The New McCarthyism?

This news post in Salon.com today, reminded me of the Joe McCarthy hearings of the 50's. Representative Spencer Bachus.. the new Joe McCarthy?

Thursday, April 9, 2009 18:15 EDT, Alex Koppleman, Salon.com

Are you now, or have you ever been... a Congressman?

Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., knows that some of his colleagues in the U.S. House are socialists. In fact, he's counted, and he knows exactly how many members of Congress are secret supporters of socialism. But, for now, he's not naming names.

The Birmingham News reports (hat-tip to Martin Kady) that during an event in his district on Thursday, Bachus told the audience, "Some of the men and women I work with in Congress are socialists." After the event, a reporter pushed him for additional details, at which point, according to the paper, he revealed that he had 17 members of the House in mind.

I have a call in to Bachus' press secretary, seeking comment about how Bachus arrived at his figure and who made the list; if I hear back, I'll update this post.

― Alex Koppelman