McCarthy is considered a pariah by closeted commies and their sympathizers. He was right, you know.
Of course McCarthy was right. No question. The Venona papers proved him right, and uncovered a lot from that era, and beyond.
However, liberals' penchant for reinventing themselves, the constant need to stroke their massive egos, and their obsession with refurbishing their tarnished reputations, all have to be factored into the latter day retelling of the McCarthy era.