Demagogue

The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy

By: Larry Tye

Narrated by: Ben Jaeger-Thomas

The definitive biography of the most dangerous demagogue in American history, based on first-ever review of his personal and professional papers, medical and military records, and recently unsealed transcripts of his closed-door Congressional hearings

In the long history of American demagogues, from Huey Long to Donald Trump, never has one man caused so much damage in such a short time as Senator Joseph McCarthy. We still use “McCarthyism” to stand for outrageous charges of guilt by association, a weapon of polarizing slander. From 1950 to 1954, McCarthy destroyed many careers and even entire lives, whipping the nation into a frenzy of paranoia, accusation, loyalty oaths, and terror. When the public finally turned on him, he came crashing down, dying of alcoholism in 1957. Only now, through bestselling author Larry Tye’s exclusive look at the senator’s records, can the full story be told.

Demagogue is a masterful portrait of a human being capable of immense evil, yet beguiling charm. McCarthy was a tireless worker and a genuine war hero. His ambitions knew few limits. Neither did his socializing, his drinking, nor his gambling. When he finally made it to the Senate, he flailed around in search of an agenda and angered many with his sharp elbows and lack of integrity. Finally, after three years, he hit upon anti-communism. By recklessly charging treason against everyone from George Marshall to much of the State Department, he became the most influential and controversial man in America. His chaotic, meteoric rise is a gripping and terrifying object lesson for us all. Yet his equally sudden fall from fame offers reason for hope that, given the rope, most American demagogues eventually hang themselves.

Joe McCarthy, 70 years on

Tye has done a masterful job of research and writing. In the updated version read here, he traces the parallels between McCarthy and Trump, He offers great background on the man who knew them both well, Roy Cohn. Narration is very good.

Lessons not learned

It amazes me how some people think they are above the fray, and others follow the same path to the same results. This book expresses the past. lesson should be learned

Demagogue

I have often heard that Republican Party has two wings to it, The McCarthy wing and the Eisenhower wing. The glue binding the two together was always communism, at least until the fall of the Berlin wall. It seems the McCarthy wing has consumed the Eisenhower wing as of late. McCarthy truly was the precursor to the modern Republican party in many ways and this book illuminates them wonderfully. I highly recommend this book for every student of the modern GOP.

Strong on detail. Very well done.

Reader did an excellent job.
Great detail.
Very relevant.
My only comment is that there is so much detail, that it was a bit overwhelming to wait through the book. But the ending ties it all together really well.

A necessary counterbalance to revisionism

I decided to listen this book after seeing the PBS documentary on JRM, as well as listening to a more conservative attempt at the reconstruction of the late senator’s legacy. The evidence of McCarthy’s misconduct is so well documented that it’s hard to believe there are those who continually attempt to resuscitate his legacy. While it is certainly true that Joe did catch quite a few communists, it is truer still that their hides came at a steep price: a society driven by paranoia of the unseen enemy that continues to the present day.

Joe’s tactics remind me of the current President, Donald J. Trump, who, in a lot of ways, copied Joe’s playbook. A small, but telling example: Joe had little nicknames for the people he belittled. Instead of “sleepy joe” or “little Marco” it was “sanctimonious Stu.” Admittedly, joe had a much better vocabulary than the President, who surely doesn’t have “sanctimonious” in his lexicon.