When the “most famous” woman in America, Hillary Clinton, steps forth as the anointed Democratic candidate for president, look for the Democratic political juggernaut to reload and repeat the charges that Republicans are waging a war on women. Those charges have already begun, and she has added the “women’s card” to her repertoire against Donald Trump to position herself as a guardian of downtrodden minorities.
Standing behind Hillary will be her beaming husband Bill, who during the past 20 years has been an unlikely convert to the cause of women’s rights. As a former (impeached) president, Bill abandoned his misogynist ways when he ran out of health, abandoned Big Macs and assumed the role of avuncular elder statesman.
Hillary has made no secret that she considers Bill an asset to her campaign and intends to use him. On December 28, 2015, Donald Trump launched this Twitter zinger:
“If Hillary thinks she can unleash her husband, with his terrible record of women abuse, while playing the women’s card on me, she’s wrong.”
The following Monday, Hillary’s campaign spokeswoman responded that “Hillary Clinton won’t be bullied or distracted by attacks he throws at her and former President Clinton.” The spokeswoman added:
“When (Trump’s) insults are directed at women, immigrants, Asian-Americans, Muslims, the disabled, or hard working Americans looking to raise their wages, Hillary Clinton will stand up to him….”
Later, when Hillary charged in a recent interview, “It’s not the first time he’s demonstrated a penchant for sexism, Trump tweeted back, “Be careful!”
What Hillary needs to be careful of is reminding everyone of her husband’s scandal-plagued administration, when many young voters today were just school kids. The Donald will undoubtedly include these voters as his most recent apprentices.
Trump in his inimitable and take-no-prisoners way can articulate the sordid history of Bill Clinton–the Horndog Governor from Arkansas, or the victimized president who only lied about sex, depending on Republicans who were there or Democrats who believed their own tortuous, unbelievable spin.
Bill Clinton’s record of marital infidelity and sexual misconduct began when he was a 23-year-old exchange student at Oxford University in England. Young Clinton had to leave school after a sexual encounter with Eileen Wellstone. She claimed assault; Bill said it was consensual. He eventually left Oxford without his degree.
Following his Oxford incident, here is a year-by-year record of Bill’s own war against women:
1974–A University of Arkansas female student accused law professor Bill Clinton of groping her. Other students corroborated her charges.
1977–As Attorney General of Arkansas, Clinton was accused of sexually assaulting a young woman lawyer in Little Rock.
1978–Juanita Broaddrick accused Clinton of raping her when she was a campaign volunteer. Broaddrick only came forward 20 years later, indicating that she was intimidated and ashamed.
1979–Carolyn Moffet, a legal secretary in Little Rock, accepted an invitation to Bill’s hotel room following a fundraiser. Moffet claims that Clinton tried to force her to perform oral sex on him. She refused and ran out of the room.
The 1980s were Bill’s sexually active salad days, where he propositioned, bedded and had longtime affairs right under the nose of his long-suffering and patient wife.
But even Hillary could not ignore the Paula Jones debacle. On the night before he began his 1992 campaign, Clinton flashed himself and demanded oral sex from Paula Jones, an Arkansas state worker. Jones sued and received $850,000.
There were other groping and fondling incidents both during his campaign and his time in the oval office:
- Sandra Allen James, a political fundraiser, screamed as Bill backed her against the wall in a hotel room and stuck his hands up her dress. Her scream was so loud that Arkansas State Police ran to the door. Ms. James told her boss, who advised her to keep quiet.
- Kathleen Willey accused the president of grabbing her, fondling her breast and pressing her hand against his genitals during an Oval Office meeting.
- Then there was Monica Lewinsky, the stained blue dress and the impeachment proceedings.Throughout the years of Bill’s humiliating antics, Hillary remained publically quiet and combatively supportive. When Bill’s chicks came home to roost during his 1998-impeachment proceedings, she followed Dolly Parton’s musical advice, stood by her man and helped smear Bill’s female war victims.
Hillary Clinton figures she has paid her dues and it is her turn for power. However, she undoubtedly should follow Trump’s advice and “be careful.” Her past forbearance and selective application in her defense of women could be volatile political baggage. Donald Trump has shown on numerous occasions he’s not afraid to state the facts.
