The confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas were a presage to the exposing of the not-so-subtle Republican War on Women . The October, 1991 hearings are the subject of a new HBO movie called 'Confirmation' which is scheduled to air prime time, tonight on the pay-cable network. Today's Fox and Friends with substitute host Ed Henry and regular hostess Anna Kooiman, introduced the GOP's defender/movie critic by quoting one of his many negative reviews.
Mark Paoletta, an assistant counsel who worked for President George H.W. Bush on the Clarence Thomas confirmation proceedings, is obviously none too pleased with the way HBO recalls the Senate Confirmation.
KOOIMAN: (Paoletta said) the new drama distorts history and clearly, has an agenda.
Paoletta is notorious for claiming that the left believes in the 'fictional' GOP War on Women. In a recent interview, the right-wing attorney not only pretends that sexism is an imagined problem, he uses racist language to describe the movie's depiction of history.
"In my view, it's the second high-tech lynching of Justice Thomas – and they will fail at this again, too."
In fact, Paoletta is so incensed by this movie, he penned a blistering excoriation of the film's liberal bias in a Washington Examiner article.
It is not surprising to see HBO, a network with a history of liberal bias, make such a movie. Nor is it shocking to see left-wing journalists rush to promote it and its distorted version of history. After all, Democrats have been angry for years that they failed to derail Thomas' nomination.
Mark Paoletta believes that this movie's timing is in accord with the political objectives of those liberal Hollywood 'elites' who want to influence the outcome of the election in November. In another interview, he said,
“HBO made this movie in an election year to support Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party, which loves to claim that a mythical ‘war on women’ is underway by Republicans.”
We are given diametrically opposing accounts of the truth from both sides, naturally. Decades later, those who believe that Anita Hill, played in the film by Kerry Washington, was hardly given a fair hearing have presented evidence that shows she was absolutely justified in expressing her concerns, to put it mildly. Simply look at the SCOTUS decisions of Thomas with regards to basic human dignity, and you will know whom you should believe.
Those who are impervious to the truth of the misogynist and sexist conduct of the GOP will, of course, staunchly defend Scalia's former right hand man's deplorable conduct. Lest anyone forget who the Republicans are: The very same folks who are notorious for slut-shaming women and, more recently, a GOP Presidential Candidate urged young co-eds to abstain from going to parties to avoid being raped. The mind reels at the abject chauvinism and inherent bias against women.
Paoletta will distort his account of history to reflect the inherent misogyny of the party with which he identifies. But not everyone agrees that this movie is a one-sided account.
HBO's #Confirmation refuses to take a side, but the performances are stellar. Our review: https://t.co/fFBnOOmyyh pic.twitter.com/Vv5E014Ims
— Indiewire (@indiewire) April 16, 2016
Watching HBO's TV movie on Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas, Confirmation. No spoilers, but Greg Kinnear does a pretty spot-on Joe Biden.
— Eric Deggans at NPR (@Deggans) March 28, 2016
I can't help but recall one of the funniest accounts of the hearings which SNL just nailed. The clip below is from the cold open of the early 1990's episode, where the cast reenacts the hearings. In case you missed it, Chris Rock plays the porn star, Long Dong Silver, and that was just one of many hysterical performances. Ironically, Sen. Al Franken is cast as Illinois Senator, Paul Simon, giving us a harbinger into his professional future. Enjoy!
