If you are younger than 50, it is doubtful that you watched the Senate Judicial Committee’s hearings regarding the nomination of Justice Clarence Thomas. As I watched HBO’s “Confirmation” last evening, every embarrassing moment came back to me.

Although conservative extremists will doubt the facts revealed on their television screen, the process during the actual hearings was very accurate.

The one thing I remembered with clarity was that Joe Biden, Orin Hatch, and Arlen Specter were extremely unfair to Anita Hill. Although she presented herself as an articulate and intelligent woman, Thomas received far more leniency from the committee.

Thomas’ statements were given priority, and he was never asked one difficult question. On the other side, Ms. Hill was grilled by Hatch and Specter, while Biden sat quietly; no one came to her defense.

In 1991, the pecking order of human beings was clear; white men, white women, black men, and lastly black women. The Thomas hearings gave this unfortunate situation credence. If Anita Hill had been a white woman, her accusations would have been taken far more seriously.

One item the HBO movie did not address was the vetting process. It is obvious that no one interviewed men or women who worked for Thomas in his previous positions. Although the focus was sexual harassment, Thomas’ character should have been addressed. He has proven himself to be a failure as a Supreme Court justice. He was well-known as Antonin Scalia’s ‘Charlie McCarthy.’ He rarely spoke, and proved himself to be a tool of conservatives.

I remember the shame I felt in 1991 as I watched this debacle. I do not believe that I was alone believing that Ms. Hill was entirely truthful. She had nothing to gain by telling her story, and everything to lose. The lurid details of her story would have been difficult to have been a creation of Ms. Hill’s imagination.

Until I watched the film last night, I had forgotten why I disliked Joe Biden; memories of embarrassing situations are often short. His lack of courage to fight for Ms. Hill was despicable.

Regardless of your position about the confirmation of Thomas, you must admit that you were watching an event filled with racism. In 1991 black women were relegated to the lowest level in society. Regardless of her credentials, she remained a black woman accusing a man of sexual impropriety.

I also remembered why I despise Arlen Specter. His attacks on Ms. Hill’s character were unforgiveable, and in true Republican fashion, he failed to ask Thomas’ a single difficult question.

As for Orin Hatch, his statements and actions today prove that he has been too long a Unites States Senator, and is the poster boy for term limits. Hatch never met a Republican he didn’t like, including Ted Cruz.

“Confirmation” was similar to “Game Change.” Both films were heavily researched and both exposed a failed GOP candidate.

I implore Republicans; reject the party who calls itself ‘Republican’ today. Become an Independent and cast your ballot for the best candidate, not for a failed party.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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Photo Courtesy of DonkeyHotey

Novels by James Turnage available on Amazon’s Kindle