There has been a lot of discussion about whether the recent increase in Islamophobia merits comparisons with McCarthyism. We might have reached a watershed moment in this discussion with the recent comments of the respected GOP political strategist, Ed Rollins.
Rollins was the former chief of staff for the Michele Bachmann presidential campaign, and someone who by his own admission has been involved in “tough” politics for decades. Rollins has now come out, on Fox News nonetheless, and stated that Bachmann’s witch hunt against Muslims has crossed the line over to McCarthyism.
Having worked for Congressman Bachman’s campaign for president, I am fully aware that she sometimes has difficulty with her facts, but this is downright vicious and reaches the late Senator Joe McCarthy level.
Rollins adds:
Her unsubstantiated charge against Abedin, a widely respected top aide to Secretary Hillary Clinton, accusing her of some sort of far-fetched connection to the Muslim brotherhood, is extreme and dishonest.
It seems like there is extremism involved in American politics, but not from Muslim extremists phantoms that Bachmann would have us chase, but from Bachmann and her ilk.
Every now and then we get a moment to pause and reflect on our collective conscience. We have now heard from Keith Ellison and John McCain, and now from Ed Rollins. These important political voices, who disagree on a wide range of issues, have all nevertheless agreed that we have gone too far down this poisoned well of hatred and fear-mongering. We will leave the last word to Ed Rollins:
Shame on you, Michele!