McCarthy underestimated the power of disruption and its ability to undercut traditional forms of power. He thought he could use forces of disruption to his own advantage, allowing him to control the direction and pace of politics. Instead, the forces of disruption quickly outpaced his ability to maintain control – especially in the face of his increasingly unpopular efforts to investigate supposed communist influence in the United States – and he found himself on the receiving end of their power. McCarthy was lost in the whirlwind of disruption that his own power had helped to unleash, resulting in his eventual downfall.
