American culture is an important element in the decision-making process of any US president. They know that their decisions will never be fully supported, as there will always be those who will oppose them, so presidents should think from the perspective of the American people to secure as much support as possible. This strategy was especially evident during the Cold War, when presidents had to deal with many issues, such as the Vietnam War, and how to handle domestic communist threats. These decisions would have been more popular if the President had thought about what the American people really wanted and how they would react to his choices. When making decisions, especially those that seem controversial, the President should take American culture into consideration to ensure the support of the American people. Joseph McCarthy's creation of the second Red Scare was an example of when someone in government thought about the culture and tone of the United States when making a decision. Although his decision was not used for good, McCarthy thought carefully about what would capture America's attention to increase his political status. In 1950, during a speech, McCarthy presented a list of what purportedly contained 205 names of U.S. State Department employees known as “card-carrying Communists.” He “managed to stay ahead of his critics by making new accusations instead of admitting he had invented old ones” (McCarthy). McCarthy was smart with his timing; he knew that announcing his list in the midst of nationwide anti-communist hysteria would be advantageous as it would make more Americans believe he was telling the truth. Americans were all for eradicating communist threats; in particular...... half of the sheet ......m/ Search/ View/ 254564?terms=kent+state+report>.“Kent State Report”. ABC-CLIO American History. Np, nd Web. 8 February 2011. .Kuhn, David Paul. “The Dems' War Is Wrong: Health Care Amid Jobs Crisis.” A really clear policy. Np, March 18, 2010. Web. February 10, 2011. .“Obama pushes for health care while Americans worry about jobs.” Fox News. Np, March 7, 2010. Web. February 10, 2011. .Ruiz, Rebecca. “What Obama's Health Plan Means for You.” Forbes. Np, 2011. Web. 10 February. 2011. .