Published 24 October 1991 in The Carolinian (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro), p. 7
Thomas escapes the fury of liberal prosecution
by James M. Wallace
Columnist
After enduring three and a half months tied to the liberal Democrats' whipping post, and surviving a last minute "high-tech lynching" attempt, Clarence Thomas is finally an associate justice of the Supreme Court. So it goes for an "uppity black" with the audacity to be a conservative Republican.
The nomination of Clarence Thomas to fill the seat vacated by Thurgood Marshall was a stroke of political genius. If Thomas was confirmed, the seat would continue to be occupied by a black, albeit a black conservative Republican.
If Thomas was not confirmed, the liberal Democrats and the civil-rights establishment risked losing black representation on the Supreme Court altogether.
The liberal Democrats were forced into a quandary over how to oppose a black man brought up in poverty and discrimination.
The civil-rights establishment, as represented by the national board of the NAACP, really stepped into it. After they called for a black to fill the vacant seat, but not Thomas (who apparently wasn't "black" enough), the Compton, CA branch voted unanimously in favor of the nomination.
The national headquarters threatened to remove their charter if they didn't withdraw their support. Within a day, the national headquarters backed down for fear of looking like intellectual fascists.
They couldn't get him in the regular committee hearings, so they resorted to a traditional method of dealing with an offending black-- lynching. Only this time, it wasn't ignorant rednecks trying to string up an unfortunate Negro accused of raping a white woman, it was liberal Democrats going after a man with the effrontery to call into question the sacred cows of the liberal civil-rights establishment.
Just days before the scheduled confirmation vote, someone associated with the Senate Judicial Committee leaked a confidential FBI report containing Anita Hill's unsubstantiated and spurious accusations of sexual harassment.
What had appeared to be a comfortable victory for Thomas, was suddenly in doubt. The resulting hearings were nothing short of McCarthyism perpetrated by liberal Democrats.
When the full Senate finally voted, Thomas was confirmed by a narrow 52 to 48 margin. While enough Democrats crossed over and voted to confirm Thomas, the number was smaller than it would have been before the allegations surfaced. The attempt to destroy Clarence Thomas almost succeeded.
During the confirmation process, it was suggested by opponents that there were "better" candidates for the nomination than Thomas. To be sure, there are individuals who are superior legal scholars or have more judicial experience, but Thomas's experience in all three branches of the federal government, as well as state government and business, will be an asset to the Court.
It was also suggested that Thomas is hypocritical in his criticism of affirmative action. Certainly, the color of his skin has been of benefit to him, but only as an aid to his intelligence, ability, and character. Perhaps he has asked himself, "Did I deserve what I've accomplished, or was it given to me simply because I'm black?"
As surely as Clarence Thomas would not now be a Supreme Court justice if he were not black, he would not have been treated so abusively by the liberal establishment if he were white. Clarence Thomas is a heretic, and liberal orthodoxy can not tolerate this.
The white liberal master and his "civil-rights" overseers want blacks to think themselves incapable of taking care of themselves. The white liberal master wants blacks to believe that they are dependent on him for all that they receive. The white liberal master wants blacks to always be welfare slaves and entitlement addicts on his liberal plantation.
Clarence Thomas and others like him are runaway slaves from the liberal plantation. They no longer believe the lies of the white liberal master and his "civil-rights" overseers.
They long for the freedom to make the most of their lives and to enjoy the blessings of America for which their ancestors sweated and cried, bled and died.
Anyone for a second Emancipation Proclamation?
Original unedited column as submitted to The Carolinian (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
On Clarence Thomas and Escaping the Liberal Plantation
by James M. Wallace
After enduring three and a half months tied to the liberal Democrats' whipping post, and surviving a last minute "high tech lynching" attempt, Clarence Thomas is finally an associate justice of the Supreme Court. So it goes for an "uppity black" with the audacity to be a conservative Republican.
The nomination of Clarence Thomas to fill the seat vacated by Thurgood Marshall was a stroke of political genius. If Thomas was confirmed, the seat would continue to be occupied by a black, albeit a black conservative Republican. If Thomas was not confirmed, the liberal Democrats and the civil-rights establishment risked losing black representation on the Supreme Court altogether.
The liberal Democrats were forced into a quandary over how to oppose a black man brought up in poverty and discrimination. Imagine the ludicrousness of wealthy liberals like Kennedy or Metzenbaum lecturing Thomas on sensitivity towards the underprivileged.
The civil-rights establishment, as represented by the national board of the NAACP, really stepped into it. After they called for a black to fill the vacant seat, but not Thomas (who apparently wasn't "black" enough), the Compton, California branch voted unanimously in favor of the nomination. The national headquarters threatened to remove their charter if they didn't withdraw their support. Within a day, the national headquarters backed down for fear of looking like intellectual fascists.
They couldn't get him in the regular committee hearings, so they resorted to a traditional method of dealing with an offending black-- lynching. Only this time, it wasn't ignorant rednecks trying to string up an unfortunate Negro accused of raping a white woman, it was liberal Democrats going after a man with the effrontery to call into question the sacred cows of the liberal civil-rights establishment.
Just days before the scheduled confirmation vote, someone associated with the Senate Judicial Committee leaked a confidential FBI report containing Anita Hill's unsubstantiated and spurious accusations of sexual harassment.
What had appeared to be a comfortable victory for Thomas, was suddenly in doubt. The resulting hearings were nothing short of McCarthyism perpetrated by liberal Democrats.
The low point of the shameful affair came during the questioning of a panel which included John Doggett, an attorney familiar with both Thomas and Hill. Using the transcript of a staffer's telephone conversation with a woman who accused Doggett of misconduct, Metzenbaum attempted to smear Doggett's character and damage his credibility. The transcript was not a sworn statement and only amounted to innuendo, but this inconvenient fact didn't trouble Metzenbaum. Doggett forcefully defended himself, and committee chairman Biden, to his credit, put an end to Metzenbaum's appalling charade.
When the full Senate finally voted, Thomas was confirmed by a narrow 52 to 48 margin. While enough Democrats crossed over and voted to confirm Thomas, the number was smaller than it would have been before the allegations surfaced. The attempt to destroy Clarence Thomas almost succeeded.
During the confirmation process, it was suggested by opponents that there were "better" candidates for the nomination than Thomas. Of course, the nomination and confirmation of a Supreme Court justice is ultimately a political act. Robert Bork, arguably one of the finest legal minds and Constitutional scholars in the country, can attest to that. The Democrat-controlled Senate denied him confirmation because of his conservatism despite the fact that he was probably one of the best nominees in the Court's history. To be sure, there are individuals who are superior legal scholars or have more judicial experience, but Thomas's experience in all three branches of the federal government, as well as state government and business, will be an asset to the Court.
It was also suggested that Thomas is hypocritical in his criticism of affirmative action. Certainly, the color of his skin has been of benefit to him, but only as an aid to his intelligence, ability, and character. Perhaps he has asked himself, "Did I deserve what I've accomplished, or was it given to me simply because I'm black?"
As surely as Clarence Thomas would not now be a Supreme Court justice if he were not black, he would not have been treated so abusively by the liberal establishment if he were white. Clarence Thomas is a heretic, and liberal orthodoxy can not tolerate this.
The white liberal master and his "civil-rights" overseers want blacks to think themselves incapable of taking care of themselves. The white liberal master wants blacks to believe that they are dependent on him for all that they receive. The white liberal master wants blacks to always be welfare slaves and entitlement addicts on his liberal plantation.
Clarence Thomas and others like him are runaway slaves from the liberal plantation. They no longer believe the lies of the white liberal master and his "civil-rights" overseers. They long for the freedom to make the most of their lives and to enjoy the blessings of America for which their ancestors sweated and cried, bled and died.
Anyone for a second Emancipation Proclamation?
Addendum
The aisle-crossers in the 15 October 1991 confirmation vote on the Clarence Thomas nomination to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States were:
Eleven Democrats FOR: Boren (D-OK), Breaux (D-LA), DeConcini (D-AZ), Dixon (D-IL), Exon (D-NE),
Fowler (D-GA), Hollings (D-SC), Johnston (D-LA), Nunn (D-GA), Robb (D-VA), and Shelby (D-AL)
Two Republicans AGAINST: Jeffords (R-VT) and Packwood (R-OR)
The Democrat/Republican split in the U.S Senate was 57/43. The final vote was 52 yeas and 48 nays.
[Source: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes - 102nd Congress, 1st Session - Vote Number 220]
