Congress, Courts, Politics, Society

Congressman Calls Clarence Thomas An “Uncle Tom” While Few Denounce The Race-Based Attack

220px-Clarence_Thomas220px-Bennie_Thompson,_official_portrait,_111th_CongressI have been a long critic of many of Justice Clarence Thomas’ opinions which often reject basic individual rights while embracing police and national security powers. However, I believe that Thomas is often treated unfairly for being a black conservative on the Court. While others like Justices Alito, Scalia, and Roberts routinely vote along the same lines, Thomas’ race is commonly cited in commentary while that is not a factor in the other justices on the right of the Court. This unfairness was vividly shown by the comments of Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) that Thomas is an “Uncle Tom” and suggested that he was not an authenticate black person. He has refused to retract or apologize of the attack. In the meantime, Democrats are uniformly silent in the face of this uncivil and outrageous attack.

In an interview with CNN, Thompson said that Thomas apparently “doesn’t like black people, he doesn’t like being black.” After raising votes in areas like voting rights, he added that “All those issues are very important and for someone in the court who’s African American and not sensitive to that is a real problem.”

Let’s be clear, I did not view Thomas as someone who was well-suited for the Court. However, many of these justices and their predecessors were on an the top lists of legal experts. They were selected for their lack of prior controversy or other more political factors. What concerns me is that his race is constantly raised by critics. He has every right to be a conservative and has shown a consistent and committed jurisprudence supporting those views. I do not agree with those positions but I fail to see why he should be defined by his race. Indeed, I thought that one of the key objectives of the civil right movement was to allow African Americans to be judged not by the color of their skin. Thomas follows the same interpretive approach as his colleagues — an approach mind you that is not supposed to be based not on a jurist’s personal desires or association with any group. He is not supposed to show loyalty to a particular group or fulfill expectations due to his race. I have no problem with criticizing Thomas for his votes in the same way as we often criticize his colleagues, but he should not face a race test by critics.

Thomas deserves better. I have always been moved by his life’s story. His father was a farm worker and his mother was a domestic worker. They were poor and both descendants of American slaves. The family spoke Gullah as a first language. His mother literally worked for pennies a day and his early life was spent in a home without indoor plumbing. The second of three children, he later lived with his grandparents when they became homeless. Thomas was the only black person at his high school in Savannah and yet was able to remain an honor student. He went on to attend college and Yale Law School. While few seem to want to admit it, that is a remarkable and inspiring life. He developed conservative principles and values in his life. Some find that incomprehensible but his incredible struggle produced a strong personality and will that can be admired even if you strongly disagree with his views.

What concerns me most is the virtual silence from Democrats to denounce this type of race-based attack. Being called an Uncle Tom is obviously deeply offensive to African Americans. Thomas and his family have gone through too much suffering and struggle to be treated so unfairly in my view. The suggestion is that being genuinely black requires you to reach the right conclusions and support the right positions. However, the very struggle that Thompson is describing was a fight to allow black men and women to be treated as individuals and not categorized by the color of their skin. Thompson should apologize and Democrats should show that they are not selectively outraged by race-based attacks.

What do you think?

Source: Washington Post

657 thoughts on “Congressman Calls Clarence Thomas An “Uncle Tom” While Few Denounce The Race-Based Attack”

  1. pete,

    Yes. I heard they do a particularly good job in FL.

    Well, they should. They have a particularly fine governor.

    His company did a particularly fine job of stealing millions from Medicare.

  3. randyjet

    Hate the national database idea even a shared one. I gave one example – TSA. Here’s another – hasn’t the FBI had enormous problems in setting up a national database?

    My town had a new electronic voter verification system last time. It said I “already voted”. I was verrry unhappy. Then two guys walked in and they also had “already voted”. Soon, everything was nice again.

    But I don’t have to worry about it. As soon as I start a rumor that the database is a way to track who has what guns, it will never fly.

  4. Al – where did that question come from, the Jim Crow Democratic South?

  7. Question of voting official: How many bubbles in a bar of soap?
    Answer: ten thousand.
    Voting official: Wrong! Come back in two years. Get an edjication.

  8. true the vote a 501c4 whose purpose is to pass Voter ID laws. I’m not wasting my time.

    But, I am still waiting to learn all about those house visits. And what sort of docs are needed in order to get a Voter ID.

    I’m sure the AZ website will get around to posting that information just as soon as they find out Janet Napolitano is no longer the governor.

    1. True the Vote is one of the organizations that Cong Clemens asked to be investigated and then the IRS gave him the donor list. I think I would check them out. Anytime the IRS is violating the law about an organization, they have my attention.

    2. Feynman, The fact is that FDRs second VP Henry Wallace, had no birth certificate, and thus could not vote under these laws, or it would be quite difficult. As for my friend, this was her second and THIRD time she tried to register to vote and they REFUSED every TIME until we used the threat. She grew up in Houston, had her birth certificate and they could go to numerous sites to verify who she was. As I have said, the law is something that is observed only when it is necessary to get their way. Following it as a normal thing is unusual here.

  9. randyjet

    Chill, Randy, Chill. It’s just one itty bitty little vote. Was it Really necessary to THREATEN the Board of Elections with the US Attorney? My goodness. You must have quite a temper.

    BTW…what is a “restricted” ballot?

    1. feynman, Well since it was not your vote, I can see why you wouldn’t be so concerned. Since she is a Latina, and the area is a stronghold of the GOP/KKK, it was necessary, especially since they were outright BREAKING the LAW. A restricted ballot meant she could only vote for statewide and Federal offices, no local ones.

  11. When our thoughts – which bring actions – are filled with hate against anyone, Negro or white, we are in a living hell. That is as real as hell will ever be.
    George Washington Carver

  13. feynman

    require all absentee ballots be notarized?

    i live in florida. no absentee voter fraud in nursing homes here.

  14. My blood has thinned. I am not living any place there is snow.

  16. Feel free to move away from Wisconsin if you hate it so much. Bye, good riddance.

  17. We heard about the recall.

    Just not about voter fraud convictions convictions. I guess it is better that we don’t know. Better to make an assertion and never ever have to support it.

    I gotta get the hang of how to do that.

  18. randyjet,

    You’re spoiling my premise regarding rarity. But then it’s Texas. Any chance they might again decide to secede?

    But you’ve brought up a very good point. Absentee voting fraud.

    Can somebody please explain how a voter ID is going to prevent that fraud?

    And I hope you’re not serious about a national database. Think TSA No Fly list.
    I can see the day when we’ll be lucky to have 10,000 people elect a president.

    Maybe that’s the plan.

    1. Feynman, Mexico does a better job by having a national voter ID that is used as an ID card for most things. It is easier to validate a persons physical existence than their political or criminal history. The states could still set their requirements and voter rolls, but share data in a national data base to combat voter fraud.. Right now there is no way to prevent this. I was thinking that I could vote twice in two states in the 2004 election in person too, but I decided not to join the GOPers in that.

  19. Plus it’s Wi.! A horseshit alcoholic state of obese, cheese curd, cream puff eating, provincial bozos.

  20. There was a recall election and Walker received 200k more votes.

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