McCarthyism and its lessons for the left today
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The Trump administration's repressive moves have sparked talk of a "new McCarthyism" so this episode presents an interview with Alan Wald about McCarthyism -- the "Second Red Scare" in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s -- and its lessons for the left in our time.
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UPDATE - Helpful clarification from one of our listeners on information mentioned in this episode's intro: "Of the two recent faculty firings in Texas, only one of them (Tom Alter’s case) was at Texas State. The other was at Texas A&M. And, of course, there have been numerous other cases around the country."
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Readings and Resources
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Ashley Smith, Against the New McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/09/against-the-new-mccarthyism/
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United States: Texas State Terminates Alter, National Campaign Fights Back
https://lis-isl.org/en/2025/10/united-states-texas-state-terminates-alter-national-campaign-fight-back/
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Alan Wald Homepage
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/alan-wald-homepage/
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Bill Keach, Rehabilitating McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/10/rehabilitating-mccarthyism/
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McCarthyism and its lessons for the left today
.
.
The Trump administration's repressive moves have sparked talk of a "new McCarthyism" so this episode presents an interview with Alan Wald about McCarthyism -- the "Second Red Scare" in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s -- and its lessons for the left in our time.
.
UPDATE - Helpful clarification from one of our listeners on information mentioned in this episode's intro: "Of the two recent faculty firings in Texas, only one of them (Tom Alter’s case) was at Texas State. The other was at Texas A&M. And, of course, there have been numerous other cases around the country."
.
.
Readings and Resources
.
.
Ashley Smith, Against the New McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/09/against-the-new-mccarthyism/
.
.
United States: Texas State Terminates Alter, National Campaign Fights Back
https://lis-isl.org/en/2025/10/united-states-texas-state-terminates-alter-national-campaign-fight-back/
.
.
Alan Wald Homepage
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/alan-wald-homepage/
.
.
Bill Keach, Rehabilitating McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/10/rehabilitating-mccarthyism/
#51: Red Flags: A Reckoning with Communism for the Future of the Left, w/ David Camfield
Victor's Children
1 hour 7 minutes 40 seconds
7 months ago
#51: Red Flags: A Reckoning with Communism for the Future of the Left, w/ David Camfield
Red Flags: A Reckoning with Communism for the Future of the Left, w/ David Camfield
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Host as guest! Guest host Saima Desai interviews David about his new book, Red Flags.
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If you listen to the end of the episode, there's a discount code you can use to order the book
anywhere in the world from Fernwood Publishing either before or after it's published. The code
will be valid until mid-September 2025.
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The book's page on the Fernwood site: Red Flags: A Reckoning with Communism for the Future of the Left https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/red-flags
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People based in the US may wish to order the book from its US distributor, Columbia
University Press: Red Flags | Columbia University Press https://cup.columbia.edu/book/red-flags/9781773637327
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People in the UK and EU countries may wish to order the book from Central Books:
https://www.centralbooks.com/red-flags-a-reckoning-with-communism-for-the-future-of-the.html
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David's website is Welcome to Prairie Red - Home https://www.prairiered.ca
Victor's Children
McCarthyism and its lessons for the left today
.
.
The Trump administration's repressive moves have sparked talk of a "new McCarthyism" so this episode presents an interview with Alan Wald about McCarthyism -- the "Second Red Scare" in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s -- and its lessons for the left in our time.
.
UPDATE - Helpful clarification from one of our listeners on information mentioned in this episode's intro: "Of the two recent faculty firings in Texas, only one of them (Tom Alter’s case) was at Texas State. The other was at Texas A&M. And, of course, there have been numerous other cases around the country."
.
.
Readings and Resources
.
.
Ashley Smith, Against the New McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/09/against-the-new-mccarthyism/
.
.
United States: Texas State Terminates Alter, National Campaign Fights Back
https://lis-isl.org/en/2025/10/united-states-texas-state-terminates-alter-national-campaign-fight-back/
.
.
Alan Wald Homepage
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/alan-wald-homepage/
.
.
Bill Keach, Rehabilitating McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/10/rehabilitating-mccarthyism/
