Wife of Justice Thomas starts political group

WASHINGTON - Into the heightened political atmosphere between the Supreme Court and the Obama administration comes now Virginia Thomas, the conservative activist and wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, who is founder of a new nonprofit lobbying and political-organizing group catering to the “citizen activists” of the “tea party” movement.

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas says Liberty Central Inc. will educate motivated citizens to “preserve freedom and reaffirm the core founding principles,” according to the group’s Web site, and will serve as a way for concerned Americans to “make a difference in the fight for liberty and against the liberal Washington agenda.”

Virginia Thomas did not return calls on Monday. But she said in an interview with a conservative blogger at a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Committee last month that she had left her job working for a small college because of her concern that the country is off-track.

“We’ve got to get the Constitution back to a place where it means something . . . or we’re headed for tyranny,” she told blogger Ed Morrissey.

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Wife of Justice Thomas starts political group

It appears that Virginia Thomas is very smart Conservative, and a patriot too!

For those that don’t already know this, BLOGS are a powerful force in the political arena. Ed Morrissey is one of the best in the business.

Captain’s Quarters

Morrissey started his blog in October 2003, basing its name on his nickname “Captain” Ed. “Captain” is “just a nickname”, not a rank. It focused largely on politics, from a conservative viewpoint. The blog grew in popularity and readership. By 2007, the National Republican Senatorial Committee was calling Captains Quarters one of the five “best-read national conservative bloggers.”

People who have written “guest posts” on Captain’s Quarters include Senator John McCain, Congressman Duncan Hunter, and Senator James Inhofe. Ed Morrissey

For Ed Morrissey to be the one Mrs. Thomas talked to, well, that seals the deal, Captain Ed has hit the big time! Congratulations to you Sir!

Thomas’s group was founded in January and she promoted it at the CPAC convention. But it was not until this past weekend, after a story in the Los Angeles Times, that awareness of the new organization prompted a debate about the involvement of a justice’s spouse in a political movement.

OK, right here is where I get a bit radical about this involvement of a justice’s spouse in a political movement thing!

Why does it matter that she is the wife of a Supreme Court Justice? She doesn’t sit on the bench, Justice Thomas does. She doesn’t hear cases before the SCOTUS, Justice Thomas does. I am pretty sure that when it comes time to render a decision on any particular case, it will be the Justice that renders the decision and NOT his wife.

I am of the opinion that the MSM is fishing for a way to discredit Justice Thomas. Looking for a way to denigrate his credibility as a Justice. Doing so because of his wife, and her involvement in a political movement that is making the Dem/Libbers take notice and has them wondering what is about to have happen to them and their libber philosophy.

Further citation regarding my opinion on this matter:

It comes at a time of increased sensitivity between the White House and congressional Democrats on one side and the court’s conservative majority on the other. It started with President Obama’s unusually blunt criticism of the court during his State of the Union address, when he lambasted the court’s 5 to 4 ruling that gave corporations and unions greater leeway to use their general treasuries to buy ads for and against political candidates.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said last week that Obama’s use of the address to criticize the court — six of the nine black-robed justices were at the front of the House chamber — was “very troubling.” Roberts questioned whether the court should continue to attend what he described as a “political pep rally.”

Conservatives, and the possibilities regarding what we may be able to accomplish in the coming elections, has the White House shaking in their shoes. They know that Conservatives, nation wide, and the TEA Party movement, are gunning for all RINOs and liberals in the House, Senate, the Oval Office, as well as in our state and local governments.

The White House is quaking at the thought of a person of Mrs. Thomas caliber and Conservative credibility being a leader in ANY capacity!

A court spokeswoman said Justice Thomas would not comment on his wife’s new endeavor or how he might recuse himself should a conflict arise.

Justices make their own decisions about removing themselves from cases and usually do not explain why. Most typically, they recuse themselves when they have a financial interest in an issue before them, or when a decision could affect a family member.

Sue Hamblen, Liberty Central’s national coordinator, said Virginia Thomas met with ethics officials for the federal courts and was told her work “was in no way a conflict of interest.”

“She did not give up her First Amendment rights when her husband became a Supreme Court judge,” Hamblen said.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that if anything were to arise that the White House believed could be used to discredit Justice Thomas, his wife, her PAC or the TEA Party in general, Eric Holder would be making a federal case of the matter. Pun intended.

Hamblen said that the group is nonpartisan and does not intend to make endorsements in political campaigns but that it will issue “scorecards” ranking candidates on conservative issues.

“We are very seriously not Republican or Democrat; we are conservative,” Hamblen said. “Our intent is to remain nonpolitical except in terms of furthering the core principles of the founding fathers.”

That last paragraph further punctuates the reasoning behind the WHY of TEA Party groups not making endorsements. NYT: ‘Tea party’ avoids divisive issues.

I am not adverse to making an endorsement as an individual, but as a TEA Party official, I am a bit limited by the rules of the party, and that’s as it should be. And I really like the idea of using *scorecards* as a way to get the unofficial official opinion out there.

I wish Virginia Thomas and her PAC much luck and success. I hope that at some point we get an opportunity to work with her, as a TEA Party group or individually, as the case may be.