To Republican strategists and their politician clients, every Democrat, no matter how moderate or conservative, has been labeled and targeted as a “Socialist” since at least the 1930s. After Republican Party policies created the Great Depression, the louder Republicans screeched “Socialism!,” the more votes poured in for FDR— and his moderately socialistic programs (like rural electrification, banking and Wall Street regulations, regulations to protect consumers and workers' right to organize, the creation of public work projects for the unemployed, rural welfare projects, food stamps, high marginal tax rates on the super-wealthy and, of course, the big one— Social Security).
And then, as GOP electoral prospects dimmed, something more ominous took over the desperate Republican Party. Their numbers in Congress kept shrinking. At its nadir in 1936, Republicans held a paltry 88 seats in the House and 17 in the Senate. In that year’s presidential election, FDR beat Alf Landon 60.8% to 36.5%. The Republicans won just 2 small states and only 8 electoral votes. This landslide confirmed to anyone paying even a tiny bit of attention that the public had firmly rejected conservative orthodoxy. So what did the GOP braintrust decide to do about it? They doubled-down on their failed messaging, comparing the New Deal to the Soviet Union and Communism— a scare tactic aimed at pleasing their Big Business sugar daddies in the hope of derailing popular economic reforms.
In 1946, Wisconsin proto-fascist Joe McCarthy, mentally ill and an uncontrolled alcoholic, defeated progressive Republican incumbent Bob La Follette in the GOP primary. Looking for personal fame, McCarthy started routinely claiming he had a list of Communists (also gays) in the government— first Truman's and then Eisenhower's— inaugurating the Red Scare, a period of hysteria that even embarrassed many Republicans— though not all. For some, McCarthyism offered a path to electoral success, appealing to the same reactionary forces that had long opposed economic justice. It's no surprise that such rhetoric found fertile ground in the Trump household, where anti-communist paranoia and far-right sympathies were part of the family creed, while young Donald was growing up. And remember, Traump gravitated to McCarthy's chief henchman, profoundly corrupt and reactionary closet case, Mafia lawyer Roy Cohn. Cohn not only became Trump's attorney, he was also Trump's role model. Do you think they discussed McCarthy and his tactics?
So here we are today, Trump and his MAGA allies taking a page straight out of Joe McCarthy's playbook. Sunday night I noticed one of Congress’ most ignorant members, former “escort” and high school dropout Lauren Boebert, who has likely never heard of Joe McCarthy, accusing Kamala Harris, a standard California Democrat, of being a Communist:
Just as McCarthy once held up his infamous “list” of supposed Communists, Trump and his acolytes now wave the specter of “Communism” whenever they seek to undermine MAGA's and fascism's political opponents. Their target this time? Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, and the whole Democratic Party.
Kamala's recent populist economic plans, announced last week, have, of course, intensified these attacks. Her proposals— which echo the spirit of the New Deal by focusing on job creation, affordable housing and expanded social safety nets— have been met with enthusiasm from working-class Americans who see them as a much-needed lifeline. Yet, predictably, they're being vilified by the billionaire class and their political puppets, who view any effort to rebalance the scales of economic power as a threat to their wealth and power.
By labeling Harris and other Democrats as Communists, Trump and his MAGA allies are not just engaging in political hyperbole; they are stoking the flames of a dangerous and divisive rhetoric that harkens back to one of the darkest chapters in American history. Just like McCarthy’s baseless claims destroyed countless lives and careers, today’s accusations are meant to delegitimize and demonize political opponents without any regard for truth or the consequences for the social fabric.
This rhetoric isn’t just harmful to those targeted; it’s a tragedy for the country as a whole. The Red Scare was a time of deep fear, suspicion, and division— and the echoes of that era in today’s political discourse threaten to further erode trust in already shaky democratic institutions. By reviving the tactics of McCarthyism, Trump is dragging the country back into an era of paranoia and hostility, undermining the possibility of genuine debate and progress.
And just as tragically, this strategy signals the further intellectual and moral decline and collapse of the GOP itself. Once a party that could at least claim to have a vision— however misguided— for America’s future, the Republican Party under Trump has become a vessel for personal grifting, reactionary fear-mongering and cultish authoritarian impulses. By embracing the politics of the Big Lie and red-baiting, the GOP has abandoned any pretense of policy and is instead perpetuating a narrative of grievance and victimhood. This might rally a base, but it alienates the broader electorate and reduces the GOP to a shell of its former self.
And for what? To score short-term political points at the expense of long-term stability? The Republican Party of the past, despite its flaws, at least sought to conserve something real— whether it was tradition, economic principles, or a vision for governance. The MAGA version of the GOP conserves nothing but resentment, thriving on conspiracies and scapegoating, with no positive vision for America’s future. In resurrecting McCarthy’s ghost, Trump and his allies are repeating history’s mistakes— but this time, the stakes are even higher.
On CNN last week, Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders— year after year, the most popular member of the Senate— was laughing at the MAGA efforts to paint Kamala to his left. It’s worth watching (and also contributing to keeping the Senate blue):
How fun to pretend that McCarthyism sprang full-blown from the head of some drunk from Wisconsin. But of course, it was a continuation of Truman's Loyalty Program.
Had Dems nominated Manchin, GOP would call him a Marxist. It's on p. 1 of the party playbook.
Many younger poorly educated people know very little about the “communist” label and it won’t hold. Some older people, i.e., TFG supporters, don’t seem to care about fascism and have forgotten why we fought in WW II, so I doubt fear of communism will activate them either. It’s old. Russia isn’t even communist anymore. No threat in sight.
They're trying everything hoping something will stick.
It would be accurate to brand kamala a neoliberal corporatist. but I doubt that would matter. few voters know the difference between liberal and neoliberal even though it's vast.
This election looks like a modest blue ripple vs. an unknown anti-red wave due to trump and all nazis lighting themselves on fire.
But IF blue wins, keeps the senate and ekes out a small house advantage... will they do anything with it?
hint, you said it yourself:
Her proposals— which echo the spirit of the New Deal by focusing on job creation, affordable housing and expanded social safety net ... predictably, they're being vilified by the billionaire class and their political puppets, who…