Enabler or family defender? How Hillary Clinton responded to husband’s accusers

[DonViejo]

By Shawn Boburg September 28 at 8:44 PM

Hillary Clinton has wrestled with allegations surrounding her husband’s infidelities for much of their 40-year marriage, including a sexual harassment lawsuit, a grand jury investigation and an impeachment vote centered on his untruthfulness about a relationship with a White House intern.

Now, her Republican opponent Donald Trump and his surrogates have signaled that he may bring up the subject in the next presidential debate, treacherous territory, given his own infidelities and treatment of women.

Clinton’s friends say they have seen her deal with Bill Clinton’s conduct before, bristling at threats and countering them with steely determination. Her reaction, said longtime Arkansas friend Jim Blair, is to face accusers and respond thusly: “These people are not going to run over us.”

Her detractors, though, say that Clinton has unfairly lashed out over the years at the women involved in her husband’s indiscretions. Her responses­ have forced her to walk a fine line during the campaign on sexual assault issues, even as she builds strong political support among female voters.

-snip-

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/enabler-or-family-defender-how-hillary-clinton-responded-to-husbands-accusers/2016/09/28/58dad5d4-6fb1-11e6-8533-6b0b0ded0253_story.html?wpisrc=nl_politics&wpmm=1

[geek tragedy]

1. WaPo bit on Trump's bait, shameful nt

[DonViejo]

8. Did you read the article? Your comment strongly suggests you did not. eom

[geek tragedy]

9. I read the article, but the headline is appalling nt

[jcgoldie]

2. Good luck with this topic Donald

Pretty sure if he brings it up it will come off as desperation and victim shaming.

[sarae]

4. Agreed.

How many women have been in her shoes? And they didn't have to do it with the whole nation watching.

[Cal33]

12. In 1948 biologist Alfred Kinsey came out with the book "Sexual Behavior of the American Male,"

followed some years later by "Sexual Behavior of the American Female." Prof. Kinsey stated that
around 60% of males and 40% of females admitted to having had extra-marital affairs.

Roughly half of the population admitted to extra-marital relations even then. I can imagine that
the numbers would be higher today.

[sarae]

3. I hate the accusations that she treated women badly.

Who has a friendly reaction to the person their spouse cheated with?!!! It's complete BS. Going through infidelity is unbelievably difficult, and she had to do it in public. The people who criticize her on this need to take a long look in the mirror.

[asiliveandbreathe]

5. I do believe Hillary will deal with this crap with the same class

Chelsea did a few days ago -

Me, I would have said much, much, more about these women..look we all have choices..these women were adults - what did they hope to gain, oh ya, follow the money..it takes two..they are NOT without responsibility for whatever happened....

Yes,- Bill too - ..but that should NOT impact Hillary - stay out of their marriage - I am sure Hillary had plenty to say to Bill - now eff off..it was 25 years ago -

[Hortensis]

6. The statements of a wife defending a husband she

knows likes women way too much to rape any of them against a specific accusation of rape in no way conflict with that woman's general belief that women who claim to be raped should be taken seriously so that the claims will be investigated. In the first case she has specific knowledge and a right to be loyal.

I recently read up on those stories the right puts so much weight on. What a bunch of nothing.

Including the rape allegation 30 years after the claimed encounter made by a major Hillary hater. She was a modest Bill supporter before the supposed rape and attended a political rally after, where she was thanked for her assistance to Bill by Hillary (who was doing the same all over the place to others). She reportedly interpreted this thanks and handshake as a personal threat--which terrified her into traumatized silence for decades.

Presumably, back in those days Bill always shared stories of his rapes with Hillary, who acted as the couple's clean-up agent, threatening any of the victims who just happened to show up where she was. Who wouldn't be terrified? In any case, a glance at her twitter site shows the haters on JPR have nothing on this "victim."

As for the others, one bragged to coworkers that she wanted to become Bill's mistress, and they reported that she stalked him looking for opportunities to advance a relationship--after she went to the press saying that he'd groped her. Two had consensual affairs with him. And one's sensationally politicized story of virtuous shock when Bill made improper advances to her was disputed by her own family. (Btw, Perky Conway's husband was one of the slimebuckets up over their eyebrows in the manufacture of that scandal.)

[JoePhilly]

7. Cheaters tend to blame their spouse for their own ...

... infidelity.

So it's not surprising that Trump and Rudy would blame Hillary for Bill's failings.

It's the wife's fault.

[bettyellen]

11. And society piles on- blaming the other woman much more than the husband... Which is a narrative

First pushed by the cheating husband. Who undoubtably blamed his wife to the new woman. Yeah.

[bettyellen]

10. Fidelity is like law and order for Trump- doesn't apply to him.