New liberal ad ties presumptive future House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to 'red scare' icon Joseph McCarthy

A new liberal ad tries to tie Kevin McCarthy to Joseph McCarthy

(Image credit: The Agenda Project/YouTube)

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is the frontrunner to take over the House speakership from John Boehner after he steps down in October — or at least he was until he seemed to acknowledge last week that the House special committee investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, was essentially aimed at keeping Hillary Clinton from becoming president. That widely panned gaffe is the centerpiece of this new ad from the progressive Agenda Project Action Fund.

"Just like Joseph McCarthy before him, Kevin McCarthy and his fellow Republicans are using their constitutionally granted powers not to advance the interests of the America people, but instead to try to destroy their political enemies," AP Action communications director Erik Altieri said in a statement. Trying to tie the two Republicans together by the common Irish last name isn't a new idea — Stephen Colbert made the same point, with a lighter touch, on Friday. You can watch the ad below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.