McCarthy and conservatism

Re “The GOP’s McCarthy gene,” Opinion, Nov. 30

Neal Gabler’s point about the McCarthyite gene of the Republican Party is exactly right. The idea that contemporary conservatism traces back only to Barry Goldwater’s loss to Lyndon Johnson is just another version of the baby boomer myth that history began when they became aware of it -- in this case, in 1964.

In fact, the fear-based politics of the McCarthy years had already deranged the country; the supposedly radical politics of the ‘60s were merely an attempt to get back to normal. Those efforts, as Gabler notes, were foiled by Richard Nixon’s successful appeal to racism as an emotional replacement for anti-communism. It’s a bad way to organize a country, but it worked for some people.

Only now, long after the collapse of communism and with the slow acceptance of minorities here at home, can we finally say that maybe -- just maybe -- America is approaching normalcy again.

John McCumber

Los Angeles

The writer is the author of “Time in the Ditch: American Philosophy and the McCarthy Era.”

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An interesting and provocative article that somehow synthesizes the GOP’s state while leaving out the role of William F. Buckley.

How would Gabler write the story of our automobile while excluding Henry Ford?

Jim Houck

La Quinta