Joe McCarthy's Bus Update [Bostonred Network version]

The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn't create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it—and rather successfully. Cassius was right: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Joe"Gunner McCarthy became the most visible public face of a period in the United States in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread Communist subversion.Edward R. Murrow

I know in my heart that nothing I have done as a Senator – nothing – has brought dishonor on this institution. I am confident that the Ethics Committee would agree.Nevertheless, today I am announcing that, in the coming weeks, I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate.I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office Al Franken of Minnesota


"The industry and the broadcasting community have got to get used to the idea that now he’s on 'the list,' " he says. "And I think we will see how this settles over the next few months when this becomes less of a current phenomenon. Keillor is in the very special position and category of being a unique entity in broadcasting. He was an unusual broadcaster, a great storyteller, a very homespun, eclectic kind of guy, and he marched to the beat of his own drummer." Michael Harrison, publisher of the trade journal Talkers Magazine

In his own statement to MPR, Keillor expressed concern that the "country is caught in the grip of a mania" when it comes to reporting sexual misconduct and that he wishes someone would resist. But he was customarily pragmatic, noting, "I expect MPR to look out for itself, and meanwhile, I feel awfully lucky to have hung on for so long."