The Old Parkland Conference in Dallas hosted Clarence Thomas, the U.S. Supreme Court justice, at a Friday event. This conference focuses on issues facing the black community. During his time on stage (which included a Q&A), Thomas spoke about the liberal media and how they do their jobs poorly along with the “white liberal elites” who try to keep him down and isolated from the rest of the black community, lest they hear the truth.
a clipThomas responded to the calls of media to have him resign due to the many fabricated grievances being made against him. “I will absolutely leave the court when I do my job as poorly as you do yours,”He laughed to the cheers of his fellow crowd members and his infectious belly laugh. “And that was meant as a compliment, really,” he continued to joke. He went on to provide an example.
Thomas discussed how the right should be held to a higher standard than those on the left who seek to discredit the other side. “The most they can point to is Garland did not get a hearing. But he was not trashed,” he argued. “And it was a rule the Joe Biden introduced by the way. That is to say, in the last year of an Administration you do not get a hearing. That was not the rule before then.”
He then noted that the right would not be caught “going to other peoples’ houses, attacking them at dinner at a restaurant, throwing things on them.”
As a possible indictment of the media’s poor reporting, Thomas noted that there were very few reports of how liberal Justices Ginsburg and Kagan were assailed by radical liberals after conservative Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed:
They were throwing things – they didn’t realize it was Justice Ginsburg and Justice Kegan. The men were throwing items on the vehicle when they went. You don’t hear much of this. As if the Supreme Court were invading the Bastille, they banged on the doors of its Supreme Court. But you hear very little of that and it’s underreported.
In his earlier remarks, Justice refuted the notion that he had difficulties speaking with other blacks. “The only people with whom I’ve had difficulties are white liberal elites who consider themselves the anointed and us the benighted, as Tom Sowell would say. I have never had issues with members of my race,”He told the attendees that he was a black American.
Thomas described how, after speaking with students of color, he asked them questions about their motives.
But what they have been doing – just think of this. And this is a question I ask young people, particularly members of our race – my race, afterwards. “Now, explain to me, after three hours, one thing you heard that you heard objectionable.” And the answer is invariably nothing. And I said, “well, what is it that those people doing all this — imprinting all this negative stuff, all this flack. What don’t they want you to hear? Because they haven’t changed me. What is it they don’t you to know?”
“I was in Atlanta giving a speech and this very tall imposing black gentleman came up to me, tears streaming down his face,” Thomas recounted, “he said, ‘Why are they lying about you?’ And because he knows it wasn’t about me, it was about people who needed to hear about that part of life they knew little about; about the court, about law.”
And giving some astute analysis of how the liberal media machine works, Thomas pointed out that when they can’t outright censor you, “they load you up with negativity and they give you challenges as for credibility to prevent you from getting to their ears.”
You can find the transcript below. To read it, please click on “expand”.
C-SPAN Justice Clarence Thomas, Old Parkland Conference
June 13, 2022
26:19 MarkJUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS: People assume that I’ve had difficulties when I’ve been around members of my race. It’s just the opposite. The only people with whom I’ve had difficulties are white liberal elites who consider themselves the anointed and us the benighted, as Tom Sowell would say. My race has never caused me any problems.
I went to the University of Georgia some years ago – and of course, people from what they’ve heard, they were a little bit upset. And then we sat and three hours later you get – you think we all grew up in the same neighborhood because in a sense we had shared experiences.
But what they have been doing – just think of this. And this is a question I ask young people, particularly members of our race – my race, afterwards. “Now, explain to me, after three hours, one thing you heard that you heard objectionable.” And the answer is invariably nothing. And I said, “well, what is it that those people doing all this — imprinting all this negative stuff, all this flack. What don’t they want you to hear? Because they haven’t changed me. What is it they don’t you to know?”
And that’s the way I sort of take it. They – The discussions today about the police, for example. I don’t have all that data, but ask yourself: they’re not necessarily censoring you; they don’t want others to hear what you have to say. And if they do hear it, they don’t want them to believe it. They will fill you with negative thoughts and give you credibility challenges to stop you hearing them.
And the most interesting thing I’ve heard over the years is when I meet people they say, “Well, I thought you were someone else.” As one guy told me—I was in Atlanta giving a speech and this very tall imposing black gentleman came up to me, tears streaming down his face, he said, “Why are they lying about you?” And because he knows it wasn’t about me, it was about people who needed to hear about that part of life they knew little about; about the court, about law.
Let’s just say economics. Wouldn’t you want to know the truth about economics? Why wouldn’t want to know the truth? If you Thomas Sowell’s writings, Rhetoric and Reality. He’s telling you, ‘Look, here’s what they’re saying, here’s the reality.’
(…)
56:22 Mark
THOMAS – We should conduct ourselves more well than their conduct. One of the things I say too in response to the media when they talk about – or especially early on about the way I did my job. I said, “I will absolutely leave the court when I do my job as poorly as you do yours.” And that was meant as a compliment really.
[Laughter]
JOHN YOO (former Thomas clerk, UC Berkley Law professor): I think we’ve neglected this side of the room. You can see it all over there, no.
THOMAS: I am so happy to be you. You are right.
[Laughter]
Mark 57.40
THOMAS: Well, I think everybody – you can find an exception to every generalization. However, I believe if they look around you’ll see that no Supreme Court nominee has been trashed. Their most notable point is that Garland was not granted a hearing. However, he wasn’t thrown out. It was also a rule Joe Biden had introduced. That is to say, in the last year of an Administration you do not get a hearing. This was not the case before.
But at any rate, with that aside, I’m sure you can find, you can quibble but you will not see the utter destruction of a single nominee. You will also not see people going to other peoples’ houses, attacking them at dinner at a restaurant, throwing things on them – which we had when Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed. They were throwing things – they didn’t realize it was Justice Ginsburg and Justice Kegan. The men were throwing items on the vehicle when they went. You don’t hear much of this. As if the Supreme Court were storming Bastille, they banged on the Supreme Court’s door. But you hear very little of that and it’s underreported.
(…)
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