Tag: sexual harassment

Is Cain Still Able to Win?

As the sexual harassment accusations continue, Herman Cain and his camp continue to deny the allegations as “baseless” and “bogus” and to brand his accusers as liars. At his press conference on November 8, 2011, he claimed that the “Democratic machine” is out to get him. This is a change of direction; originally, Cain blamed the Perry organization for raising the issue of sexual harassment.

It is not easy to believe that these accusations are the machinations of the Democratic party. That party is focused on Romney getting the nomination. It would be very much to the Democrats’ advantage to have Cain run for president. He is inexperienced, he will appeal less to the swinging center because he is more conservative than Romney, and being black, he will turn off some of the Republican vote.

Actually, Cain’s troubles will have little effect on his race for the GOP nomination. Conservatives are quite prepared to put the accusations down to the “liberals” and the “liberal media.” For a precedent, we have only to look to the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, the most unqualified appointee in modern times. The accusations of sexual harassment against him only strengthened the Republican resolve to appoint him. (See my post “Virginia Doubts”, dated October 10, 2010.)

What this means is that Cain can still win the Republican nomination, but it is even more clear now that he cannot win the presidency.

Virginia Doubts

Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, said she was “extending an olive branch” when she called Anita Hill to ask her to apologize for accusing Thomas of sexually harassing her, nineteen years ago. She also wanted “some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband…”

Clearly, this is no “olive branch”; it is only a little short of demanding that Hill admit to fabricating the harassment charge—in other words, it is an attack. In response, Hill publicly restated that her testimony was “truthful.”

What is interesting here is not the respective statements of Thomas and Hill, but the reason why Virginia Thomas chose to act as she did. What was her motivation?

The answer is that it is not about Clarence Thomas or Anita Hill, so much as it is about Virginia. It seems very likely that she knows in her heart, or at least suspects, that Clarence Thomas was not truthful, even if she consciously does not admit to it.  What she wants is to have her suspicions put to rest, and the only way to do this is for Anita Hill to retract the accusations.

Well, the accusations will not be put to rest, because Hill reaffirmed them. So, poor Virginia will have to continue with that doubt in her heart.

Added Later:

It looks like Virginia Thomas has her confirmation after all. Lillian McEwan, Clarence Thomas’ one time lover has now confirmed that Thomas had an obsession with pornography and that he ogled women’s breasts and was preoccupied with bra sizes—in other words, she backed up what Anita Hill said in 1991.

Yes, Virginia, the worst Supreme Court justice ever is indeed the pervert as alleged. You should have kept your mouth shut.