That is frustrating to see. For me, realizing that not only was McCarthy NOT anything like teachers, books, and news have treated him, but there was nothing “baseless” about his charges, and “Red Scare” was something we damn well should have been concerned about...well, that was a watershed moment for me.
I had been indoctrinated growing up by teachers, books and news, to the point I remember thinking he was a very bad man. Of course he was. “Everyone”, people I trusted said it, his name was a pejorative.
When I found out why McCarthy was hated so much, it was a shock to realize how easy it was to get people to go along with politically orchestrated character assassinations.
“When I found out why McCarthy was hated so much, it was a shock to realize how easy it was to get people to go along with politically orchestrated character assassinations.”
There are two words (sadly) which may help clear away some of the confusion.
Ryan and Boehner