Think that's an oxymoron? No, it's just moronic. A prominent liberal--oops, I mean progressive--wants Sen. Lieberman's wife, Hadassah Lieberman, booted as spokeswoman for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. It's punishment for Lieberman's opposition for to a public option in the health reform legislation.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Tags: Democrats, Hadassah Lieberman, health care, Joe Lieberman, liberals, McCarthyism, progressive
It's your headline that is "moronic", Dennis, because this is not McCarthyism.
Merriam-Webster defines McCarthyism as "opposition to elements held to be subversive and by the use of tactics involving personal attacks on individuals by means of widely publicized indiscriminate allegations especially on the basis of unsubstantiated charges; broadly: defamation of character or reputation based on such tactics."
I'm not sure I agree that someone should be ousted as spokesperson for a charity because their spouse is a self-serving hypocrite who takes a position that is arguably at odds with the goals of the charity. But this is not "McCarthyism" and your use of that term smacks of the conservative demonization of liberals that we have become so accustomed to seeing these days.
There are no "unsubstantiated charges" ... Lieberman is opposed to health care reform and simply flip-flops or finds new reasons to obstruct despite how frequently the spineless Democrats give in to his demands. And I don't see any "defamation of character" or charges of subversion against the Liebermans in this story.
While I sympathize with the desire of some liberals to punish Lieberman for his hypocrisy and obstructionism (especially given the unwillingness of weak leaders like Harry Reid to at least strip Joe of his commitee chairmanships) I'm not sure this is an appropriate tactic.
But I am pretty sure that it is not McCarthyism.