McCarthyism's Rhetorical Norms

Rhetorical norms of early McCarthyist discourse reveal a reliance upon images of chaos and the body. Through such metaphors, rhetors crafted a model of discussion that feminized \"democracy\" and \"tolerance\" to support anti-Communist measures and de-legitimize their opponents. Political variety was coded as deviant to national identity. \"Tolerance\" became a warrant for the argument to contain political freedom. I examine congressional deliberations of contempt of congress citations, the Subversive Activities Control Act, and Senator McCarthy's own rhetoric to show the development of the rhetorical norms of McCarthyism