"like cancerous tentacles of "know nothing, suspect everything" attitudes. ..."See in text(Text of Senator Smith's Speech)
Smith uses a simile to compare McCarthyism, and the “confusion and suspicions” it creates, to “cancerous tentacles.” This conjures the idea of infection and sickness. “Cancer” results from overactive cellular growth, creating tumors and other serious health problems. The implication is that just as cancerous cells propagate quickly and infect a healthy body, so too has McCarthyism used fear, prejudice, and accusations to expand quickly and infect society.
