Monica Lewinsky does Hillary Clinton a big favor - By Ruth Marcus

[DonViejo]

Monica Lewinsky may not have intended it this way, but she just did Hillary Clinton a big favor.

Lewinsky could be forgiven, of course, if she did not mean to join Team Hillary. She is the forgotten, tragic roadkill of the affair.

Bill Clinton paid the price of public humiliation and House impeachment, but he moved on, concluding what is remembered as a successful (if tarnished) presidency and a post-presidency at least as successful.

Hillary Clinton, humiliated in her own way, emerged seemingly stronger. Her marriage endured; she became senator and secretary of state. Having put cracks in the glass ceiling, she is poised to break it, should she choose, in 2016.

And then there is Lewinsky, who alone among the protagonists in the national soap opera saw her life irreparably shattered. Bill and Hillary made millions on the speaking circuit. Lewinsky, she writes for the June issue of Vanity Fair, “turned down offers that would have earned me more than $10?million, because they didn’t feel like the right thing to do.”

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ruth-marcus-monica-lewinsky-does-hillary-clinton-a-big-favor/2014/05/06/36657da4-d55f-11e3-8a78-8fe50322a72c_story.html

[aquart]

1. My sympathy for Monica disappeared when she didn't wash the dress.

Married men deliver sex like pizza, take their troubles and their laundry home. Convenient. But the goal is not to make someone's wife and kids miserable. DNA on a dress has one purpose: humiliating exposure.

If Monica's life hasn't worked out, maybe it has something to do with how she treats other people.

[question everything]

3. Indeed. And she should have stayed away from that "friend" of her

I cannot remember her name, but who got "generous benefectors" to pay for her diet, her plastic surgery and make her a new person.

Lewinski should have changed her name and then she could have had all of these lucrative jobs.

[Hippo_Tron]

7. So then why didn't she go to the press herself and cost him re-election?

The affair happened in 1995. She could've gone to the media in 1996 and ended his career if she wanted to. But at no point did she ever go to the press, it was fucking Linda Tripp and her illegal tape recorded conversations.

[Sunlei]

2. This WP 'political opinion' writer needs to move to one of the many tabloid medias.

Along with the White House groupie.

[question everything]

4. Ruth Marcus is one of the most respectable female opinion writers

while you are?

[Sunlei]

5. ? a D. who doesn't want Monica tabloidpress rubbed in Mrs. Clintons face for the next several years.

[PatrickforO]

6. A few months ago a Republican Congressman who of course claims to be a Christian

was caught kissing a staff member. Here's what happened in the ensuing scandal:
- The guy began his public apology and abasement tour and will be fine. Americans are generally forgiving (unless he does it AGAIN, then they won't be)
- The female aide was forced to resign, and it looks like her husband will end up leaving her

If you will permit me, as a father of three daughters, to speculate:
- Her husband will leave her
- If there's a kid there might be child support but no alimony
- She won't be able to get a decent job and will end up in some minimum wage gig which will destroy her body, numb her mind and keep her in grinding, unrelenting fear for her economic security

Basically, her life might be irreparably damaged while the guy will skate off with no real consequences.

That's what basically happened to Lewinski, except for the kid part. The Clintons in fact treated her cruelly, not because they are hateful, though some of their opponents would argue otherwise, but because they necessarily had to destroy Lewinski to survive politically.

This is why she is coming out now, because this may be her last chance to at least get some money. Though several of the posters on this thread are commenting about how the Republicans will use this to attack Clinton and how it may or may not hurt her 2016 run, we cannot blame Monica for seeking some publicity. Now's the time for her to at least have some earnings from her ordeal.

My speculation:
-The Clintons will not be harmed by this
- It won't even phase Hillary and she'll overwhelmingly be elected President in 2016
- Bill will continue to rake in BIG BUCKS on the lecture circuit, plus his foundation
- Lewinski will get some money, but it won't really be enough - she will still have to be careful and live with the economic insecurity

Let's cut Lewinski (and all women who get drawn into affairs with married male politicians) some slack.

[Beacool]

8. More than the Clintons, Ken Starr, the Republicans, Linda Tripp and the media, destroyed Monica.

I still don't see the point of her speaking now about the affair. Why bring it up after so many years? I never understand women who willingly get involved with married men and then act as if they were victims of their circumstances. "Willingly" being the key word here. I have no use for any man who harasses and forces a woman to do something against her will. By her own admission, this was not the case. Furthermore, she admittedly said that she was the one who initially pursued the president, not the other way around.

I'm not excusing any of these men and their piggish behavior, but it takes two to tango.

What I mean is that if one chooses to become involved with a famous and powerful married man, then one must pay for the consequences of one's actions.

[PatrickforO]

9. I hear what you're saying, I really do,

but I tend toward excusing Monica. She was only 21 at the time and Clinton was the most powerful man in the world. There's just SO much of a power differential there. Sure, we all do stuff and then have to bear the consequences, sometimes for years, but she was just a kid. I guess I'm thinking - best case scenario - that Monica can make a little money off this. The Clintons won't be hurt either way.

[Beacool]

10. I think that Monica had low self esteem issues.

Prior to arriving in DC, she had already had an affair with a married teacher in CA. She even moved to OR when he got a job there. She managed to ingratiate herself to his wife and she even on occasion babysat their kids. Maybe I'm being tough on her because I too am a woman and could have had more than one affair with a married man if I had chosen to do so, but I had a moral compass and knew better.

There are so many negative factors about becoming involved with a married man. I actually found it insulting that a married guy would proposition me. Who the hell did they think they were to assume that I would have so little self respect as to become their lover???? How presumptuous of them!!! I also always thought that what goes around, comes around. I would never do to another woman what I wouldn't like being done to me. To top it all, there's usually children involved who can also be hurt. Did Monica feel remorse fro the pain that she caused that teacher's family or Hillary and Chelsea?

Again, I'm not excusing for a second the behavior of the married men involved in these affairs, but we are talking about Monica at present and not them.

[CTyankee]

11. My take is that Bill Clinton was the adult and, as President, he should have gently but firmly

told her that a dalliance was out of the question and she needed to think through her situation. She made a foolish mistake in going after him but he was more in charge and he should have exercised control. I'm sure more than one young intern has tried to throw themselves at Obama.

[Beacool]

12. Oh, I'm not excusing Bill, far from it.

He acted like a complete idiot. I just have no patience for women who go after powerful and famous men knowing perfectly well that they are married and then bemoan the fact that their dalliance has become public and brought them notoriety. If they hadn't pursued a married man, then they wouldn't be in the predicament they are in.



On the other hand, the hypocrisy of the Republicans was sickening. The party of "family values", what a laugh!!!!

[CTyankee]

13. I think one point here is that she seems not to have moved on much...I don't know, I haven't

kept up with her...

I guess my point here is that there has to be an adult in the room, so to speak. And I think Bill Clinton had a responsibility to his family and to the entire country not to get involved with Monica sexually. He could have said NO. He was under no pressure to give in to her. Indeed, it was especially incumbent on him not to (leader of the free world, and all that).

[Beacool]

14. I totally agree with what you said.

Clinton definitely should have known better and it's legitimate to be mightily ticked off that he put his presidency in jeopardy over a few incidents of oral sex with an unstable girl. What the hell was he thinking??? Then again, I have often asked myself the same question about plenty of men.

[CTyankee]

15. I remember feeling physically sick when that story hit!

I had thought that it was wonderful we had a Democrat in the White House. Then to see Clinton almost piss it away made me feel sicker. The thing was, Clinton KNEW he was prone to going out of control sexually. He is such a smart guy, it is amazing.

Monica was certainly unstable, and not at all mature at age 22. I wonder if she suffered from ADHD and prone to risk-taking decisions...I have a granddaughter with ADHD and has made some very poor choices when she doesn't take her meds. It is both infuriating and sad to see sometimes...

[Beacool]

16. I don't know why either one did something so foolish.

The Republican witch hunt was winding down because Starr couldn't find any evidence of wrong doing against the Clintons. That vile woman, Linda Tripp, and her tapes were like manna from Heaven for Starr. Never mind that it was illegal in MD to record someone's conversation without their approval. He accepted the tapes and threatened Monica with a lengthy jail sentence if she didn't talk to them about the affair. These POS entrapped the president of the US over a sexual affair between two consenting adults because they were desperate to find something to pin on him. THAT was the true disgrace of the whole matter, more so than his stupidity with Monica.

They are now trying to do the same to Hillary with these endless Benghazi investigations.

[CTyankee]

17. thanks for the recap. I'm mad all over again just thinking about it.

I wish someone on MJ had mentioned the whole Ken Starr/Linda Tripp thing...pretty disgusting...

[Beacool]

18. You're welcome.

Yes, they are an unsavory lot. Yuck!!!