Read these quotes from a speech by Senator Margaret
Chase Smith in 1950 (wait-
weren’t those supposed to be the “Good Ol’ Days?”). Her Declaration of Conscience could/SHOULD be read today on the Senate
floor. She was the first to confront Joseph McCarthy and his fearmongering team.
Donald Trump’s campaign returned to those same methods to incite discontent,
discord, division, discrimination, and disgust. Despite his earnest vow to be a
President to all, some of his followers and potential cabinet members still are
pushing for registries and for ending civil liberties for many.
Substitute the words Terrorist or
Immigrant for Communist and it’s clear that many things haven’t changed since
she gave this speech in1950 to warn the nation against Joseph McCarthy!
“As an American, I am shocked at the way Republicans and
Democrats alike are playing directly into the Communist design of “confuse,
divide, and conquer.” As an American, I don’t want a Democratic Administration
“whitewash” or “cover-up” any more than I want a Republican smear or witch
hunt.…
Today our country is being psychologically divided by the
confusion and the suspicions that are bred in the United States Senate to
spread like cancerous tentacles of “know nothing, suspect everything”
attitudes.”…
Certain elements of the Republican
Party have materially added to this confusion in the hopes of riding the
Republican party to victory through the selfish political exploitation of fear,
bigotry, ignorance, and intolerance. There are enough mistakes of the Democrats
for Republicans to criticize constructively without resorting to political
smears.
To this extent, Democrats and
Republicans alike have unwittingly, but undeniably, played directly into the
Communist design of “confuse, divide and conquer.”
Excerpts from Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s Declaration of Conscience June 1, 1950
As the Senator from Maine, Margaret Chase
Smith was the first to speak out against Joseph McCarthy and a divided
Congress. It was over 4 years later that
Senator McCarthy was finally censured and stopped. Margaret Chase Smith’s Declaration
of Conscience has a message that rings too true today. We need all
representatives to act independently just as she did. President-Elect Trump appealed
to many voters with his independent style and hopefully he will be able to see
beyond the blue and red. We need to listen now. Why can’t we work together in a
positive way, regardless of party?
“It is high time that we stopped
thinking politically as Republicans and Democrats about elections and started
thinking patriotically as Americans about national security based on individual
freedom.
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