Republican Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama apparently hasn't read Santayana.
Bachus told the Birmingham News today that he has a list of 17 members of Congress that he considers to be out and out Socialists. He said he has some hope for President Obama, calling him a better listener than his predecessor, but that he worries Obama will be pushed too far to the left by his party's members of Congress.
Now I don't know Bachus. This is the first time I ever heard his name. But my guess is he probably shouldn't have used the "I have a list" thing. It's awfully reminiscent of old Tail Gunner Joe and his "I have here in my hand a list of 87 Communists ..."
I'm not particularly surprised that there are Socialists in Congress. Remember than Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont actually ran as a Socialist and was elected. I also wouldn't be surprised if there are some members so far to the right that they could be considered Fascists.
But 17 Socialists?
Out of 435 members?
It reminds me of Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" from 1965.
"... handful of senators can't pass legislation ..."
So Spence, relax a little. And lose the list.
You'll be a lot happier.
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8 comments:
You're a nice kid, Mike, But you might want to check your facts.
Joe McCarthy actually said, "The State Department is infested with communists. I have here in my hand a list of 205 -— a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department."
When he left the Senaye chamber, his aides begged him to go on-record to redact that number.
Two hundred and five were the number of persons originally on the security cleranace list. McCartghy, ever the shrewd politician, then began reciting his speech to others, simply reducing the original number of 205 to 57. In fact, in a telegram to President Harry Truman, he used the lower number -- and possibly forestalled the obvious rejection of the White House. J. Edgar Hoover confided to Truman at the time that there were perhaps 57 people who would not pass security clearances.
McCarthy might be forgiven for his misuse of the larger number in a moment of passion because 205 was the number most subcommittee members had originally been briefed were undergoing rigorous security checks.
You might not have been born with McCarthy actually held the list on high and made his now infamous declaration. I am some thirty years your senior. I remember that moment well.
McCarthy would go on to elevate the number of security risks to 81, people he referred to as
"loyalty risks."
I also remember the first person to openly contest Joe was a woman, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith.
Senate chamber, not Senaye chamber
I liked your points, Mike, but your friend's information is really cool.
I asked my father, who is 92 and still doing well, about McCarthy and he said much the same thing.
And my father was a congressional aide in those days.
Great blog and great post.
Thanks.
PEGGY
Maybe everyone missed your allusion to "Those who forget the mistakes of history will be doomed to repeat them."
Or something like that.
While I am impressed by the first response and the details he provides, the key point is that Spencer Bachus probably doesn't realize what he's doing or saying.
Socialism is not really an issue.
Unfettered greed in the corporate world and know-nothing politicians who wish to run an autocratic government -- those are our two most crucial problems right now.
Besides, as your first blogger remembers, McCarthy wanted "commies" out of the State Department where they could influence policy without accountability.
the last time I checked, the members of Congress are somewhat accountable -- at least to their constituents. And if you don't believe even the most powerful and influential politicians can be voted out of office, go talk to Ted Stevens.
JANE in POMONA
Thanks for the "nice kid;" if only it were true. I was born in 1949, and I will be 60 later this year.
What I know of the McCarthy era was that yes, there were Communists in the government, but also that many people who had innocent flirtations with the ideology had their lives destroyed.
What I was trying to point out, as I did in an earlier post, is that we shouldn't be equating socialism and communism.
I certainly agree that corporate greed is far more of a threat to us. We are in danger of becoming an oligarchy; more than 25 percent of our national wealth is held by 1 percent of the people, while 50 percent is held by the top 5 percent.
That isn't healthy.
I am not real good at this blogging, but I'm trying.
I'm 97 next birthday and to me, anyone younger than 70 years old is still a kid.
Depends on your point of you.
Thank you < Mike, You're still a good kid.
And thank you, Jane in Pomona.
Herb F.
Herb, you are one great guy.
Here's to 98!
Wow.
97 and still going strong.
You're my hero, Herb.
Bob Anderson (O.C.)
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