Letter to the editor: McCarthy-Trump comparison

In the 1950s, Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin terrorized the nation by claiming communist sympathizers permeated all levels of government and the military. Paranoia ensued, resulting in the firing of government workers and blacklisting of Hollywood stars. Forced “loyalty oaths” became commonplace. Many lives were ruined. McCarthy provided no proof. He was eventually censured by the Senate and came to be viewed as a crackpot. It was one of the darkest periods in our history.

I believe that 20 or 30 years from now, Donald Trump and his cadre of blind loyalists will be cast in the same light. His “Big Lie,” incitement of the Jan. 6 insurrection, where many congressmen could have been murdered, and attempted rigging of the Electoral College vote (by replacing duly elected Democratic electors with Republican electors) will be judged by historians as a gross breach of the U.S. Constitution.

The history books will label him a twice-impeached “crackpot” who tried to overthrow the government and whose extremism divided the nation. Who says history doesn’t repeat itself?

Tom Tarosky

West Leechburg