This humble spirit isn’t sure which reeks worse of McCarthyism, Trump’s demonizing of “radical-left Democrats” or having his justice department go after everyone on his enemies list, starting with former FBI director James Comey. Some of you are probably too young to remember the “Red Scare” of the 1950s that was championed by Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin, when people were accused of being members of the Communist Party and working for the Soviets to destroy America, but for me it feels like yesterday. And trust me, it was a bad scene: people could lose their jobs and their careers if they were suspected of being a Communist.
According to Trump, on one of his Fox News appearances, “the radicals on the left are the problem, and they’re vicious and they’re horrible and they’re politically savvy.” In his lighter moments he refers to them as “evil” and “crazy.” (Trump’s definition of “evil” and “crazy,” of course, is anyone who disagrees with him.) Firstly, at the risk of falling into “whataboutism,” multiple sources show there have been far more right-wing perpetrators of violence than left-wing perpetrators. But that hasn’t stopped Trump from hinting at vast left-wing conspiracies to nurture and take advantage of his MAGAs’ boundless fear and paranoia, or naming his usual suspects, including the ever-popular, if ever-undefinable, Antifa, despite there being no evidence connecting it to the recent spate of high-profile killings, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Trump hasn’t made it clear exactly what defines a “radical-left Democrat.” Does he mean vocal members of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, such as AOC and Jasmine Crockett? Certainly his political enemies, such as the now indicted James Comey, are included, regardless if they are left-leaning. How about all elected Democratic law makers, all registered Democrats, or everyone who voted against him in 2024 (which would, of course, constitute half the country)? Are we really to believe that half of America is “evil” or “crazy”? (Well, based on how he defines those terms and his recent poll numbers, that could well be the case.)
Under the New McCarthyism Anyone Who Doesn’t Worship at the Altar of “King Trump” is Branded a “Radical-Left Democrat.”
It’s as if having ICE round up illegal immigrants nationwide wasn’t enough to sooth MAGA fear and paranoia of the “other,” so Trump felt compelled to go after “radical left Democrats,” another boogeyman made up as a distraction. Trump couldn’t care less about the consequences of his actions—if he further divides the country and stirs up more violence—just as long as he benefits in the short term—distract us from the still unresolved Jeffrey Epstein scandal; distract us from his many unfulfilled campaign promises both here (end inflation and bring down the cost of living) and abroad (end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza on his first day in office).
What he need, of course, is to offer the electorate an alternative to Donald Trump, and right now, I’m sorry to say (although, admittedly, I’ve said it many times before), we don’t have one. The haplessness and self-indulgence of the old-guard Democrats is breathtaking, and it’s unlikely any amount of research and message consultants will change that. When their former standard bearer, Kamala Harris, had an opportunity to put forth something meaningful in her book, such as a prescription for taking her party and the country into the future, she wasted the opportunity regurgitating old, irrelevant (to the American electorate) internal Democratic Party crap. To say nobody cares is an understatement.