The Volokh Conspiracy
[Orin Kerr, December 10, 2005 at 8:00pm] Trackbacks
Eugene McCarthy Passes Away at 89:
The NYT's obituary is here.
Frank Drackman (mail):
I really admired Senator McCarthy's work in exposing all the communists in government back in the 1950's.
12.11.2005 10:01am
Salieri:
Me too, but it's strange to think I've been mispronouncing his name all this time.
12.11.2005 10:13am
CEB:
Apologies for going off-topic, but the comment by "DEAN BARRY" raises an issue that has intrigued me recently: have we reached The End of Satire? This would probably date back to Alan Sokal's celebrated hoax, Transgressing the Boundaries, but the internet, particularly its anonymity, seems to have placed us in a situation where it is literally impossible to discern satire or sarcasm from earnestly-held belief.
12.11.2005 10:34am
taalinukko:
Um... Psst... Frank. Just thought you should know this was the other Senator McCarthy. Tricky thing that, having two Senators with the same name.
12.11.2005 10:37am
Huh:
CEB,

The bad satirist and earnest dunce seem to have a lot in common. That's at least part of the problem. For example, it's awfully hard for me to tell whether the two posters above you are both genuinely wrong, or if one's correcting the other, or if both are attempting a dumb joke and passing each other in the fog of their own "subtle" funnies.
12.11.2005 10:44am
Andy (mail) (www):
The Times obit mentioned that McCarthy backed Reagan over Carter in 1980. Yet the Times didn't explain why- does anyone here know his rational for bucking his party for that contest? Thanks.
12.11.2005 10:47am
Visitor Again:
One of the obits I read said McCarthy thought Carter was incompetent and hence supported Reagan. Not a good enough reason.
12.11.2005 11:52am
David M. Nieporent (www):
It sounds like a pretty good reason, V.A.

But take this thirdhand story for what it's worth:
" Deaver reminded the reader that former Democratic Senator Eugene McCarthy endorsed Reagan's presidential candidacy in 1980 against Carter, the Democratic incumbent.
It was an astonishing event at the time because McCarthy had led the revolt against President Lyndon B. Johnson's bid for reelection because of the Vietnam war and had been viewed as a liberal Democrat.
Deaver said that McCarthy asked for a meeting with Reagan, which he arranged.
After "some small talk" Reagan expressed his appreciation for McCarthy's support. Later, Deaver walked McCarthy to his car and told him: "I don't get it ... what's the real reason you're endorsing Ronald Reagan?"
Deaver said McCarthy looked him directly in the eye and said: "I'll tell you why. It's because he is the only man since Harry Truman who won't confuse the job with the man."
Deaver said McCarthy knew Reagan understood "the enormity of the office he sought, that it was bigger than one man.
"McCarthy saw something in the former actor that millions of Americans would see on Election Day as they happily handed him the keys to the White House," Deaver wrote.
12.11.2005 1:17pm
T. Gracchus (mail):
Settng aside his position with respect to the War in Indochina, McCarthy was not notably liberal for a Demoncrat of the period. He was staunchly anti-communist (in the anti-Soviet sense), a la Jackson. On domestic social issues, McCarthy was pretty middle of the road, and, as he never really shifted ground there ended up increasiongly aligned with conservative forces. The Reagan endorsement was foreign policy driven as I recall.
12.11.2005 1:34pm
Frank Drackmann (mail):
Wikipedias article on Senator McCarthy states that he also supported President Reagans SDI program in the 80s.
Carter/Mondale was such a horrible ticket in 1980, I think Ronald Reagan JR. could have won that one.
Does anyone remember the details about the deranged Beaver that attacked President Carters boat while weekending at Camp David?
12.11.2005 4:50pm
Cornellian (mail):
Anyone notice that Eugene McCarthy and Richard Pryor died on the same day? CNN's web page made Pryor the headline, complete with large picture. McCarthy got a one line "click here for story" on the front page.
12.11.2005 5:16pm
Felix Steinberg (mail) (www):
It's worth noting that he was also a huge fan of Peter Brimelow and his book "Alien Nation". He even went as far as to compare Brimelow to Thomas Jefferson (i think). I'll leave it up to the rest of you to decide whether this was a good thing or not.
12.11.2005 7:46pm
Redman:
I always felt sorry for McCarthy. After he did all the heavy lifting in the Spring of 68 and led the charge and took the arrows for being the anti war candidate, Bobby Kennedy popped up and stole his campaign from him.
12.11.2005 8:32pm
johnw:
FD -

It wasn't a deranged beaver, it was a rabbit.
I think its name was Tim.
12.11.2005 9:50pm
Smallholder (mail) (www):
Johnw:

Not just a rabbit. The most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on.
12.12.2005 2:39pm
Slugeau (mail):
Rabbits are not rodents. Rabbits and hares are lagomorphs, or the fur trim on a coat or sweater.
12.12.2005 3:36pm
johnw:
Smallholder -

Secret Service quickly dispatched the rodent with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. President was unharmed, and the people did feast . . . .
12.12.2005 4:04pm
johnw:
I mean: dispatched the lagomorph
12.12.2005 4:08pm

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