FEAR AND LOATHING IN TRUMP'S WASHINGTON

Joe McCarthy Reprise

A reign of fear permeates Washington as the Republican leader strikes out with one threat after another. He's a classic bully. He not only lies, he tells big lies that with repetition sink in. With the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an ally, he intimidates his own colleagues fearing his wrath would be lethal politically. He often assails the press but was a master at manipulating the media.
That was Republican Sen. Joe McCarthy more than 70 years ago; sounds like Donald Trump today.
The inspiration for writing about this inescapable parallel is Larry Tye, who wrote an acclaimed biography of Joe McCarthy. As a scholar, teacher and journalist he follows Trump and it's haunting: "Trump is a logical sequel to McCarthy in America's long infatuation with bullies and demagogues."
Trump was only ten years old when McCarthy died but there is a profound personal connection. Roy Cohn, the sleazy, brilliant lawyer who helped guide the Wisconsin Senator's witch hunts in the early 50s and later became a mentor to a young Trump as captured in the recent film, The Apprentice.