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This was worse than what the Senate did to Anita Hill
By Julian Zelizer, CNN Political Analyst
Editors Note: Julian Zelizer is a history and public affairs professor at Princeton University and co-host of the "Politics & Polls" podcast. In January, Norton will publish a new book by him and Kevin Kruse, "Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974." Follow him on Twitter: @julianzelizer. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. View more opinion articles on CNN.
(CNN)In the past few days, the experts have wondered whether the Senate had learned anything from the horrendous way that the Judiciary Committee treated Anita Hill back in 1991.
In light of Hill's accusations that Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the all-male committee turned the Supreme Court hearings into a farce. Republicans, and most Democrats, focused their questions on Hill's credibility, raising doubts about her intentions and whether she was exaggerating what today President Donald Trump would call "locker room" talk. They demonstrated almost no sympathy for the victims of sexual harassment and made comments that today seem unthinkable.
Because of the backlash to the 1991 hearings, the working assumption was that this time the Senate Judiciary Committee would surely get things right. The panel would treat Christine Blasey Ford's allegations of sexual assault with dignity and handle the process in a respectful fashion. Understanding how the times had changed, the Republican majority would turn the committee hearings into a serious forum for an examination into whether there is sufficient evidence to prove that Brett Kavanaugh and a high school friend held her down and attacked her while they were drunk.
In the shadow of the #MeToo movement and all of the changes that have affected American society since the early 1990s, surely the Senate would get it right. But that's not what happened, and it showed how far we still have to go. The all-male Republican majority on the committee actually took many steps backward. In certain respects, Thursday's hearing revealed that as a nation our politics are in a worse place than they were 27 years ago.
In light of Hill's accusations that Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the all-male committee turned the Supreme Court hearings into a farce. Republicans, and most Democrats, focused their questions on Hill's credibility, raising doubts about her intentions and whether she was exaggerating what today President Donald Trump would call "locker room" talk. They demonstrated almost no sympathy for the victims of sexual harassment and made comments that today seem unthinkable.
Because of the backlash to the 1991 hearings, the working assumption was that this time the Senate Judiciary Committee would surely get things right. The panel would treat Christine Blasey Ford's allegations of sexual assault with dignity and handle the process in a respectful fashion. Understanding how the times had changed, the Republican majority would turn the committee hearings into a serious forum for an examination into whether there is sufficient evidence to prove that Brett Kavanaugh and a high school friend held her down and attacked her while they were drunk.
In the shadow of the #MeToo movement and all of the changes that have affected American society since the early 1990s, surely the Senate would get it right. But that's not what happened, and it showed how far we still have to go. The all-male Republican majority on the committee actually took many steps backward. In certain respects, Thursday's hearing revealed that as a nation our politics are in a worse place than they were 27 years ago.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/28/opinions/worse-than-what-senate-did-to-anita-hill-zelizer/index.html
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