ‘Seal ‘ of the U.S. President on a Personally owned business ? He can’t Patent the U.S. Gov. for personal gain.There needs to be a ‘Heads up ‘ in the Licensing Div. in New York.
Odd. Our ex-President goes scot-free. And all those seditionists in Congress? Still voting. Free from the shackles of justice. This is like having a front row seat watching the criminals in plain sight use their "connections" to decipher the code to your safe, unlock it, and suck out all your stash and safety. Lawlessness at the top. Absolutely, no come-uppance. Had Obama an iota of a passion for justice, some fat guys at the top would be losing weight in prison by now. And the principle - There but for the grace of God go I - operating in the minds of the Fraternity to stay their sociopathic hearts and groping minds.Had the "moderates" "the incrementalists" an iota of hard, penetrating, objective reality in their perception, they would have fallen all over each other to vote for Bernie. The system, our system that created our woes (oligarchic control) and our Presidential-Attorney General- Congressional-Supreme Court material cannot correct, make right, nor heal itself. Family therapy works because someone outside the family system comes in to break up the illusions holding the diseased system in place. The citizenry are the only ones who can - by flooding the streets demanding justice and decency (Medicare negotiating drug prices, for example) - jiggle off the noose that's been growing around our necks since Reagan.
have to disagree about Bernie, he couldn't have won although I wish he could have. True that we need plenty of hard, penetrating, objective reality. It comes from HCR, but you are right, it must come from the citizenry. The tightening of the noose is the discomfort that we all feel.
There's a solution: win those three open Senate seats next year and Val Demmings stomps Widdle Marco. As my old boss used to say, "When you have the votes, you can do what you want." None of this comes overnight. I read Schlesinger's "Age of Roosevelt" a couple years ago. The people who made the New Deal, like Frances Perkins, had been in the fight for 30+ years when they finally won.
Bernie? And you are worried about control freaks? We are in a bad state. We are human. We make stupid, terrible mistakes, like Afghanistan. We need to change the way we behave towards each other. Marching around and torching businesses is not the path to a better country. The president is finally, a civil servant. We pay him to help us manage living in this world at, preferably, a high level of competence. When we figure out how to act with other people honestly and decently, we can tell our civil servants what we really want and need, then vote on our conclusions.
Why do you think these wanna-bees keep most of the electorate in low-paying jobs with not enough time to even think and in constant fear of losing their lousy jobs? How many decades have these goons told their workers who to vote for if their workers expect to keep their jobs? I’ll stop now, I could keep adding to the list for hours and not reach the end of the list.
TCinLA, You're not the only one here old enough to remember the McCarthy years. Thankfully, I didn't get an 'up close and personal' result. I'm sorry your family got targeted.
Another “oldie.” I remember some of it, mostly how the chickens came home to roost, and he was disgraced. Of course, there was no Rupert then, just Roy Cohn. His evil is still with us today in the person of djt, heaven help us.
I lived through the McCarthy period. It was frightening. I react badly to intimidation and faced McCarthyism straight up. As a sophomore in college, when Stalin died in March, 1953, two of us it would be ‘interesting’ to form a group to visit post-Stalin Russia. He screened about 100 applicants who, regrettably, we obliged to sign a ‘non-communist’ disclaimer. In Washington we go to the State Department, the Russian Embassy, and then back to the State Department. I believe the FBI preferred my left profile in photos. We were greatly concerned about how this exposure could affect to later serve in government. Yale President Griswold supported our initiative, while Harvard President Conant publicly seemed to tolerate McCarthyism. An uprising in June, 1953, got a Russian NYET, and I led a small group to Egypt & Israel.
McCarthyism scared many innocent Americans. First Amendment was frequently ignored and innuendo was deadly. President Truman had to bend a bit in supporting ‘loyalty’ oaths. Meanwhile, Republican leaders, viewing McCathyism as a springboard to the presidency, ignored that McCarthy was a drunk, a liar, and undermining the soul of America. He finally dug his own political grave during the Army hearings of 1954. The trigger was his attacking Fred Fisher, a bright lawyer in Welch’s Boston firm. Fred had innocently joined a group that later was put on the ‘communist-tinged’ list. Welch asked Fred to join him in the McCarthy hearing and Fred told him why it would politically be a bad idea. Welch got McCarthy’s promise that he wouldn’t involve Fred. When McCarthy violated this at the Army hearing, Welch replied: “Have you no sense of decency,” went on to crucify McCarthy, and received massive applause. McCarthy was lightly censured in the Senate and soon died of alcoholism.
I knew and admired Fred. We mete early in 1954 at a conference organized by the Ford Foundation for people who had successfully run a student international trip. Fred had been co-founder of the National Student Organization in, I believe, 1947. His stories of the opposition by Travel organizations and cruise companies were hilarious. Since we met in Pitney, a dry town, I was a welcomed participant when I went to get two cases of beer.
P. S. Joseph Welch, who was a national sensation in his skewering of McCarthy at the 1954 Army hearings, later was the sharp-witted judge in the marvelous movie, ANATOMY OF A MURDER. Fred Fisher had a distinguished legal career and was president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.
Yes, I remember my writing mentor Wendell Mayes (he wrote Anatomy) telling me how Otto Preminger did that as a "stick in the eye" to Hedda Hopper and the rest of the Hollywood red-baiters. Preminger - with Kirk Douglas - were the guys who killed the Hollywood blacklist when they gave Dalton Trumbo his screen credit for Exodus and Spartacus.
For anyone who wants to see how this was in those days, I cannot recommend the move "Trumbo" highly enough.
I was 7 yrs old in 1954. Let’s say I had enough smarts to be quiet while my parents were glued to the 2nd-hand Magnavox which they bought so they could watch the hearings.
“McCarthy in many ways was destroyed by the power of television …” Smithsonian Channel
I am old enough to remember watching Counsel Joseph Welch put Joe McCarthy down on the black and white TV in my college fraternity house. "Have you no shame, sir,?" he asked of the Senator who always looked like a thug needing a shave. We need more like Welch today and less of the 'fuckwits' who brought about your father's move from Houston back to Denver.
Your personal history should serve as a blinking red reminder to all of us how authoritarianism affects all of us. Too often it is spoken of in terms of "losing democracy" (which it is), but the personal stories of how it can affect every one of us is so compelling. Thank you.
Excellent point. "Losing democracy" remains an abstraction until we read accounts of what it was like for many people during the Red Scare. Can you imagine McCarthy questioning teachers in a congressional hearing about forcing students to read "anti-American" books about racism?
You don't have to imagine it, unfortunately. The Republican in Wisconsin who authored their law published a list of "words that would trigger this law if used." They included "social justice" and "inequality".
TC, you are made of strong mettle! What an ordeal for your family and how wonderful you came out on top though not unscathed. If we lose our democracy at this point in time, methinks someone in your Father’s position in real time, won’t escape as he did then. Scary times we are living in. Are people and businesses finally opening their eyes too late? I want to believe there is still hope but at this point we have no infrastructure bill and no voting rights bill. My heart is heavy. At 71 years, I’m worried for my children in their mid 30’s and my grandchildren, not so much for me.
Sharon, I am another Sharon seven years older than you! I am terrified. Ye, not for me but for my two girls and my granddaughter that is only 8 years old. What will be left for them?
Amazing that anyone would want to bring it back. But they are desperate, and we all should fear power-hungry ideologues. The damage is usually multi-generational and lethal. Thank you for that personal glimpse into the abyss.
Thank you for sharing your family trauma and your analysis of how Rubio is lashing out because he is vulnerable, but does not have the insight to be aware of it and is causing so much harm as a result. Take care.
Oh, TC, I remember McCarthy! I was young, but my parents were so upset by his horrors that their reactions affected me. I went to grammar school with a very bright girl, who never saluted the flag. Interestingly, the teachers never made an issue of it. My mother told me that the girl's father had been brought up on charges of being a communist, and her refusal to salute the flag was probably her reaction.
So, yup, we've had turmoil before, and we're still suffering from the likes of Cowboy Reagan and his "welfare Cadillac" nonsense and pathological rantings about communists and more "other" fear-mongering. I'm sorry that your family suffered so much at the hands of these fools, and you had to be warned to keep the secret.
Rubio is basing his campaign on an extension of MAGA. It must be trump-endorsed, if not trump-designed and orchestrated.
Ref. McCarthyism, my father was also painted red collectively as part of McCarthy's ridiculous slander of professional U.S. Army officers at the Pentagon who were labeled by him as being card-carrying communists. McCarthy said he had a list of such officers, but he kept changing the number of people on the list, and he never showed the list to anyone. For McCarthy to be believed by so many Americans shows the hysteria going on in the U.S. at the time (late 1940s, early '50s). The Army Chief of Staff had told Pentagon staff not to attend or be around the court proceedings of McCarthy vs. the Army. However, my father was an endlessly curious person who wanted to see and experience everything. One day, he came home from the Pentagon, switched from his uniform to civilian clothes, and went to attend the hearings. It was history in the making, and my father recognized it and wanted to witness it. (He didn't get caught for attending the hearing.)
McCarthy's baseless slanders became so ridiculous and obscene yet he created an era of fear throughout the country in his anti-communist hysteria. He accused the incomparable General George C. Marshall (then Sec. of Defense) of heading a communist conspiracy. Marshall's abilities, character, integrity, and devotion to serving the U.S. were beyond comparison. Presidents Roosevelt and Truman were in awe of Marshall and used him wherever and whenever possible. FDR chose Marshall to create the U.S.'s World War II military. Yet, in 1951, McCarthy accused Marshall of leading a group of communists dedicated to overthrowing the U.S. government. In 1945, Churchill had declared Marshall to be "the architect" of the allied victory in WWII. Six years later, the blustery, perpetually drunk demagogue McCarthy was wrongfully slandering a true and proven U.S. hero. How could Americans fall for such nonsense? Well, we're seeing the same thing now with trump's endless lies and his club of endorsing politicians who have no principles nor interest in serving the American people. Woe is us if we don't turn this around.
Even Ike was party to McCarthyism. Ike was beholden to George C. Marshall (who I consider the greatest American of the 20th century) for four reasons: 1) he chose Ike over other officers to serve on his staff; 2) he chose Ike to go to England to command a joint military operation; 3) he did not request that FDR name him commander of the D-Day invasion thus giving the position to Ike; and 4) when Ike wrote him of his desire to divorce Mamie and marry his British military driver, Marshall scotched this in the strongest terms.
Ike was going to Wisconsin during his 1952 presidential campaign. Joe McCarthy, who had attacked General Marshall as a ‘communist,’ was seeking re-election. Ike had included comments in his Wisconsin speech praising General Marshal. The Wisconsin governor asked him to remove these comments, saying that such could lose Wisconsin for the Republicans. Ike removed them, though they had been included in the speech released to the press.
Ike did deliver a blistering attack to McCarthy in the train headed to Wisconsin. He also, behind the scene, sought to cripple and destroy McCarthy. General Marshall never commented on Ike’s Wisconsin behavior. Ike quietly regretted his own behavior.
Amen. You may already be aware of the following, but I'll add a few addenda to your 4 reasons Ike was beholden to Marshall:
1) He chose Ike for his staff principally due to the recommendation by Mark Clark who had served under Marshall at Ft. Bragg, I believe. Marshall asked Clark for a list of ten officers whom he'd recommend for the staff position. Clark wrote Eisenhower's name and then added nine dittos under it. So, Ike owed Clark for that. Also, Ike and Clark were cadets at West Point at the same time. Maybe there was an unspoken quid pro quo because Ike promoted Clark to CG, Fifth Army, for the long fight through Italy (1943-45). Clark was an excellent organizer and troop trainer, but as a combat commander he had some shortcomings.
2) I believe Ike 'pestered' Marshall a lot to get that position in London, and Marshall came through for him.
3) Actually, President Roosevelt offered Marshall command of the D-Day invasion three times while Marshall replied each time, "Mr. President, I want you to choose which appointment will be best for the nation." Roosevelt said during the second offering, "General Marshall, you deserve this command more than anyone." Finally, Roosevelt said, "Okay, then, I'll go ahead and appoint Ike." Then Roosevelt added, "Frankly, if you weren't in Washington, I couldn't sleep at night." So, Marshall essentially gave Ike that appointment.
4) Yes, Ike's letter to Marshall about divorcing Mamie in order to marry Kay Summersby. Ike was asking Marshall if that divorce and remarriage would affect his military career. President Truman said years later that he had read the letter, and in it Marshall replied to Ike, "Affect your career? If you do such a thing, I will see to it that you are busted and run out of the service." Marshall himself never spoke of the letter and destroyed all such correspondence when he resigned from the army at the end of WWII.
The incident of Ike on the campaign trail in Wisconsin is a good demo of personal ambition overriding honor. Ike let Marshall down in multiple ways. I've read that Ike carried a guilt for his action there for the rest of his days.
Sorry if I get too carried away with all the details, but once I start writing about the formation of the WWII U.S. Army (e.g., the Great Louisiana Maneuvers) and the Mediterranean Theater operations during the war, it's hard for me to stop. You might enjoy my website which speaks of my parents' journey through the war and contains a number of historic photos related to it. It's: buckandbernice.com.
On a final note, my father met Marshall first in Algiers after the Casablanca Conference, and then many times in Washington after the war when he briefed Marshall on the Soviet military situation. My father's first comment to me about Marshall was, "In my opinion, he was perhaps the most brilliant person in the U.S. Army.
Clark had a few "shotcomings" as a combat commander - like nearly blowing the Salerno invasion, and then by having Sixth Army turn north out of Anzio and liberate Rome rather than link up with Eighth Army as planned and bag the entire German Tenth Army after Cassino finally cracked and the Gustav line broke, allowing the Germans to march around Rome while he was celebrating its "liberation" - thereby adding a year to the Italian campaign when the Germans made it to the Gothic Line as a result. Clark was the biggest incompetent in the European Theater, but they could only get rid of him by "kicking him upstairs" to Mediterranean Theater command.
And after they got rid of Clark they made the smartest decision in the MTO and brought Lucian K. Truscott Jr. - the best commander - back from France and put him in charge of 5th Army. As a guy who was there at the time said to me, "the entire atmosphere changed overnight from top to bottom." Truscott commanded at Anzio, and when he dedicated the US cemetery there in 1945, he turned to the dead and apologized to them, telling them if anyone ever said their deaths were "heroic" that "I'll be sure to set him straight for you."
I read about Truscott's dedicating the US cemetery at Anzio--when he turned his back to the dignitaries in the audience and turned instead to address the dead soldiers in their graves. It must have been incredibly moving.
What is the name of the book you wrote about the Italian campaign? I'll keep an eye out for it. One of my favorite books on the subject is Rick Atkinson's "Day of Battle."
Yes, I was being kind in using the word "shortcomings." Clark really made some bad moves as you mention. Ref. Salerno, he was ready to withdraw and get back on the ships, cancelling the invasion. He reported that to his boss, General (later Field Marshall) Sir Harold Alexander, who met Clark on the beach for a conference. Alexander replied to Clark regarding a withdrawal, "No, that will never do." Then Alexander added, "Now that we have that out of the way, here's what we will do." That included heavy bombardment by naval artillery. Alexander had essentially taken over command from Clark, but he did it in a respectful way as was his nature. He didn't want Clark to fall apart.
A big mistake Clark made which you didn't mention was the first offensive at Cassino on January 17, 1944--crossing the Rapido River. This offensive was anchored by the U.S. 36th Infantry Division ("The Texas Division"). There were so many casualties in the massacre that the people of Texas called for a congressional hearing about it to have charges brought against Clark. Congress acquitted Clark.
Then, there was the Rome debacle you mentioned. Clark disregarded Alexander's orders and the plan to trap the German army. He wanted to liberate Rome for the glory. Yes, that extended the war and resulted in a lot more death and suffering. I don't think Clark was bumped up to MTO. In Dec. 1944, General Alexander, commander of 15th Army Group (British 8th Army and American 5th Army) was elevated to Commander of the Mediterranean Theater and went to Algiers. Clark was then made commander of 15th Army Group but stayed in Italy. Then, as you say, General Truscott was made commander of 5th Army. He was a leader much respected and admired. I saw a great pen-and-ink sketch of Truscott and his executive officer.
Some people include Sicily in the Italian campaign. In that case, he could have died between July 10 and the end of August 1943 when Sicily was conquered, and the army then moved on to the Italian mainland as TC mentioned below. I believe the most blatant case of Clark using soldiers as cannon fodder was at the crossing of the Rapido River in January 1944. That brought on a congressional investigation.
Thank you for your story. As a Cuban American born in Miami, I would think the Cuban community would recognize this, also at who similar it is to what Castro started doing to companies in Cuba. While I’ll never agree with them, I don’t think I’ll ever even understand them.
I was only 10 and my Uncle Henry would come to visit his mother as we all lived in the same 3 family building. While he was there he would invite me to watch the McCarthy hearings. I never forgot them. That one man caused more grief to American citizens than could be imagined. His blank list of communists along with his alcoholism led the way to where we are today. We do not want to repeat that terrible time.
What a memory for you. Most people today can't imagine the power that McCarthy had. The lives destroyed and fear created by McCarthy and his legal counsel Roy Cohn just went on and on.
Reflecting on how easily the powerful political people from both parties mix together, I think about McCarthy's (repub.) bonding with Joseph Kennedy, patriarch of the Kennedy clan. They were tight together. McCarthy even became godfather to one of Joe Kennedy's daughters who was one of JFK's sisters. And RFK as attorney served on McCarthy's/Cohn's legal staff. As the world turns....
oh Lordy, wish I had time to delve deeper. I'm old enough to remember a lot and have been plenty shocked, but apparently haven't scratched the surface. Still reeling from the Coup of 1933...
This is really getting into dangerous territory, the stuff Rubio is pushing. Nobody here is old enough to remember McCarthyism, but I was involved in as the son of a man who got tarred with the red paint brush, when an East Texas goat roper who probably didn't wear shoes before he got drafted for the war, accused the University of Houston of hiring a "red" to created their school of electrical engineering. Somehow, someone had given him a copy of the Harlingen TX sheriff's report of my father making a forced landing there in a storm in 1938, and them finding the airplane full of guns and ammunition he was flying to Mexico for shipment to the Spanish Republicans in the Civil War. As the FBI put it, he was a "premature anti-fascist." So in the middle of first grade we left Houston and returned to Denver, and my dad went from head of the school to his old pre-war job at the Bureau of Reclamation. Life changed. And I was told not to tell any friend at school why I was there. It was 10 years before they got a new Chief Engineer who noticed my father had more patents in his name than the entire rest of the laboratory, and created a position for him worthy of his talents. That was an ugly, ugly time, and for these fuckwits to play around with bringing it back is just awful. I have other friends who were the "collateral damage" to those times, and nobody forgets it.
Marco must be terrified of Val Demmings.
Totally. Give her 10 min alone with him and no cameras or microphones. She’d make mincemeat of him.
Your “mccarthy red” story, TC, is as sobering as others I have heard. As I read letter today, it’s what comes to mind. That Rubio and Gaetz are both in Florida is no surprise. They act as if seat of government is at Mar-a-Largo.
Having been stunned by HCR's letter today, especially Rubio's wannabe-McCarthy op-ed, I was just sitting here pondering the eternal question, "NOW what can/must I do?" The postcards I sent to VA voters and the only phonebank shift I did to call VA voters, last night, are clearly not enough. The perfect answer, in the next fifteen minutes anyway, is to give the biggest donation I can to Val Demings and tell Rubio's office his full-authoritarian-nutty op-ed prompted me to do it. Then post it on FB and urge friends to donate to Demings, too. The problem is that these days, nothing feels like enough. The Former Occupant, Trump, hasn't just poisoned the well, he's poisoned the water supply of the 80% of Republicans who actually believe his Whopper Lie . I don't want to underestimate the threat by thinking "I'll give more than I can afford, write some voter postcards, and make some voter calls, and that will be enough." At what point do Democrats and progressives, ie. We The Reality-Based, need to give up not just chunks but rather the _majority_ of our time and income, to defend democracy, the Constitution, the rule of law, and the truth, while we still can do so without bloodshed?
Elizabeth. Keep on. You are obviously a warrior.
Everything we do to fight for freedom is not in the “enough or not enough”category. It is an on going belief in democracy…in times of danger and in times of peace. It is the way we live with others. It is our legacy. Every single one of us.
Salud!
Thank goodness there are more of us than of them!
…in more ways than one…
Exactly!
Rubio, so I was told, has sponsors with very deep pockets. Like many R '"front-men" (and women) Rubio is not very bright. It would not surprise me to learn that his letter was written for him by the same ideologues that pay him so well. Any chance they can be exposed?
Don't forget about the corrupt and hypocritical Rick Scott: https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1454819635040243712
Senator Skeletor
Amen!
Rubio is a wannabe McCarthy, Gaetz a wannabe human, too late guys. Val is one of my picks to support for Senate
"Gaetz s wannbe human...." love this. I might suggest that there are several others high on the list of wannabes, i.e. Taylor-Greene, Boebert, Gosar. The list goes on and on.
a list to beat all lists, they are legion
I love Val and most of the Democrats. There are two that I am totally not fond of and I think you may know who they are!
Rubio sways in whichever direction he thinks the wind is blowing.
Rubio exudes weakness in many forms, especially character.
He spins, like the weathervane he is.
Funny you should say that Christine. I read a WP article over the weekend that the Journalist claims that is exactly what TFG is doing.Illegally of course. In times gone by , every ex president after leaving the WH could have what was known as “The Red Phone “. Not all wanted it.It is basically a direct line to All offices in the WH.Maybe more ? As we all know he never conceded . And a new gig in Trump Tower’s is a Bar called 45. With all photos of him stating “The President of The U.S. Logo’s.He is going about life as if he won the 2020 election. As also his followers believe. Now call me crazy but I’m thinking it’s against the law to impersonate a President. How does he get away with using the ‘Seal ‘ of the U.S. President on a Personally owned business ? He can’t Patent the U.S. Gov. for personal gain.There needs to be a ‘Heads up ‘ in the Licensing Div. in New York.
100%
Mar-a-Largo? No, use Frank Bruni's name: Mar-a-Loco!!!
They hope it will be. It won’t. And we do not need violence to keep our democracy.
McCarthyism has been brought to mind regarding these contemporary so-called Republicans for several decades at this point.
Odd. Our ex-President goes scot-free. And all those seditionists in Congress? Still voting. Free from the shackles of justice. This is like having a front row seat watching the criminals in plain sight use their "connections" to decipher the code to your safe, unlock it, and suck out all your stash and safety. Lawlessness at the top. Absolutely, no come-uppance. Had Obama an iota of a passion for justice, some fat guys at the top would be losing weight in prison by now. And the principle - There but for the grace of God go I - operating in the minds of the Fraternity to stay their sociopathic hearts and groping minds.Had the "moderates" "the incrementalists" an iota of hard, penetrating, objective reality in their perception, they would have fallen all over each other to vote for Bernie. The system, our system that created our woes (oligarchic control) and our Presidential-Attorney General- Congressional-Supreme Court material cannot correct, make right, nor heal itself. Family therapy works because someone outside the family system comes in to break up the illusions holding the diseased system in place. The citizenry are the only ones who can - by flooding the streets demanding justice and decency (Medicare negotiating drug prices, for example) - jiggle off the noose that's been growing around our necks since Reagan.
have to disagree about Bernie, he couldn't have won although I wish he could have. True that we need plenty of hard, penetrating, objective reality. It comes from HCR, but you are right, it must come from the citizenry. The tightening of the noose is the discomfort that we all feel.
Yes. Bernie would be the first to tell us, "we need more votes."
There's a solution: win those three open Senate seats next year and Val Demmings stomps Widdle Marco. As my old boss used to say, "When you have the votes, you can do what you want." None of this comes overnight. I read Schlesinger's "Age of Roosevelt" a couple years ago. The people who made the New Deal, like Frances Perkins, had been in the fight for 30+ years when they finally won.
don't think we have 30 years
Bernie? And you are worried about control freaks? We are in a bad state. We are human. We make stupid, terrible mistakes, like Afghanistan. We need to change the way we behave towards each other. Marching around and torching businesses is not the path to a better country. The president is finally, a civil servant. We pay him to help us manage living in this world at, preferably, a high level of competence. When we figure out how to act with other people honestly and decently, we can tell our civil servants what we really want and need, then vote on our conclusions.
Who said anything about torching businesses?
Remember, it's a "big tent." :-)
Why do you think these wanna-bees keep most of the electorate in low-paying jobs with not enough time to even think and in constant fear of losing their lousy jobs? How many decades have these goons told their workers who to vote for if their workers expect to keep their jobs? I’ll stop now, I could keep adding to the list for hours and not reach the end of the list.
Exactly 💯
We sincerely hope Val Demings can beat Marco Rubio. She will be a wonderful senator for our state and the whole USA.
TCinLA, You're not the only one here old enough to remember the McCarthy years. Thankfully, I didn't get an 'up close and personal' result. I'm sorry your family got targeted.
Another “oldie.” I remember some of it, mostly how the chickens came home to roost, and he was disgraced. Of course, there was no Rupert then, just Roy Cohn. His evil is still with us today in the person of djt, heaven help us.
Yes, we must not forget Roy Cohn's part in this.
Trump is Roy resurrected, with all his evil
Cohn trained tRump well.
Indeed he did, but Fred did his part, together they created a monster…
I lived through the McCarthy period. It was frightening. I react badly to intimidation and faced McCarthyism straight up. As a sophomore in college, when Stalin died in March, 1953, two of us it would be ‘interesting’ to form a group to visit post-Stalin Russia. He screened about 100 applicants who, regrettably, we obliged to sign a ‘non-communist’ disclaimer. In Washington we go to the State Department, the Russian Embassy, and then back to the State Department. I believe the FBI preferred my left profile in photos. We were greatly concerned about how this exposure could affect to later serve in government. Yale President Griswold supported our initiative, while Harvard President Conant publicly seemed to tolerate McCarthyism. An uprising in June, 1953, got a Russian NYET, and I led a small group to Egypt & Israel.
McCarthyism scared many innocent Americans. First Amendment was frequently ignored and innuendo was deadly. President Truman had to bend a bit in supporting ‘loyalty’ oaths. Meanwhile, Republican leaders, viewing McCathyism as a springboard to the presidency, ignored that McCarthy was a drunk, a liar, and undermining the soul of America. He finally dug his own political grave during the Army hearings of 1954. The trigger was his attacking Fred Fisher, a bright lawyer in Welch’s Boston firm. Fred had innocently joined a group that later was put on the ‘communist-tinged’ list. Welch asked Fred to join him in the McCarthy hearing and Fred told him why it would politically be a bad idea. Welch got McCarthy’s promise that he wouldn’t involve Fred. When McCarthy violated this at the Army hearing, Welch replied: “Have you no sense of decency,” went on to crucify McCarthy, and received massive applause. McCarthy was lightly censured in the Senate and soon died of alcoholism.
I knew and admired Fred. We mete early in 1954 at a conference organized by the Ford Foundation for people who had successfully run a student international trip. Fred had been co-founder of the National Student Organization in, I believe, 1947. His stories of the opposition by Travel organizations and cruise companies were hilarious. Since we met in Pitney, a dry town, I was a welcomed participant when I went to get two cases of beer.
P. S. Joseph Welch, who was a national sensation in his skewering of McCarthy at the 1954 Army hearings, later was the sharp-witted judge in the marvelous movie, ANATOMY OF A MURDER. Fred Fisher had a distinguished legal career and was president of the Massachusetts Bar Association.
Yes, I remember my writing mentor Wendell Mayes (he wrote Anatomy) telling me how Otto Preminger did that as a "stick in the eye" to Hedda Hopper and the rest of the Hollywood red-baiters. Preminger - with Kirk Douglas - were the guys who killed the Hollywood blacklist when they gave Dalton Trumbo his screen credit for Exodus and Spartacus.
For anyone who wants to see how this was in those days, I cannot recommend the move "Trumbo" highly enough.
Totally agree.....Trumbo is an excellent movie!!!
Agree on Trumbo!
A hero for sure.
Thank you for sharing this recollection of a time I’m happy to say was over before I ever learned about it.
I was 7 yrs old in 1954. Let’s say I had enough smarts to be quiet while my parents were glued to the 2nd-hand Magnavox which they bought so they could watch the hearings.
“McCarthy in many ways was destroyed by the power of television …” Smithsonian Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14CTeElwq-A
Yes. When people saw him in action, they were repulsed.
Fantastic story, that you knew Fred Fisher. Welch's moment in history is truly unforgettable.
How desperately we need another such moment
I am old enough to remember watching Counsel Joseph Welch put Joe McCarthy down on the black and white TV in my college fraternity house. "Have you no shame, sir,?" he asked of the Senator who always looked like a thug needing a shave. We need more like Welch today and less of the 'fuckwits' who brought about your father's move from Houston back to Denver.
And most of the ones running the MSM, Rupert is bad enough but the MSM is pathetic
Your personal history should serve as a blinking red reminder to all of us how authoritarianism affects all of us. Too often it is spoken of in terms of "losing democracy" (which it is), but the personal stories of how it can affect every one of us is so compelling. Thank you.
Excellent point. "Losing democracy" remains an abstraction until we read accounts of what it was like for many people during the Red Scare. Can you imagine McCarthy questioning teachers in a congressional hearing about forcing students to read "anti-American" books about racism?
You don't have to imagine it, unfortunately. The Republican in Wisconsin who authored their law published a list of "words that would trigger this law if used." They included "social justice" and "inequality".
We are there
TC, you are made of strong mettle! What an ordeal for your family and how wonderful you came out on top though not unscathed. If we lose our democracy at this point in time, methinks someone in your Father’s position in real time, won’t escape as he did then. Scary times we are living in. Are people and businesses finally opening their eyes too late? I want to believe there is still hope but at this point we have no infrastructure bill and no voting rights bill. My heart is heavy. At 71 years, I’m worried for my children in their mid 30’s and my grandchildren, not so much for me.
Sharon, I am another Sharon seven years older than you! I am terrified. Ye, not for me but for my two girls and my granddaughter that is only 8 years old. What will be left for them?
My four kids, 28-39 years old, all say they don’t foresee having kids. They can’t afford it and the world is too crazy.
Will history write that we waited too late to rise up
..and no ambassadors…mot much left if the postal service
Amazing that anyone would want to bring it back. But they are desperate, and we all should fear power-hungry ideologues. The damage is usually multi-generational and lethal. Thank you for that personal glimpse into the abyss.
Thank you for sharing your family trauma and your analysis of how Rubio is lashing out because he is vulnerable, but does not have the insight to be aware of it and is causing so much harm as a result. Take care.
Oh, TC, I remember McCarthy! I was young, but my parents were so upset by his horrors that their reactions affected me. I went to grammar school with a very bright girl, who never saluted the flag. Interestingly, the teachers never made an issue of it. My mother told me that the girl's father had been brought up on charges of being a communist, and her refusal to salute the flag was probably her reaction.
So, yup, we've had turmoil before, and we're still suffering from the likes of Cowboy Reagan and his "welfare Cadillac" nonsense and pathological rantings about communists and more "other" fear-mongering. I'm sorry that your family suffered so much at the hands of these fools, and you had to be warned to keep the secret.
Hopefully Rubio has good reason to be worried although the idea of Rick Scott as a "senior Senator" from anywhere is scary by itself.
Rude, but I always referred to him as Gov Voldemort when he had his reign of terror in Florida.
So true, the republicans have a stable of nags that are embarrassing beyond words. Where are the Everett Dirksens?????
Rubio is basing his campaign on an extension of MAGA. It must be trump-endorsed, if not trump-designed and orchestrated.
Ref. McCarthyism, my father was also painted red collectively as part of McCarthy's ridiculous slander of professional U.S. Army officers at the Pentagon who were labeled by him as being card-carrying communists. McCarthy said he had a list of such officers, but he kept changing the number of people on the list, and he never showed the list to anyone. For McCarthy to be believed by so many Americans shows the hysteria going on in the U.S. at the time (late 1940s, early '50s). The Army Chief of Staff had told Pentagon staff not to attend or be around the court proceedings of McCarthy vs. the Army. However, my father was an endlessly curious person who wanted to see and experience everything. One day, he came home from the Pentagon, switched from his uniform to civilian clothes, and went to attend the hearings. It was history in the making, and my father recognized it and wanted to witness it. (He didn't get caught for attending the hearing.)
McCarthy's baseless slanders became so ridiculous and obscene yet he created an era of fear throughout the country in his anti-communist hysteria. He accused the incomparable General George C. Marshall (then Sec. of Defense) of heading a communist conspiracy. Marshall's abilities, character, integrity, and devotion to serving the U.S. were beyond comparison. Presidents Roosevelt and Truman were in awe of Marshall and used him wherever and whenever possible. FDR chose Marshall to create the U.S.'s World War II military. Yet, in 1951, McCarthy accused Marshall of leading a group of communists dedicated to overthrowing the U.S. government. In 1945, Churchill had declared Marshall to be "the architect" of the allied victory in WWII. Six years later, the blustery, perpetually drunk demagogue McCarthy was wrongfully slandering a true and proven U.S. hero. How could Americans fall for such nonsense? Well, we're seeing the same thing now with trump's endless lies and his club of endorsing politicians who have no principles nor interest in serving the American people. Woe is us if we don't turn this around.
(McCarthy's attack on Marshall: https://alphahistory.com/coldwar/joseph-mccarthy-condemns-george-marshall-1951/)
Even Ike was party to McCarthyism. Ike was beholden to George C. Marshall (who I consider the greatest American of the 20th century) for four reasons: 1) he chose Ike over other officers to serve on his staff; 2) he chose Ike to go to England to command a joint military operation; 3) he did not request that FDR name him commander of the D-Day invasion thus giving the position to Ike; and 4) when Ike wrote him of his desire to divorce Mamie and marry his British military driver, Marshall scotched this in the strongest terms.
Ike was going to Wisconsin during his 1952 presidential campaign. Joe McCarthy, who had attacked General Marshall as a ‘communist,’ was seeking re-election. Ike had included comments in his Wisconsin speech praising General Marshal. The Wisconsin governor asked him to remove these comments, saying that such could lose Wisconsin for the Republicans. Ike removed them, though they had been included in the speech released to the press.
Ike did deliver a blistering attack to McCarthy in the train headed to Wisconsin. He also, behind the scene, sought to cripple and destroy McCarthy. General Marshall never commented on Ike’s Wisconsin behavior. Ike quietly regretted his own behavior.
Amen. You may already be aware of the following, but I'll add a few addenda to your 4 reasons Ike was beholden to Marshall:
1) He chose Ike for his staff principally due to the recommendation by Mark Clark who had served under Marshall at Ft. Bragg, I believe. Marshall asked Clark for a list of ten officers whom he'd recommend for the staff position. Clark wrote Eisenhower's name and then added nine dittos under it. So, Ike owed Clark for that. Also, Ike and Clark were cadets at West Point at the same time. Maybe there was an unspoken quid pro quo because Ike promoted Clark to CG, Fifth Army, for the long fight through Italy (1943-45). Clark was an excellent organizer and troop trainer, but as a combat commander he had some shortcomings.
2) I believe Ike 'pestered' Marshall a lot to get that position in London, and Marshall came through for him.
3) Actually, President Roosevelt offered Marshall command of the D-Day invasion three times while Marshall replied each time, "Mr. President, I want you to choose which appointment will be best for the nation." Roosevelt said during the second offering, "General Marshall, you deserve this command more than anyone." Finally, Roosevelt said, "Okay, then, I'll go ahead and appoint Ike." Then Roosevelt added, "Frankly, if you weren't in Washington, I couldn't sleep at night." So, Marshall essentially gave Ike that appointment.
4) Yes, Ike's letter to Marshall about divorcing Mamie in order to marry Kay Summersby. Ike was asking Marshall if that divorce and remarriage would affect his military career. President Truman said years later that he had read the letter, and in it Marshall replied to Ike, "Affect your career? If you do such a thing, I will see to it that you are busted and run out of the service." Marshall himself never spoke of the letter and destroyed all such correspondence when he resigned from the army at the end of WWII.
The incident of Ike on the campaign trail in Wisconsin is a good demo of personal ambition overriding honor. Ike let Marshall down in multiple ways. I've read that Ike carried a guilt for his action there for the rest of his days.
Sorry if I get too carried away with all the details, but once I start writing about the formation of the WWII U.S. Army (e.g., the Great Louisiana Maneuvers) and the Mediterranean Theater operations during the war, it's hard for me to stop. You might enjoy my website which speaks of my parents' journey through the war and contains a number of historic photos related to it. It's: buckandbernice.com.
On a final note, my father met Marshall first in Algiers after the Casablanca Conference, and then many times in Washington after the war when he briefed Marshall on the Soviet military situation. My father's first comment to me about Marshall was, "In my opinion, he was perhaps the most brilliant person in the U.S. Army.
Clark had a few "shotcomings" as a combat commander - like nearly blowing the Salerno invasion, and then by having Sixth Army turn north out of Anzio and liberate Rome rather than link up with Eighth Army as planned and bag the entire German Tenth Army after Cassino finally cracked and the Gustav line broke, allowing the Germans to march around Rome while he was celebrating its "liberation" - thereby adding a year to the Italian campaign when the Germans made it to the Gothic Line as a result. Clark was the biggest incompetent in the European Theater, but they could only get rid of him by "kicking him upstairs" to Mediterranean Theater command.
(Sorry, I wrote a book about this baloney)
And after they got rid of Clark they made the smartest decision in the MTO and brought Lucian K. Truscott Jr. - the best commander - back from France and put him in charge of 5th Army. As a guy who was there at the time said to me, "the entire atmosphere changed overnight from top to bottom." Truscott commanded at Anzio, and when he dedicated the US cemetery there in 1945, he turned to the dead and apologized to them, telling them if anyone ever said their deaths were "heroic" that "I'll be sure to set him straight for you."
I read about Truscott's dedicating the US cemetery at Anzio--when he turned his back to the dignitaries in the audience and turned instead to address the dead soldiers in their graves. It must have been incredibly moving.
What is the name of the book you wrote about the Italian campaign? I'll keep an eye out for it. One of my favorite books on the subject is Rick Atkinson's "Day of Battle."
Yes, I was being kind in using the word "shortcomings." Clark really made some bad moves as you mention. Ref. Salerno, he was ready to withdraw and get back on the ships, cancelling the invasion. He reported that to his boss, General (later Field Marshall) Sir Harold Alexander, who met Clark on the beach for a conference. Alexander replied to Clark regarding a withdrawal, "No, that will never do." Then Alexander added, "Now that we have that out of the way, here's what we will do." That included heavy bombardment by naval artillery. Alexander had essentially taken over command from Clark, but he did it in a respectful way as was his nature. He didn't want Clark to fall apart.
A big mistake Clark made which you didn't mention was the first offensive at Cassino on January 17, 1944--crossing the Rapido River. This offensive was anchored by the U.S. 36th Infantry Division ("The Texas Division"). There were so many casualties in the massacre that the people of Texas called for a congressional hearing about it to have charges brought against Clark. Congress acquitted Clark.
Then, there was the Rome debacle you mentioned. Clark disregarded Alexander's orders and the plan to trap the German army. He wanted to liberate Rome for the glory. Yes, that extended the war and resulted in a lot more death and suffering. I don't think Clark was bumped up to MTO. In Dec. 1944, General Alexander, commander of 15th Army Group (British 8th Army and American 5th Army) was elevated to Commander of the Mediterranean Theater and went to Algiers. Clark was then made commander of 15th Army Group but stayed in Italy. Then, as you say, General Truscott was made commander of 5th Army. He was a leader much respected and admired. I saw a great pen-and-ink sketch of Truscott and his executive officer.
My nephew died in Italy in 1942 (I think) and my brother in law always said that Mark Clark used soldiers for cannon fodder. Truth, IDK
Some people include Sicily in the Italian campaign. In that case, he could have died between July 10 and the end of August 1943 when Sicily was conquered, and the army then moved on to the Italian mainland as TC mentioned below. I believe the most blatant case of Clark using soldiers as cannon fodder was at the crossing of the Rapido River in January 1944. That brought on a congressional investigation.
Yeah, he would have died in Italy sometime between September 1943-April 1945. The fall of 1943 is your most likely time frame.
And yes, that is an accurate description of Clark.
BINGO!
Had no idea, thank you
incredible
Roy Cohn coached both McCarthy and tRump.
Cohn, McCarthy, and trump--a truly twisted trio. That Cohn was really a creep.
AND ROY COHN WAS DUMPED BY TRUMP WHEN HE WAS DYING.
of course
Den, az iz now, to many Amerekans is dum.
Thank you for your story. As a Cuban American born in Miami, I would think the Cuban community would recognize this, also at who similar it is to what Castro started doing to companies in Cuba. While I’ll never agree with them, I don’t think I’ll ever even understand them.
How terrifying for you and your family…
Go Val !!!!!!
I was only 10 and my Uncle Henry would come to visit his mother as we all lived in the same 3 family building. While he was there he would invite me to watch the McCarthy hearings. I never forgot them. That one man caused more grief to American citizens than could be imagined. His blank list of communists along with his alcoholism led the way to where we are today. We do not want to repeat that terrible time.
What a memory for you. Most people today can't imagine the power that McCarthy had. The lives destroyed and fear created by McCarthy and his legal counsel Roy Cohn just went on and on.
Reflecting on how easily the powerful political people from both parties mix together, I think about McCarthy's (repub.) bonding with Joseph Kennedy, patriarch of the Kennedy clan. They were tight together. McCarthy even became godfather to one of Joe Kennedy's daughters who was one of JFK's sisters. And RFK as attorney served on McCarthy's/Cohn's legal staff. As the world turns....
oh Lordy, wish I had time to delve deeper. I'm old enough to remember a lot and have been plenty shocked, but apparently haven't scratched the surface. Still reeling from the Coup of 1933...
Exactly right.