One of the first televised Congressional hearings produced this memorable statement, made by Joseph Welch in the Army-McCarthy proceedings in 1954. After an attack on the integrity of a young lawyer hired by Welch, a special counsel for the proceedings, Welch told McCarthy, “Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator; you’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
Joseph McCarthy was a Senator from Wisconsin, who entered into politics after a short stint in the Air Force during World War 2. Nicknamed “Tail Gunner Joe” for his supposed (but questionable) prowess in that position in a bomber, McCarthy did not hit the major leagues until 1950. Then, in a speech in West Virginia, when he claimed that he had a “list” of 205 communists or former communists in the state department who were making policy for the United States. He quickly became a media star, but always with accusations made from secret lists and anonymous sources.
When McCarthy claimed there were subversives in the Army, a special hearing was convened to look into the accusations. Again, with unattributed sources, McCarthy went after his foes. His fiery oratory was such that President Eisenhower would not “get into the gutter” with his fellow Republican, and refused to credit the charges the Wisconsin Senator made. ABC decided to televise the entire hearings, and it was estimated that at least 60 millions of Americans witnessed the proceedings.
Finally, the entire Senate had had enough. In a 67-22 vote, McCarthy’s peers censured him, effectively ostracizing him and his inflammatory charges. Since then, the term McCarthyism is used to claim someone is making sensational accusations without proper sources.
My sense of politics was beginning to be formed during this time, not fully formed, but I was aware of the drama in Washington. And as I look at the political landscape since the election of Donald Trump as President, those words seem to be appropriate today. Looking at the vicious attacks on Trump, his family and political supporters, often without proof, someone needs to tell the attackers, “At long last, have you no sense of decency?’
Trump has been compared to Hitler, has been called a fascist, his policies have been characterized as to cause millions to die. His mental health has constantly been called into question, his election has been attributed to Russian collusion — and all of these, plus more, without empirical evidence being presented. The former director of the FBI, James Comey, no fan of Trump, admitted that in spite of news stories to the contrary, the President was not being investigated and that there was no evidence of any improper contact with the Russian government during the campaign. But those stories continue.
His opponents have thought about blowing up the White House, a (very) minor comedienne used an ISIS inspired demonstration of his decapitation, and a play partially subsidized by the taxpayers had him assassinated in the park. A former star actor considered it was about time for an actor to again kill a President.
In addition, Trump’s wife has been criticized for her looks and how she dresses, his son has been accused of being autistic, his son-in-law and daughter have been verbally trashed, and vitriol has been spewed on some of the most qualified appointees seen in the recent past.
Without proof? Both The New York Times and CNN have been forced to issue retractions (but not true apologies) for stories they knew were false, which caused other news outlets to follow suit.
It needs to be said that Trump is his own worst enemy. His cell phone needs to be stolen, lost, destroyed or locked up. But the attacks go far beyond the pale. From my own study of history (I taught the subject, along with political science for forty years), the administrations of John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Busch, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have all have periods of what has been called a “honeymoon”. Knives were out before Trump’s administration opened the door to the honeymoon suite.
But the stories and accusations published by the media from “sources” who claim to be close to the subjects are the most troublesome. Is there no integrity left in our press? This “resistance” seems to be intent on destroying the new administration and its programs without giving them a chance to succeed. By destroying the administration, those who spew such vitriol are the ones destroying the country.
And when will someone have the fortitude to strongly and stridently condemn the character assassinations going on? This, then, is my question to Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Maxine Waters (among others) — “At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”