How did McCarthy affect US politics and culture?

Answer 1

McCarthyism has come to mean an attempt by a politician or politicians, to influence the government to do something even though the information being presented is false or misleading. It is sort of a bully in politics. At the peak of his power, McCarthy managed to strike fear in many politicians. Many Senators were afraid to speak out against the man for fear he would attack them as being a communist and ruin their career. Even Eisenhower, candidate for President in 1952, was afraid to praise Secretary of State Marshall while on a campaign tour of Marshall's home state, Wisconsin, because the former Secretary was one of McCarthy's "traitors." Eisenhower feared McCarthy would attack his campaign. Liberals in Congress rushed to prove their loyalty by voting for laws like the McCarran Act, which outlawed the communist party. Only a few outside politics refused to be intimidated by McCarthy's bullying. Edward R. Murrow and Herbert Block were two. The lesson of McCarthyism is that a politician can build a career by exploiting and agravating anxieties in society. The American public has to examine the statements of politicians carefully to weed out the untruths.

Answer 2

McCarthyism is the use of 'the big lie' and/or half-truths to gain publicity and deflect public attention and interest from the real issue. Although McCarthy was eventually discredited as a senator, his modus operandi was resurrected by Glen Beck, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump and others in their campaign to discredit and slow every one of President Barack Obama's economic, health, domestic, and foreign policy, proposals