It is “really, deeply troubling” that female Democrats running in the primary race have been floated as vice presidential picks, said Anita Hill.
Hill, who testified before Congress in 1991 that she was sexually harassed by now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, told the New York Times she is concerned female presidential hopefuls aren’t viewed as significant candidates.
“And I think if we don’t take them seriously as presidential candidates, we are not going to hear those voices,” she said. “And that would be a tragedy.”
Last week, Sen. Kamala Harris of California said Joe Biden would make a “great running mate” because “he’s proven that he knows how to do the job.” The comment was made after she was asked if she was annoyed that she’s been suggested as a great pick for vice president.
But Hill denied she was singling out Biden, who is most popular in polls.
[Related: Anita Hill demands Biden apologize to America for ‘gender violence’]
“I don’t know that it’s just him. I think that that presumption about women as vice presidential choices is not just about Joe Biden specifically, it’s about Joe Biden as the front-runner,” Hill said.
Biden was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee when Hill testified before the panel about her accusations against Thomas. Biden called her last month to apologize for “what she endured” during her testimony, but Hill said the apology was inadequate and she would not support him in his presidential bid.
“I cannot be satisfied by simply saying I’m sorry for what happened to you. I will be satisfied when I know there is real change and real accountability and real purpose,” she said.
