Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy

Senator Joe McCarthy held the United States spellbound with allegations of Communists run rampant in the United States Government. That spell lasted four years until McCarthy would be censured and began his ignominious retreat which would be blunted by his early death in 1957. His rise and fall were viewed as excessive Cold War paranoia. Demagogue by Larry Tye seeks to clarify the record about past distortions. Joe McCarthy hailed from Grand Chute, Wisconsin, the son of hardworking Irish farmers. Joe possessed a friendly disposition, yet was also hyperactive which led him to take risks without thinking of the consequences. His success in life was on par with setbacks, but his hard work was unmistakable. His war service, which his detractors would use to mock him, was actually exemplary. Embellishment would be his downfall, particularly as he became the grand inquisitor of the Communist Witch hunts which would ruin incalculable lives.

Demagogue is the most recent biography of the controversial Senator from Wisconsin. From the outset, Tye offers up some new information in regards to past allegations hurled about McCarthy in the wake of his efforts to root out Communists. The research done is thorough and well-chronicled, the subject rendered much more complex and tragic. The fine work offered by Tye provides parallels to our current world where one can wield the bully pulpit to incredible harm. A masterful biography.