Anita Hill — the woman that Democrats deployed in 1991 in a futile attempt to keep Republicans from putting a black man on the Supreme Court — has resurfaced in the media at a most inconvenient time for Joe Biden.
Then-Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.) was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Clarence Thomas hearings, and one big blemish on his record as far as liberals are concerned is that he didn’t sufficiently coddle Hill during her testimony.
According to The New York Times, Biden approached Hill with an olive branch earlier this month and it seems that Ms. Hill has tossed the branch into the trash:
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. called Anita Hill earlier this month to express his regret over “what she endured” testifying against Justice Clarence Thomas at the 1991 Supreme Court hearings that put a spotlight on sexual harassment of women, according to a spokeswoman for Mr. Biden.
But Ms. Hill, in an interview Wednesday, said she left the conversation feeling deeply unsatisfied and declined to characterize his words to her as an apology. She said she is not convinced that Mr. Biden truly accepts the harm he caused her and other women who suffered sexual harassment and gender violence.
Setting aside the question of the veracity of Ms. Hill’s claims — to this day most conservatives don’t believe her — the timing of the interview with her is most curious.
As the Times article pointed out, this is an important thing for Biden to clean up:
Mr. Biden’s outreach to Ms. Hill, a law professor, was an attempt to defuse one of his most glaring vulnerabilities as he begins his presidential bid.
That the newspaper best known as a relentless champion of all things Democrat would wait to release this just hours after the vice president from its FAVORITE ADMINISTRATION EVER announced his candidacy for president is quite telling.
The Democratic voters who support Beto, Mayor Pete, Kamala Harris and the other new wave progressive candidates no doubt feel that Crazy Joe the Wonder Veep’s time has come and gone.
A big part of the narrative for the 2020 Democratic field is its touted diversity. A white guy in his seventies waltzing into the race late and winning the nomination would create some uncomfortable optics for the party.
The mainstream media know this, and are now perhaps attempting to immediately weaken Biden’s sense of entitlement and supposed air of inevitability. Until now, Hill has only been dusted off and trotted out by the media in an effort to embarrass Republicans.
Now, on what should be the brief honeymoon period for his candidacy, Biden is faced with news like this flooding social media:
NEW: Anita Hill says she is unsatisfied with her talk with Joe Biden and won’t call it an apology @SherylNYT @jmartNYT https://t.co/xr0nSS34ng
— Amy Fiscus (@amyfiscus) April 25, 2019
What has to really sting is that this negativity is coming almost exclusively from left-leaning media outlets.
There is more than likely enough old party establishment money to help Biden over any early hiccups.
There is also the very real possibility that Hill’s response to Biden’s overture may lend credence to claims that other women have made about him.
One thing is certain: now that the 2020 Democratic clown car has picked up its biggest clown we’re all going to need to get some more popcorn.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member