Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

How is This Appropriate?

“I am an ordinary citizen from Omaha, Neb., who just may have the chance to preserve liberty along with you and other people like you,” she said at a recent panel discussion with tea party leaders in Washington.

Who said this?  Not just anyone “ordinary citizen” but the wife of a Supreme Court justice ~ specifically Virginia Thomas, wife of Clarence Thomas, who went on to say that she was energized by President Obama’s “hard-left agenda.”

“I adore all the new citizen patriots who are rising up across this country,” Thomas, who goes by Ginni, said on the panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “I have felt called to the front lines with you, with my fellow citizens, to preserve what made America great.”

She has created Liberty Central Inc. which bills itself as

a non-profit, non-tax deductible organization which will have a user-friendly, entertaining, and educational website designed to provide an online community for visitors to preserve freedom and reaffirm the core founding principles.

I particularly love this from Ginni’s bio section.

With 30 years of experience within the Washington beltway working alongside esteemed politicians like Dick Armey and for institutions like Hillsdale College, the Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ginni is committed to serving as a clearinghouse for new and more effective online activism. Ginni, the ‘proud’ Nebraskan, is a fan of Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham and other talk radio hosts. She is intrigued by Glenn Beck and listening carefully. She also enjoys motor homing and watching “24”.

One of the things Liberty Central is going to do is

issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election, although Thomas would not specify how. She said it would accept donations from various sources — including corporations — as allowed under campaign finance rules recently loosened by the Supreme Court.

Really?  How does this work?  The wife of a Supreme Court Justice directly benefits from a recent ruling.  But, according to the article this is not the first time Mrs. Thomas has pushed the envelope.  In 2000, she was recruiting staff for the future President Bush while her husband was hearing Gore v Bush.  According to Mrs. Thomas she and her husband did not talk about the case.  Yeah, right.

Apparently, this is something new; generally spouses of Justices have maintained an appearance of impartiality but Mrs. Thomas has decided to see how far she can go.  I have real problems with this, particularly given how involved she and her organization will be involved in upcoming elections.  I realize that Justice Thomas’s political bent is well-known but having a close family member work on behalf of a political party just seems wrong to me.  


5 comments

  1. Shaun Appleby

    Having blogged politics for several years now I have come to believe that the most damaging publicity for a particular movement, candidate or party occurs when a news narrative based on a morsel of fact is aligned with a popular, negative belief about the issue or personality in question.

    If it is any consolation Virginia Thomas has just applied for the position of Citizens United poster girl.  The fact that there is the appearance of impropriety due to her spousal relationship just gives it a bit more mileage.  I am sure there are a few facepalm reactions to this within the Republican establishment.  They were hoping to celebrate the Citizens United ruling privately over brandy and cigars with their favourite lobbyists, not have it plastered all over Fox News.  Just wait till she does a live hour with Beck.  Ya’ gotta’ laugh.

    For all the potential outrage factor this is just another thing to make independent voters shake their heads quietly in dismay.  The people she may influence positively are already lost to us, I’m afraid.

    I wonder, in fact, if Clarence is entirely happy about this.  Those ‘discussions’ are bound to get interesting.  I’m sure Justice Roberts, after challenging the White House over Citizens United, just loves the further erosion of the dignity, such as it is, of the Supreme Court.  Heh.

  2. creamer

     While her views don’t suprise me, I am a little suprised that C Thomas is good with this. It just invites more political analysis of future rulings, somthing that seems to upset Roberts.

    This also seems to highlight the deep divisions in our country, it would seem that somone in Ginni’s position could do many things to support this country, yet she feels a need to step into the political spotlight.

     I can’t wait until the Supremes get the Texas schoolboard textbook case.

Comments are closed.