Age has its advantages. Racing home from school to watch the House Army-McCarthy hearings, chaired by Sen. Joseph McCarthy (R-WI), is still fresh in my generation’s memory. Some indecencies never die. They’re like ghosts. The people we thought were dead reappear when the time is ripe. The 2024 election is such a moment. Take a look.

Some dragons are not slain

Some dragons cannot be slain. They become ghosts. In this season of the 2024 national election, I can’t believe my eyes. I see the ghosts of Joseph McCarthy and Roy Cohn. I hear their voices and see their scorn for decency.

Roy Cohn became infamous for representing the mob, a ‘fixer’ for hire. He sullied the reputations of innocent people, represented Donald Trump, and became his mentor. You might says tha tDonald became Roy’s apprentice before he became a popular entertainer on The Apprentice.

Winning was everything, and the way to win was to attack, threaten, lie, and bully. “Always attack! Never defend!” was his First Commandment. Winning was the only thing that mattered.

Roy Cohn Quotes: Wisdom From The Legend Himself

• “I don’t believe in the concept of regret. I have no time for it.”
• “I have a simple motto: Always attack, never defend.”
• “In the end, winning is the only thing that matters.”
• “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
• “Hate is just a tool we use to control and manipulate others.”
• “I don’t play by the rules, I make them.”
• “The only thing worse than losing is being forgotten.”
  

Vote like your life depends on it. Because it does.

Gordon C. Stewart, Presbyterian Minister, author of Be Still! Departure from Collective Madness (2017 Wipf & Stock), 49 brief (2-4 page) social commentaries/ meditations on faith and public life; Brooklyn Park, MN, Oct. 25, 2024.