GOP Leaders Want to Take America Back ... to McCarthyism

Jim Hightower on Sep 23, 2026

It's one thing for someone like me to say that the Republican Party has dived into the abyss of political delirium.

But it's another thing when the party itself confirms its collective delirium for two whole days in a made-for-TV political talk-a-thon. Their theme was: "Bring Back Joe McCarthy!"

Let's not forget what a horror McCarthyism was -- a 1950s descent into totalitarian repression fomented by Joe -- a brutish and slimy Republican senator who terrorized America for a decade with a vicious "red-baiting" crusade to crush liberals, unions, minorities, government employees, gay people, professors and others he and his rich backers hated.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Indeed, given Joe's direct parallels to today's White House, you'd think GOP strategists wouldn't want to resurface that disgraceful chapter of their heritage, but there they were this month, proudly pushing: McCarthyism 2026.

Not just the party's fringe, but its top "leaders" were squawking from the podium like Chicken Littles that Democrats are anti-American communists! President Donald Trump himself bellowed maniacally that Dems even intend to destroy Mount Rushmore -- "they want to blow it up," he squealed.

A parade of top Republican officials literally shouted at the audience's MAGA faithful to fear Democrats. Tim Scott, chair of the party's senatorial fundraising arm, exclaimed that Democrats are fiends who "hate what it means to be American," so they are coming to "rip that heart out of our chest."

Sure, Tim, it's "evil" for Democrats to advocate for Social Security, health care for all, affordable housing, voting rights ... and, you know, "communist" stuff like that. So, please, you do you -- keep running your mouth and let the people decide who's crazy.

THE PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING DATA CENTERS, BUT THE GOVERNMENT IS FIGHTING THE PEOPLE

To cope with the imminent danger posed by today's arrogant, profiteering AI billionaires -- Donald Trump says that the only thing America needs is a "STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT!"

Well, yes -- let's try to find one of those!

The president we have now is quite the opposite. Take the politically explosive issue of massive AI data centers suddenly intruding into thousands of communities across America, sucking up people's land, water, electricity and democratic control. Even red-state MAGA conservatives are in furious rebellion against what amounts to a corporate sneak attack on millions of us.

Where's the president when we really need him? He's plotting with the tech invaders to publicly trash those who are rebelling against the tech giants and deploying Big Government autocrats to rig the rules to silence us opponents. For example, a little-known Trump operative named Lee Zeldin has been embedded as czar of the EPA. He's now decreeing there's no need for local communities to be notified that a data center is moving in on them, nor should there be a public comment period on air pollution issues.

This means that residents' first notice that a sprawling data center will be built door will be the roar of bulldozers. Worse, Commissar Zeldin wants to let data center billionaires start building their acres of polluting facilities before permits are approved. Also, this MAGA bureaucrat insists that such massive facilities be reclassified as "minor" air polluters -- like a car repair shop or local laundromat.

Zeldin has also unilaterally reframed the purpose of the EPA. He has declared that the top priority of the EPA is not environmental protection, but to "make the U.S. the artificial intelligence capital of the world."

To find out more about Jim Hightower and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

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