Nationwide paranoia, a witch hunt for communists, and the omittance of citizen’s democratic rights all were the result of the efforts of one person, Joseph R. McCarthy, a senator from Wisconsin. Joseph R. McCarthy made those efforts all for one reason, to gain a re-election to another term in Senate. Because of his distinct immoral behavior, Joseph R. McCarthy did not uphold his responsibilities as a senator. To explain why Senator Joseph R. McCarthy did not uphold his responsibilities as a senator, we must first examine what the responsibilities of a senator are. A senator’s first two responsibilities are to attend meetings and to address the concerns of their constituents (Leviticus, 2017). The importance of meeting attendance is its the only way to revise bills …show more content…
Consequently, meeting attendance and keeping in touch with your constituents go hand in hand for senators. Finally, a senator’s last responsibilities are to be an excellent orator and to protect their citizens unalienable rights (Leviticus, 2017). The significance of being an excellent orator includes being able to create an excellent debate and hold a discussion for a lengthy amount of time leading up to the voting of bills (Leviticus, 2017). In addition, protecting your citizen’s rights ties into being an excellent orator by ensuring that a bill that impairs your constituent’s democratic rights does not get voted on. Using evidence, I will assess McCarthy’s performance as a senator and explain why he did not meet any of these responsibilities. The first example of McCarthy’s failure, was his exploitation of a nation’s widespread paranoia. The paranoia was the result of the remains of World War II, and the ongoing Cold War (History.com Staff, 2009). The possibility that there were communists invading and corrupting the U.S government became a daunting reality to many people and “for many Americans, the most enduring symbol of this “Red Scare” was Republican Senator Joseph P.