Republican Resurrection of Red Baiting: Consistent with the 1950's

This presidential campaign is not about the 1960's. According to the Republicans it is about the 1950's .

The 1950's were a continuation of racism and segregation. The 1960's was about economic and social justice and the death of Jim Crow.

The 1950's were the zenith of United States foreign policy built on a platform that claimed our economic, morale, and racial superiority to the people of Africa, Asia, and South America. It was a foreign policy built upon the premises that we were entiled to our fair share of the world's natural resources, canals, and corrupt dictators, and we defined fair share.

The 1960's were about a new foreign policy built on supporting justice and freedom, and by supporting peoples' battles for liberation from tyranny, not imposing our version.

The 1950's were about hating the New York Yankees.  The 1960's were about hating the New York Yankees.

The 1950's were based on the myth of rugged individualism and Horatio Alger.

The 1960's were about recognizing the social compact and that most successful Americans did not make it by themselves but made it through the support of friends and neighbors, just as we did in this country a century earlier with barn raisings, helping with the harvest, and a good public school education.

The 1950's were about red scares, red baiting, the Communist Menace, the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC),  pinkos, and fellow travelers.

The 1960's were about political judgments based on the content of one's own beliefs.

The 1950's gave us rock n' roll, the civil rights movement, and the opening of doorways for millions of Americans of all races, colors, and heritages.  But there was a lot that was very unattractive about the 1950's.

After this election, perhaps John McCain would like to join the twenty-first century. The last century is good for instruction but not for reliving. He should tell Sarah Palin.

Comments

[nonheroicvet]

Regarding the Yankees - ditto for the 70s,80s,90s and naughts.