Virginia Thomas Brings Up Ancient History In Asking Anita Hill For An Apology

I can still remember it, and it's stunning to think that it was like 19 years ago the nation experienced the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill drama as it played out on national television during Thomas's U.S. Supreme Court nomination hearings.

Fast forward to present-day U.S.

This is from Media Matters for America:

A few days ago, Brandeis University professor Anita Hill received a message on her voice mail at work.

"Good morning, Anita Hill, it's Ginny Thomas," said the voice. "I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. OK, have a good day."

Are you serious? Is she still so troubled by that episode that she wants to bring it back into the national spotlight - nearly two decades after it all went down?

Well, the answer seems to be, "YES."

Now, as a full confession, this all happened during the days when I was more of a conservative (prior to my personal enlightenment). At the time, my feelings were that Thomas had the right to be a U.S. Supreme Court justice (even though I had no reason and have no reason to doubt Anita Hill's story).

Still, it is interesting that Ginny Thomas is back on this story.

Here's more from the article originally posted by ABC:

Mark Matthews of our affiliate KGO learned about this and reached out to Virginia Thomas.

Thomas e-mailed him, saying: "I did place a call to Ms. Hill at her office extending an olive branch to her after all these years, in hopes that we could ultimately get past what happened so long ago. That offer still stands, I would be very happy to meet and talk with her if she would be willing to do the same. Certainly no offense was ever intended."

No offense was intended, huh? What in the world is Virginia Thomas thinking? She makes a call essentially demanding an apology and then calls it an "olive branch" in a follow-up conversation via e-mail. I imagine Anita Hill is doing a better job of getting past the issue than is Ginny Thomas, who seems to still be quite troubled.

Virginia Thomas should have exorcised her own demons before stepping to Anita Hill. Her voicemail sounds/reads like the message of a person with major issues to confront.

Daily Kos Calls Out Fox News For Unprecedented … Hypocrisy

It’s hard to believe or take seriously anything coming from Fox News “analyst” Karl Rove (a man with apparently a very short memory or very selective memory), who was President George W. Bush’s right-hand man for so years. Daily Kos has put together a video highlighting Fox News lies and dishonesty in trying to demonize ABC News for having great access to President Obama when Fox News had unprecedented access to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Daily Kos:
http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001852/

Republicans Are Attacking ABC Over Something That Hasn’t Even Happened

President Obama will be on ABC news during a prime-time special that is being called “Questions for the President: Prescription for America.” Right wingers are already whining about it and some have referred to it as an infomercial for the president and asserted that he will not be challenged. This is the kind of prejudice that makes no sense. The Republicans need to stop whining and work a little bit harder to get their alternative plan (if they have one) for health care reform. Taking shots at the President’s plan while not offering an alternative one seems to serve no useful purpose. Republicans can take a platform of their own and get their own message out and their own plan out. But, that is kind of difficult to do when you’re whining about the media.

Here is part of the Fox News report:

Opponents of President Obama’s proposed health care reform are blasting ABC News for refusing to air opposing ads during a prime time special next Wednesday, just as a new study finds ABC News coverage of the president’s health care plan is favorable by a ratio of 3 to 1.

The prime time special — called “Questions for the President: Prescription for America” — will be a nationally televised event during which Obama will answer questions presented by audience members selected by ABC News. The network has refused to accept advocacy ads during the hourlong show.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele accused ABC News and anchor Charles Gibson of making Obama’s case for “nationalized” health care “without any opportunity for opposing views to be aired.

That is quite a statement for something we’ve not yet seen.

More from the Fox story:

In a fundraising e-mail aimed at raising nearly $100,000 to buy air time for a counterprogram, Steele said the RNC’s request to add its views to the debate during the special was “flatly rejected” by ABC News.

“What are the Democrats and their media allies afraid of? The truth?” he asked in a fundraising letter to supporters. “That is outrageous! And we will not take it!”

But ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider told FOXNews.com that it has been a “longstanding” policy not to accept “advocacy” ads.

Schneider explained that the policy was established decades ago and only local ABC affiliates air issue ads.

If ABC is truly being consistent (with its ad policy), then Republicans should quit whining. It sounds as if they can go to local affiliates and do what needs to be done. That should be their approach if they are truly interested in something other than creating a controversy out of nothing … or, a nontroversy. In this country, to the victor goes the spoils. The Democrats won big in November and they have the bigger megaphone (just as Republicans did when George W. Bush was in office the previous eight years).

Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/18/critics-attack-abc-news-refusing-air-opposing-ads-obamas-health-care-special/