She began the hour by introducing the long-forgotten Illinois Democratic Sen. Alan Dixon, better known by his nickname "Al the Pal."
Dixon, Maddow noted, had never lost an election in his long political career before Thomas was narrowly confirmed to the Supreme Court following sexual harassment allegations raised by his former attorney-adviser Anita Hill.
The moderate Democrat, the host added, privately promised President George H.W. Bush that he would vote for his SCOTUS nominee.
"What ultimately made it a problem is that Al Dixon had made that promise to President Bush for how he would vote on Clarence Thomas before he had all the information about Clarence Thomas," Maddow said, "before the Thomas confirmation process got upended and the nomination hearings had to get reopened, all because of serious sexual harassment allegations against Thomas, allegations that had been known internally at the Judiciary Committee and kept quiet and confidential there."
In a moment that became as momentarily famous as Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake's call to reopen the investigation into Kavanaugh, Dixon exclaimed on the Senate floor that "the people have the right to know, Mr. President," about the allegations against Thomas.
Nevertheless, Dixon voted to confirm Thomas. Two days later, a group of 100 women showed up at a fundraiser he attended in Chicago and the "Dump Dixon" movement took a hold.
Though he'd won all 29 elections prior to his re-election bid in 1992 and called in every favor he could, Maddow noted, the Illinois Democrat lost his primary and Senate seat to Carol Moseley-Braun — the former Cook County Register of Deeds who could not afford to run ads until a week prior to the primary and became the first black woman elected to the Senate.
"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction," the host said.
"As Republicans crow tonight over their apparent victory with Kavanaugh's nomination" and Democrats plan on holding the Senate floor overnight in a last hail-mary attempt to block the nominee's confirmation, the "current news cycle" may appear hopeless, Maddow said.
"But history might be the best help tonight in trying to figure out what is likely to happen next," she added.
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