Shelby Steele on Clarence Thomas

Shelby Steele and the cadre of black writers who have lately tried to attach an intellectual legitimacy to their conservatism by holding forth the term self-help have failed to recognize that their own rise to prominence has less to do with self-help than with old-fashioned political spoils. Clarence Thomas is no doubt a hard-working man, and good things often come to those who are willing to work hard. But never forget that he has also been a loyal political operative within Republican ranks, and in politics, loyalty is the key virtue. Black Republicans do not hold the franchise on self-help and individual initiative within the African-American family, and Thomas’ nomination to the Supreme Court is a reward not for self-help or individual initiative, but for loyalty. That he is an African-American grants the Republican Party additional mileage in its efforts to appeal to black voters.

Steele probably know this side of politics better than he implies. As an example, if the country’s political pendulum were to swing toward atheist Libertarianism, and if the atheist Libertarian President nominated an African-American to the Supreme Court or the Cabinet, the reason for the nomination would be political loyalty. It would not matter if the nominee were born rich or poor, from South Dakota or South Carolina. Everyone in this society who can claim a measure of success owes it to a mixture of individual initiative and an occasional helping hand. Thank goodness for the occasional helping hand.

GERALD L. BROWN, Colton