The GOP's History of Sexist Hillary-Bashing

[DonViejo]

By Sam Kleiner December 26th 2013 5:45 AM

Desperate to stop a second Clinton presidency in 2016, it’s a sure bet many in the GOP will reprise the ugly attacks they used on her 22 years ago.

While Hillary Clinton has made clear that she won’t decide whether she wants to pursue the presidency in 2016 until next year, Republicans have decided they already are going to make her a top target. Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee Chairman, has promised this month to go after the “rough stuff” about Clinton in an ad campaign that will be “very aggressive.” The Republicans are promising a shotgun approach; just shoot out things like the “a botched health care roll out in the '90s and Benghazi,” and hope something hits.

This isn’t the first time that Republicans have tried to nasty attacks against Hillary. That tradition stretches back to 1992, when Republicans decided to go after her with a series of sexist attacks that continued into her husband’s administration. As Republicans start to open up attacks against Hillary once again, it’s worth remembering the sexist overtones in the earliest Republican attacks on Hillary, and how these attacks can backfire on Republicans.

“Hillary-bashing” became a central theme in the Republican campaign in 1992. “No one can convince me that the American people are so blind that they would replace Barbara Bush with Hillary Clinton," Pat Robertson told the Republican convention. This was no ordinary First Lady, she was, as Patrick Buchanan said, a “lawyer-spouse” who “has compared marriage as an institution to slavery.” While Hillary had been the stable breadwinner in years when Bill tried to get his political career to take off, Republicans were deeply uncomfortable with the idea of a marriage in which a woman could hold a successful career, especially one that may be on par with that of her husband. Even Barbara Bush, who first resisted the idea of going after Hillary, eventually came around to seeing her as “quite different” and a fair target.

In that election cycle, Republicans were attracted to portraying Hillary’s career as the manifestation of something maniacal about her intentions. In 1992, the right-wing American Spectator characterized Hillary as the “Lady MacBeth of Arkansas.”

full article
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/26/the-last-time-republicans-fought-hillary-they-used-sexism.html

[Sunlei]

1. hope Mrs. Clinton drags out the 'I may run' for a couple more years. A great service to America to

provide a political target for the thousands of R bloggers/media arms/ R-"political charities'. keep on providing those bloggers with 'jobs' big R donors

[Sunlei]

2. meanwhile the Clintons Foundation host things that matter to Americans.

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/press-releases/clinton-foundation-host-third-annual-health-matters-activating-wellness-every

[BlueMTexpat]

3. "Even Barbara Bush ..."

Babs has always been one of the nastiest persons around. Period. Bad as her husband is, she is worse.

[Beacool]

4. Not too far off from the crap I read around here on a daily basis.

[Whisp]

5. lol