muddle and red herrings

Seems to me that Senator McCarthy, the famous alcoholic republican senator of the 50s, used red herrings (hearings) to try and blackball most of hollywood writers, actors, etc., for attending meetings that weren't democrat or republican!
They were strictly republican vote getting meetings, and he didn't care who was innocent or guilty of being a spy.
There were no spies, but some of the meetings were held by the people who said they represented the communist party.
I'm sure the "green party," the independents of today, and the libertarians, would have been invetigated by senator McCarthy, also.