When McCarthy Met His Match
When McCarthy met his match On June 9, 1954, the reign of terror by the demagogue, U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy, met its match. It occurred when an Army official, testifying at a Senate committee hearing before McCarthy, gave voice to the famous retort, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” I thought of that famous response to a demagogue when I first heard the murderous threat against Iran from Donald Trump in which he said, “A whole civilization will die tonight.”
There is, of course, no reason to pose that famous question to Trump, as we all know he has no decency. But I would like to pose a variation of that question to the national leaders in the Republican party and their supporters, “Is there no sense of integrity left in your party; have you sacrificed all of your dignity at the altar of Trump?”
In case you need reminders, integrity is the quality of being honest, ethical and having strong moral principles. Dignity is the state of being worthy of honor, respect and esteem.
Unfortunately, the repeated silence of nearly all Republican leaders in the face of so many horrible actions and statements by Trump speaks volumes about the character of this party today. How is it that the GOP Speaker of the House, the GOP Majority Leader in the Senate and other Republicans leaders have absolutely nothing to say in response to a President threatening, and readying the U.S. military, for genocide?
Similarly, how could these same Republican leaders express no outrage when Trump pardoned the entire mob that attacked the U, S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overthrow our Constitution? Indeed, how could 147 Republicans in Congress get behind Trump’s big lie that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen and not vote to certify the outcome of that fair election when it was their constitutional duty to do so. How can they remain silent today as Trump turns the U.S. Justice Department into a lawless, vindictive Soviet-style retribution outfit.
Would Barry Goldwater, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan or George H Bush have nothing to say about an unhinged, demagogic President behaving in such a dangerous, unlawful and un-American fashion? Of course not.
So, I pose my question again, “Republicans, have you any integrity and dignity left in you, or are you now merely members of the cult of Trump?”
This article appeared as a letter to the editor of the Spirit of Jefferson on April 16, 2026.
