Ginni Thomas vs. Anita Hill

Ginni Thomas vs. Anita Hill
By Steve Chapman
Copyright by The Chicago Tribune
October 20, 2010
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/steve_chapman/2010/10/ginni-thomas-vs-anita-hill.html


Ginni Thomas' voicemail message for Anita Hill, asking her to apologize for claims she made about Thomas' husband is one of the incidents so bizarre you could never have imagined them. The obvious question is what on earth she thought she was going to accomplish. If Thomas thought this would induce remorse on Hill's part and cause her to publicly clear Justice Thomas' name, she is delusional.

Before I hear complaints about my alleged liberal bias, let me point out that when Hill made her charges, I found them implausible on several different grounds and endorsed Thomas' confirmation. Nothing I've learned in the last 19 years have caused me to think I was wrong in that conclusion. Ginni Thomas obviously finds the accusations even more incredible. But all she achieved by this move is reviving a claim that many younger people never knew about and that many older ones had forgotten, while making herself look sanctimonious and vengeful.

Here is the wrong thing to say if you want reconcile with someone you think has done you an injustice: "I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband." It's a passive-aggressive way of accusing Hill of deliberate lying, and it reeks of phony good will. The invitation to Hill to "certainly pray about this" is even more egregious.

Ginni and Clarence Thomas are obviously unable to let go of this excruciatingly painful episode, and if he was telling the truth, as I think he was, they have reason to have a grudge. But if Hill had any impulse to recant her claims, she would have done it without this kind of prodding. Given that she hasn't, the wise course for the Thomases is to put it behind them.