http://twitter.com/#!/GregMitch/status/304979264837648384

Is Ted Cruz our new McCarthy? Jane Mayer reports on his hunt for Reds on the Harvard Law faculty: nyr.kr/YreYKP

— New Yorker News Desk (@tnynewsdesk) February 22, 2013

Hide your kids, hide your wives, because Cruz Derangement Syndrome is infecting everybody out there. Its latest victim? New Yorker contributor Jane Mayer. In a piece subtly titled “Is Senator Ted Cruz our new Joe McCarthy,” Mayer frets over Ted Cruz having reportedly suggested that, during his time at Harvard Law School, there were a dozen communists on the faculty.

Cruz made the accusation while speaking to a rapt ballroom audience during a luncheon at a conference called “Defending the American Dream,” sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, a non-profit political organization founded and funded in part by the billionaire industrialist brothers Charles and David Koch. Cruz greeted the audience jovially, but soon launched an impassioned attack on President Obama, whom he described as “the most radical” President “ever to occupy the Oval Office.” (I was covering the conference and kept the notes.)

He then went on to assert that Obama, who attended Harvard Law School four years ahead of him, “would have made a perfect president of Harvard Law School.” The reason, said Cruz, was that, “There were fewer declared Republicans in the faculty when we were there than Communists! There was one Republican. But there were twelve who would say they were Marxists who believed in the Communists overthrowing the United States government.”

Others joined Mayer in her dismay:

Wow, Ted Cruz more McCarthy than we knew, accused 12 members of Harvard Law faculty of wanting to overthrow US govt editors.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2013/…

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 22, 2013

One thing’s for sure about Texas Senator Ted Cruz… he definitely puts the CON in CONservative.#ctl #p2 #UniteBlue newyorker.com/online/blogs/c…

— Texas Leftist (@TexasLeftist) February 22, 2013

Guess who accused Harvard Law of harboring Communists? Harvard Law School graduate, Ted Cruz. #McCarthyInWaiting newyorker.com/online/blogs/c…

— Elizabeth Catherine (@leftleaningec) February 22, 2013

Somehow not a joke: Sen. Ted Cruz has a list of Communists who he says have infiltrated the faculty of Harvard Law. ow.ly/hXoCs

— Progress Michigan (@ProgressMich) February 22, 2013

This guy lives in the past. RT @rosiegray Cruz accused the Harvard Law School of having Communists on its faculty when he studied there.

— Stephanie Strom (@ssstrom) February 22, 2013

#NottheOnion MT @zackbeauchampTed Cruz has a list of Communists who’ve infiltrated Harvard Law faculty. newyorker.com/online/blogs/c…”

— Jason Stanford (@JasStanford) February 22, 2013

Ho hum-another wackjob GOP Senator. Get in line. “Is Senator Ted Cruz our new McCarthy? newyorker.com/online/blogs/c… via @newyorker

— NH Keith (@NHKeith) February 22, 2013

With Ted Cruz apparently keeping a list of Communists at Harvard, is it time to concede that he might be crazy?

— Josh Zembik (@jzembik) February 22, 2013

He’s got to be crazy! Leftist radicals in academia? Heaven forbid!

When Ted Cruz says there are 12 Marxist professors at Harvard Law, he’s treated like a mental case, as if Marxists don’t really exist.

— Chris Forewit (@forewit) February 22, 2013

The @tedcruz attack tour continues with this Jane Meyer smear. And as @jstrevio notes, a dozen seems low.nyr.kr/VB2Ha5

— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 22, 2013

Way low. RT @jstrevino Listen, @tedcruz is obviously wrong here: the dozen figure is clearly too low. newyorker.com/online/blogs/c…

— Brady Cremeens (@brady_cremeens) February 22, 2013

These McCarthy attacks on @sentedcruz are getting out of hand. #IStandWithCruz newyorker.com/online/blogs/c…

— Henry Graebe (@HenryGraebe) February 22, 2013

Even hardcore progressive Matt Yglesias couldn’t really fault Cruz for suggesting that there were communists on the Harvard Law School faculty:

1. A defense of Ted Cruz on Communists at Harvard Law School.

— Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 22, 2013

2. The term “Communist” lacks a rigorous and precise definition in the post-Soviet context.

— Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 22, 2013

3. Karl Marx is the author of a book called “The Communist Manifesto” and certainly saw himself as a Communist.

— Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 22, 2013

4. The conclusion that therefore a follower of Marx’s ideas is, like Marx, a Communist seems perfectly plausible.

— Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) February 22, 2013

Conservative blogger Dan McLaughlin, who also attended Harvard Law, offered further defense:

Hyperbole but yes, there were more Marxists than open Republicans. HLS GOP had trouble replacing our faculty advisor. is.gd/z4j3aS

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

I still have the Harvard Law Republicans t-shirts we printed back then about the tiny number of Republicans on the faculty.

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

I suppose it’s progress if the Critical Legal Studies folks feel the need these days to pretend they’re not Marxists, but not Ted’s problem.

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

Also people who continuously obsess over tyingwhole GOP to its most obscure, marginal loons might show some humility crying “McCarthyism”

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

As I recall, there were 2 Republicans on the Harvard Law faculty – Fried & Mary Ann Glendon, neither of whom were there at same time.

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

You’ll note Fried didn’t actually name any other HLS faculty Republicans. If there was a third, they kept a very low profile.

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

If Jane Mayer & the New Yorker did any fact-checking before calling Ted Cruz a McCarthyite, they’d learn these things.

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

Seriously, New Yorker: I was president of the Harvard Law Republicans when Ted Cruz was a 3L. I’m happy to clear things up for you.

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

Indeed. MT @mattyglesias: The conclusion that a follower of Marx’s ideas is, like Marx, a Communist seems perfectly plausible.

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) February 22, 2013

Cruz is a solid conservative voice, a voice that, in liberals’ minds, needs to be silenced. When logic fails, turn to desperation. And Mayer’s piece reeks of it. If, as Mayer’s “notes” suggest, Cruz did insist that some seats on the Harvard Law faculty were occupied by communist sympathizers, is that really so far-fetched? Did Mayer sleep through all her college classes?

Reasonable People: NO, HE IS NOT RT ‏@dylanbyersJane Mayer: IS SENATOR TED CRUZ OUR NEW MCCARTHY?nyr.kr/YreYKP

— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) February 22, 2013

Read more: http://twitchy.com/2013/02/22/red-scare-new-yorker-article-insists-sen-ted-cruz-is-joe-mccarthy-2-0/