Political divisions within the black community are extremely
rare. Not only do the overwhelming majority of black Americans
vote Democratic in presidential races, but a majority also
express fairly uniformly liberal views. Yet when President Bush
nominated black conservative Clarence Thomas to the Supreme
Court, early opinion polls showed blacks uncharacteristically
divided. And when Anita Hill's allegation of sexual harassment
became public, even more blacks came to favor Thomas. By the end
of the special hearings, not only did opinion polls show that a
majority of black Americans as well as whites believed Thomas
over Hill, but blacks also sided with whites in favor of
Thomas's confirmation. In the Thomas hearing, black opinion
carried perhaps more weight than usual. In the final 52-48 vote,
a number of his swing Southern Democratic backers in the Senate
attributed much of their decision to Thomas's strong support in
the black community. Black women's opinions were also crucial
here. Had black women turned