The sic 'em Senator and his minions were known to be ruthless bullies, who believed that anyone with Communist sympathies deserved no compassion.
And they believed almost everyone had Communist sympathies.
Welch's entire thesis is that McCarthy lacks compassion and forgiveness, which to anyone watching, was kind of like, "Well, duh." It would be like accusing Snickers of having peanuts. We know, it's right there on the label. Still, the act of calling him out was a big deal just because no one else had the guts to do so in public.
With his show of compassion for the maligned Fred Fisher, Welch got the sympathies of many of the people present at the hearings, as well as a TV audience of millions. He tapped into the fear they felt about being seen as unpatriotic, and scored big-time empathy points. Compassion was in short supply in the McCarthy era, and Welch gave the public a much-needed infusion.
Questions About Compassion and Forgiveness
- Was McCarthy's accusation of Fisher out of bounds? If the man was a Communist and was assigned to the committee, wouldn't he possibly have been able to affect the hearings' outcome?
- Welch appeals nakedly to emotion. Does emotion have a place in justice?
- From a purely political standpoint, was McCarthy finished the moment he smeared Fisher, or could he have salvaged his career if he backed off?
Chew on This
In highlighting the senator's utter lack of compassion (framed as "decency"), Welch struck a blow for justice, but he did so in as underhanded a manner as McCarthy's initial smear tactics.
McCarthy was proud of his lack of compassion for Communists; ruthlessness was his trademark.