From Whitewater to Benghazi: A Clinton Scandal Primer

[cali]

Yes, Whitewater and Benghazi are bullshit. That doesn't mean that the Clinton scandals of yesteryear aren't political liabilities. I've said here for years that the assumption by Hillary supporters that the public is immunized by overexposure, is mere wishful thinking.

Clinton scandal history is largely unknown to a whole generation of voters. This is truer now than it was 8 years ago.



Amid all the scandals related to the Clinton family, Bill Clinton’s sex scandals were supposed to be a dead letter. After all, the former president weathered impeachment proceedings in the late 1990s—in fact, Hillary Clinton’s popularity soared at the time. As those events receded, Bill Clinton became one of the most popular politicians in America, a smiling, drawling avatar of the happy, carefree 1990s. There were questions about how the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign might use her husband, and whether he’d be an asset or a liability (as he was in 2008), but sex wasn’t in the picture.

This week, all of that turned out to be wrong. And it happened—of all things—thanks to Donald Trump. As Bill Clinton prepared to hit the road stumping for Hillary, Trump started talking about Clinton’s affairs and allegations, insisting it was “fair game” to talk about his “tremendous abuse of women.” That made some Republicans nervous—they didn’t want a replay of the 1990s, where such attacks redounded to the Clinton’s benefit. (Besides, Trump, whose first wife once accused him of marital rape, is a flawed messenger for this attack.)

<snip>

But even if the Clinton sex scandals seemed politically inert, general social standards on sexual assault and rape have changed—as the prosecution of Bill Cosby demonstrates. “Today I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault,” Clinton said at an event in September. “Don't let anyone silence your voice. You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed and we're with you.” That sits uneasily with the Clintons’ dismissal of Broaddrick’s allegations—a point now being made not only by conservative journalists, but also by liberal ones.

<snip>
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/tracking-the-clinton-controversies-from-whitewater-to-benghazi/396182/#about-the-authors

[Buzz Clik]

1. Rush Limbaugh gives a tip o' the hat and and an oink of approval:

"Thank you, cali!", said Rush.

[randys1]

2. Yep, the ole "they aint really real but let me remind you of them daily"

Free Republic could NOT do better.

[cali]

3. Sigh. Reality try it.

[Buzz Clik]

7. Your reality? I'll pass.

[OilemFirchen]

14. Bless your heart. (n/t)

[JoePhilly]

5. The RW water isn't just going to carry itself.

It's gonna need some help.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

47. "cut it out"

that will take care of that

[ChiciB1]

4. "cali" I Know You May Get Roundly Attacked For This... AND

there may be someone who's gonna "alert" this OP, but there comes a time when "newbies" or perhaps many who already know, that reminders should be brought FRONT & CENTER!

So, just want to add my support for you and for pointing out some of the most obvious information that clearly isn't being taken into consideration.

I KNOW if she gets the nomination I'll have to vote for her for ONLY one reason (Supreme Court) but as I've said before, it will be a vote I really, truly, deep in my soul DON'T want to cast. I'm a long time activist from way, way back when my father introduced me to politics at the age of 11 which started my first addiction! I even campaigned for McGovern down here in the state of Florida in a small town of Inverness, FL. Who knew?? Manned his headquarters (all 10 of us) and everywhere I went had my bumper stickers ripped off! And THIS was when Reuben Askew (D) was the Governor! However I did like Bob Graham better, but after Lawton Chiles... well WE ALL KNOW about FLOR-EE-DUH!

I shouldn't denigrate the state, but it sure has PRODUCED some real dimwits... one of which is now FAMOUSLY "Hillary's Gal" DWS! You see I really was leading up to recent political news.

So I do think I've had years in the trenches and also knew a different Democratic Party, the one joined so long ago. Yeah, politics in both Parties have ALWAYS had crooks & upheavals, but during my time as an activist I've never seen a Democratic Party forget about "we the people" as much as the one we have today!

Many of us could write a book about our years gone by, but I'll shut up for now.


for us to keep fighting!

[Vattel]

41. cool post

[MineralMan]

6. Bill Clinton Is Not Running for President.

I'm pretty sure that voters are aware of that. No doubt, the right-wing will attempt to hang Bill Clinton's peccadilloes on Hillary. That will not work. People know that she is a separate person and a leader in her own right.

It's probably true that Republican stalwarts won't vote for her, but they wouldn't anyhow.

I think this is an overstated issue, really. Still, I'm sure we'll continue to hear about this again and again before the primaries are over. More's the pity.

[Buzz Clik]

8. Sir! If I may! Let me remind of this important fact: Bill Clinton's penis.

That is all.

[MineralMan]

9. I do not want to see any more of his penis here.

That should be covered up, in my opinion, at all times.

[Buzz Clik]

11. Well if wishes were inches .... wait, that's so wrong.

[brooklynite]

10. I assume that the "trip down memory lane" approach currently being tried...

here...

here...

here...

and here...

Is because criticizing Clinton's actual campaign positions isn't having the traction people hoped for.

[zalinda]

15. No, it's to prove a point.

Hillary has a HUGE amount of baggage, her's AND Bill's. Young people may not know about Bill's Presidency and how both he and Hillary were in one 'scandal' after another while they were in the White House. The media had a BLAST with all these goings on, and if Hillary is the nominee, it will dig EVERYTHING up from the past.

And while it is Hillary running for President, she is running on executive 'experience' which came from the time she was in the White House, so yes, it's all coming back up, and probably more. The media LOVES scandals whether true or not.

Z

[brooklynite]

20. And despite all that "baggage"...

...she's leading Sanders two to one, and is ahead or competitive with every Republican.

[zalinda]

45. Only because she is well known. eom

[Vattel]

42. Her record is more relevant than her campaign "positions."

That record sucks (compared to Sanders' record), but a lot of people think that she is more electable and so intend to vote for her for that reason. That has generated a debate about whether Clinton is really more electable than Sanders. Pointing out her political liabilities is relevant to that debate.

[jopacaco]

12. The expected alert

I'm juror #7.

On Fri Jan 8, 2016, 12:16 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

From Whitewater to Benghazi: A Clinton Scandal Primer
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251983912

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

This post should be hidden. This is not a RW site. This is a site for Democrats and posting RW talking points about the top candidate for the WH is utter BS. Hide this post.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Fri Jan 8, 2016, 12:20 PM, and the Jury voted 2-5 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Aww come on. Fox News yells about Benghazi non stop. Whitewater really? How's about Vince Foster while we're at it. These are the same people that lose their shit when anyone mentioned St. Bernie and his love of gunz. If I wanted to read this shit I'd go to the comment section of Fox news. Seriously WTF?!?!
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: This is an article from a respected magazine. Debate it if you don't like it.
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: I wish people (namely supporters of a certain candidate-to-be-left-unnamed) would stop trying to shame others into submission with the canard "RW talking points". Don't agree with the opinion? Hide the damn post. Don't let your beautiful mind be troubled with opinions you can't handle.

It's as simple as that.
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Source material is the Atlantic. Poster has legitimate concerns.
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No this is not a RW site and that is why Cali posts here because she is not a right-winger. Stop alert stalking her.
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: These issues are going to be brought up regularly during the campaign. They deserve to be discussed.

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[Punkingal]

16. I'm #2..

Bill is on the campaign trail already because of his actions in the past being brought up. I don't want to go there again....it's repulsive to me. But they had to know it would come up if Hillary ran for President. Discuss it, refute it, whatever. The discussion can't be avoided.

[Ino]

48. Funny that Hillarians are complaining about this article...

There was a link to this article on www.willhillarywin.com -- a site that a Hillary supporter called "fabulous" and other Hillary supporters say "great site" and "thanks for the link."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=979923

Now willhillarywin.com has, on its front page, a link to an article about Hillary Clinton Ordered an Aide to Communicate on a Non-Secure Channel

Also this article: Hillary Clinton Reacts to Benghazi in Newest Batch of Emails
OMG, Benghazi and Emails mentioned in the same headline!

Can Hillary supporters complain about articles that are on sites they themselves have deemed "fabulous" Hillary-friendly places? Why do they think they can pick & choose what gets discussed?!

[NCTraveler]

13. They need to keep bringing it.

Do you think the might have her testify in front of a special committee right in the middle of her campaign?

What? They did?

And Clinton came out on top?

No way!!!!

I never would have thought.

The fringe right wing are the only ones who haven't figured out these attacks help Clinton tremendously. I don't get why they can't figure it out after decades of attempts.

[Punkingal]

17. I think they count on it helping them as it did in the past.

I am no longer sure it will.

[NCTraveler]

18. Gowdy thought he was setting himself up to be House Speaker.

Instead, he looked like the house tweeker.

Benghazi!!!!!!
Next....

[Punkingal]

19. Benghazi is bullshit and I despise Gowdy.

I wasn't referring to that...I was talking about Bill's baggage.

[NCTraveler]

21. Hope they bring it big time. Huge benefit to Clinton.

My apologies if you read I thought you support Gowdy in any way. I guarantee we both have very similar feelings with respect to him. I was definitely not making any statement otherwise. More just taking a fun shot at him. If memory serves correct, Clintons favorable numbers were never higher than after the impeachment hearings. What is being discussed here is similar in topic, just different venues. People will not take kindly to Clinton being harassed about her husband. Americans aren't too big on it.

[Punkingal]

22. No, I didn't think that. I thought you were suggesting I was. Gowdy nauseates me.

But....in all honesty, no snark here....I fear Bill's baggage won't be so acceptable this time around. I support Bernie, but I would vote for Hillary in the GE. I am just afraid Bill is no longer so lovable as he once was, because he isn't to me, and I used to ADORE him.

[comradebillyboy]

23. Is that you Donald Trump? This could be an Ann Coulter post

This sort of cheap character assassination is pretty disgusting and really, do you think this shit stirring helps Bernie's cause?

[emulatorloo]

24. Young people might not know about the Arkasas Project either

Last edited Fri Jan 8, 2016, 03:04 PM - Edit history (1)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_Project
We have a choice to make as Bernie supporters to win the nomination.

Just Tactically speaking, this rehash of "scandals" will not impress persuadable undecideds who lean HRC or soft HRC supporters who could be converted to Bernie supporters.

[emulatorloo]

25. "GOP women urge Trump to drop talk of Bill Clinton sex scandals"

Trump's stuff is backfiring.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/01/06/trump-bill-clinton-sex-scandals-republican-women/78352482/

Republican women have a message for Donald Trump: Enough with Bill Clinton’s sex scandals.

It’s not that they’re waving Trump off the issue to help Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. On the contrary, they’re worried that the more Trump talks about a troubled period of the Clintons’ marital history, the more likely it could backfire and rally independent and even some Republican women to the side of the former first lady.

<snip>

Women voters are likely to recoil over Trump’s contention in recent interviews that the former first lady was an “enabler” of her husband’s liaisons, including his affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, said Nancy Dwight, a former National Republican Congressional Committee executive director.

“I’m uncomfortable with it, I just am,” Dwight said, adding that she particularly didn't like a candidate discussing it. “She was as aghast by her husband’s behavior as the rest of us," she said of Clinton. The Democratic front-runner has "a ton of trip-ups” that’ll be ignored if Bill Clinton's past becomes a dominant theme.

<snip>

“If you have to pick between the two, and Trump’s doing this, it makes him look like this misogynous jerk,” said Jamie Steider, a human resources director from Annandale, Va. “There’s no way I will vote Republican if Trump’s the nominee,” said Steider, who backed Mitt Romney in 2012.

“Hillary’s the lesser of two evils, and usually, I would vote to the conservative side,” said her friend, Christina Bowman, a military wife from Cheyenne, Wyo.

[HereSince1628]

26. The problem for many is 'Whitewater to Benghazi' seems out of date.

And that isn't to make any judgement on the veracity of the 'scandals'

[baldguy]

27. Yes, we need to re-hash all of the lies about the Clintons the Republicans created

And apparently pretend that they are true - or have any relevance.

You really should have stopped after the first sentence.

[Punkingal]

28. I once thought Ginnifer Flowers was lying.

Turns out she wasn't.

[dsc]

30. actually pretty much none of what she said was proven to be even close to true

she alledged a multiple year affair provided no dates, no receipts, no photos, nothing but a doctored tape.

[Punkingal]

31. He admitted the affair in a deposition.

[one_voice]

32. What does *his* affair have to do with Hillary?

[Punkingal]

33. well I am certainly not holding her responsible. she was a victim.

some of us who believed in him were disappointed....he could have just told the truth from the beginning. now we have to go there AGAIN. and when they come with new stuff, people will wonder, and they will wonder about her, too, fair or not

[one_voice]

36. Gotcha. I think it's horrible that people try and..

make it her mistake. I know you're not doing that.

But people like Trump are. He has no room to talk. I don't like the media continuing to talk it up without pointing out the double standard. She didn't do anything wrong. Not too mention, that's a personal matter between a husband and wife. I would feel that way no matter who it was.

I understand they're held to a higher standard, but they are people who make mistakes. I get that. If they chose to stay together, for whatever reason, that's between them. I just don't like that some people make his shit her shit. You're right it's not fair. I'm coming from a women's point of view, not a Hillary supporter.

[Punkingal]

38. Me, too with regard to the woman's point of view.

And I have never believed they don't love each other, even though as you say it's not our business. She clearly cares for him, and vice versa, I think, although I dislike him because he treated her with so little respect and humiliated her in front of the world. Just don't much want to see him anymore, and we will be forced to go through all this crap again.

[dsc]

34. He admitted to committing adultery with her

that isn't the same as a years long affair etc.

[Punkingal]

35. What does it matter how many times or how long?

He lied about it until he was under oath. He played the victim card.

[dsc]

37. No he didn't lie about it

he did leave a misleading impression but what he said was, that what she said wasn't true, not that he hadn't slept with her.

[Punkingal]

39. Whatever. I'm not fond of picking fly shit out of pepper.

[HassleCat]

29. Net effect is small

Most people are aware the scandals are manufactured, and kept alive only by extraordinary right wing efforts. If the general election is very close, the negative effect might tip the scales against Clinton, and we would have President Trump (or whatever). I doubt very much this will happen. In fact, the public showed a bit of "scandal fatigue backlash" when the Republicans overplayed their hand in the Monica Lewinski affair. So Clinton could actually benefit if the Republicans get too excited, which they are very likely to do.

[Prism]

40. Modern feminism has also changed

Bill Clinton's predatory sexual behavior was almost kind of laughed off by Democrats in the 90s. None of our business and whatnot. Right-wing plot!

That attitude worked back then. Just reading DU, many Clinton supporters believe that attitude will work now.

Except we are now in a liberal culture that talks openly about rape culture, consent, power imbalance, and is not at all amused by the antics Clinton was customarily excused from during his tenure. He's a charismatic guy, but I just don't see his charisma having the same effect in the age of Cosby. We take a much more jaundiced view of sexual harassment - as well we should.

Frankly, I'm just plain tired of these people and want them to go away. The miasma of corruption around them is reason enough, but I cannot wait until we have to defend the Clenis for the billionth time (well, other people will. I won't. The man is a sexual harasser, and I don't give him a pass just for the D after his name).

[azmom]

44. +1000000

[Punkingal]

49. Thank you...very well-said.

[Babel_17]

43. It's notable that The Atlantic ran that piece

I'm thinking that we'll be rehashing, and discussing, that history in several forums. It seems to be getting treated lately as a legitimate topic. Sure as heck is enough of an appetite by the public. And I think the new standards towards sexual activity by powerful men, and listening to women, is playing a part in this.

[ismnotwasm]

46. Yawn