UnAmerican.
Last week the words were used by the US Speaker of the House and the House Democratic Majority Leader used the term last week.
Not in speech, which would be appalling enough. No, they used it in print. Meaning, they wrote it and they thought about it (or thought as much as either is capable of). They made a decision -- a concrete one, not a spur of the moment one -- to use the term.
And with the exception of Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan, the left appears to have made the decision to ignore it.
During the Bush era, Matthew Rothschild (CEO of The Progressive) was so very concerned with talk like that. Today, he doesn't even blink . . . provided it comes from a Democrat.
Matthew's one of the people who will be most harmed by Pelosi and Steny popularizing the term once again. Matthew's a Socialist. He hid in the political closet for years and years. He'd sometime mislead the public into thinking he was an 'independent' and sometimes he'd act as if he was a Democrat. Most in the know always knew what he was and found his coming out anti-climatic.
But "unAmerican" doesn't hurt Dems or Republicans. They've got huge party machinery to protect them.
"unAmerican" hurts the Communist and hurts the Socialist and hurts anyone who can be lumped into either category -- rightly or wrongly.
They're the unprotected politically and that's why they were targeted in the last century.
It's a cute little tale that no Democrats participated in McCarthyism.
It's not reality, but it's a sweet narrative.
Dems participated. Actively and passively, they participated.
Passive participation was not objecting. And the early refusal to object wasn't out of 'fear.' It was due to anger and disgust at outsiders attempting to control the Democratic Party. Sound familiar? The Democratic Party just saw that in 2008.
And there's a lot of anger and disgust over it.
Back then, their anger and disgust led them to say to Communists, Socialists and those suspected, "You're on your own."
There were active participants as well. Lot of big names rushed forward to brandish there "I'm No Red" cred. (Yes, even you-know-who's widow.) They actively attacked the two groups.
And with those ingredients and the Republicans in play, the country saw a very ugly chapter play out.
It could play out again.
Silence won't prevent it.
The only thing that will stop it is calling it out.
Is making sure that Nancy Pelois and Steny Hoyer grasp what they just pulled has no defense, has no excuse. That it's outrageous and shameful.
The left went along before and we know how that worked out.
