I think it's fair to say that McCarthy was a political opportunist and a very sick man. I've always thought he studied too much Hitler. His "ism" was a sickness that affected the country for a time, but it has had unexpected and presumptively unintended beneficial repercusions in its impact on shaping subsequent evolution of 1st Amendment rights. Protections provided by judicial construction are much broader now than then. Any decent law school will almost certainly offer specialized coursework in 1st Amendment law. It is truly a fascinating branch of constitutional law.