#58: McCarthyism and its lessons for the left today

McCarthyism and its lessons for the left today . . The Trump administration's repressive moves have sparked talk of a "new McCarthyism" so this episode presents an interview with Alan Wald about McCarthyism -- the "Second Red Scare" in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s -- and its lessons for the left in our time. . UPDATE - Helpful clarification from one of our listeners on information mentioned in this episode's intro: "Of the two recent faculty firings in Texas, only one of them (Tom Alter’s case) was at Texas State. The other was at Texas A&M. And, of course, there have been numerous other cases around the country." . . Readings and Resources . . Ashley Smith, Against the New McCarthyism https://tempestmag.org/2025/09/against-the-new-mccarthyism/ . . United States: Texas State Terminates Alter, National Campaign Fights Back https://lis-isl.org/en/2025/10/united-states-texas-state-terminates-alter-national-campaign-fight-back/ . . Alan Wald Homepage https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/alan-wald-homepage/ . . Bill Keach, Rehabilitating McCarthyism https://tempestmag.org/2025/10/rehabilitating-mccarthyism/