Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Friday, November 30, 2018

Political Editors: 'The Clinton Affair,' Redux

A&E recently released a six-part mini-series on Bill Clinton's scandals.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary in December of Bill Clinton’s impeachment, A&E recently released a six-part mini-series on his scandals titled, “The Clinton Affair.” We know — how did they fit so much material into only six parts?

We took note of a recent New York Times article on one particular episode in Clinton’s affairs — that of Paula Jones. According to the Times:

[Monica] Lewinsky has always been cast as the central female character of Bill Clinton’s scandals, and while that has been hell for her, it has been rather convenient for him. Over two decades, it was easy to forget that the reporting on Clinton’s consensual affair with an intern arose out of an even more damning context: Jones’s harassment suit. (It was Lewinsky and Clinton denying their affair under oath in the Jones case that gave [Ken] Starr the material to pounce.) Paula Jones spoke out against the most powerful man in the world, and when his lawyers argued that a sitting president couldn’t be subject to a civil suit, she took them all the way to the Supreme Court and won. In another world, she would be hailed as a feminist icon. But not in this world — not yet.

Indeed, long before #MeToo became a Democrat/feminist rallying cry, Democrats and feminists were contemptuously dismissing Jones, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broaddrick as “bimbos,” trailer-park trash, and pawns in a “vast right-wing conspiracy.” Jones accused Clinton of exposing himself to her, Willey claimed Clinton groped her, and Broaddrick said he raped her while he was governor of Arkansas. All three women were largely ignored by the mainstream media; even Lewinsky’s story was broken by the Drudge Report. NBC famously held its interview with Broaddrick until after Clinton’s impeachment and trial.

Of course, the Times excuses this: “In the ‘90s, these women’s stories cut directly to the biases of the mainstream media: that sexual harassment and assault were tabloid tales and that publishing anything that seemed to sway a political process was ill advised.”

More

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, I remember this time very clearly.
For those of you millennials out there that weren't born yet, the Clintons lowered the bar of acceptable for a President and first lady. They were playing the news cycle by bringing out a new scandal ever few day to pull the news media off of covering the last scandal.
Disgusting pieces of crap that got into the highest parts of our government.
The Clintons have and continue to soil this country.

Anonymous said...

Back then it wasn't just the Lewinsky's of this world. There were women of all walks of who were sexually abused. And yes, no one would believe them so they chose to be quiet. That's the way it was.
We have come a long way to today.
However, you don't wait two decades to bring it up. So glad a&E did this tell all.

Anonymous said...

Pretty sure Ms Lewinsky’s job was to keep the puppet in check. I’m sure the Clan rewarded her very well for playing her part with dumb goy Slick Willie.

Anonymous said...

You must be a millennial. You have no idea what you are talking about. Monica was a victim. Bill Clinton used her - she had proof. Her soiled dress with his DNA on it is in the Smithsonian. Check it out.