Liberty Central's Olive Branch

Just when the stories of bizarre behavior of political candidates seem to have crested, along comes the news of Virginia Thomas contacting Anita Hill for an apology. Readers’ opinions expressed on the internet are as varied and as strange as the story itself. But make no mistake: anyone who thinks that Ms. Thomas’s action is personal and not political is naïve.

When Anita Hill testified in 1991 against Clarence Thomas—current Supreme Court Justice and husband of Virginia Thomas—three main undercurrents in American culture came out from hiding. The ugliness of race, gender, and power intersecting with sexual harassment could not be denied. Whether or not you believed Anita Hill’s testimony at the time, the tension was as real as it gets.

Fast forward to 2010, when a black man sits at the top. Those of us who are white and accustomed to people of color tipping their hats to us and saying, “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir,” are now on the other side of the hat. Our troops salute a black man, and our fashion magazines highlight a black woman.

Anyone who thinks that the current rage among Tea Partyers and other angry Americans isn’t driven by this race reversal is naïve.

Virginia Thomas, the founder of a new conservative, activist group called Liberty Central, knows what she’s doing. Married herself to a black, powerful man and an experienced politico in her own right, she commands all of the necessary tools to exploit the racial tension that lies at the heart of America—and that lies at the heart of this November’s election. Digging up Anita Hill, under the guise of an “olive branch,” was a brilliant move.

There’s a war going on. And it’s not just in Afghanistan. It’s right here in America, on the internet, on FOX news, and on talk radio. It’s as obvious as Republican candidate Sharron Angle telling a classroom of Hispanic children in Las Vegas that “Some of you look a little more Asian to me” or as subtle as Ginni Thomas leaving a voicemail message that says, “O. K., have a good day.”

Anyone who thinks that this war is going away any time soon is naïve.