Sean Hannity thinks that by Swiftboating Hillary Clinton, nobody can claim there's a GOP war on women.
You may recall that Republicans "inoculated" George W. Bush from accusations that he shirked his Vietnam war-time duty by sending out the Swift Boat veterans to attack John Kerry's Vietnam war record. Apparently, Hannity not only thinks that will work against Hillary Clinton on her women's record but he blatantly urged Republican frontrunner Donald Trump to go there.
In a discussion last night with Donald Trump, Hannity first prodded Trump to "expand" his attacks on Hillary Clinton over her "abuse" of her husband's extramarital sex partner(s).
HANNITY: You said that she abused those women. And I want you to expand into this because it seems to be every election campaign, Democrats always claim the Republicans are racist and sexist and they even said that about Mitt Romney for having resumes of women that he wanted to hire.
Later, Hannity attacked the Clinton Foundation as anti-women, too.
HANNITY: What about The Clinton Foundation? They've taken tons of money from countries like Saudi Arabia. ...I don't see a lot of criticism by Hillary of these countries that have atrocious human rights records, women's rights records. But The Clinton Foundation took a lot of money from them. Should that be in an issue in this campaign?
Sadly, that tactic worked against John Kerry. But there are lots of key differences here. One is that Bush was a sitting president and it's one thing to discredit someone who's trying to unseat a president and another when there is no incumbent. But more importantly, the Vietnam war had little or nothing to do with issues facing the country in 2004 whereas the Republican war on women is very much in the news.
But most importantly, Donald Trump, a guy like Trump who is on his third wife, who famously cheated on his first wife and has already made his campaign notable for his sexist attacks on Megyn Kelly, Carly Fiorina and Hillary Clinton, is really in no position to be attacking a woman who has stood by her own husband for better or worse.
I hope the Clinton campaign fires back and doesn't take the timid route Kerry took by pretending to be above it all, because you can see how well it worked for him.
Watch it below, via Media Matters, from the January 5 Hannity.
It obviously disgusts Fox News and The Donald – but only because Bill’s a Democrat which apparently makes it worse – so it’ll get the #Benghazi! treatment.
Hillary’s role in this is the sin of trusting her husband and standing by her man. If Hillary wasn’t a Democrat her story of being betrayed like the rest of us, forgiveness (a Christian trait admired by Fox except when practiced by Democrats), and keeping her marriage intact (the sanctity of which would typically be championed by Fox) the entire narrative would be compelling to Sean.
This is a sticky wicket (no pun intended I assure you) for Hillary but you’re right, Ellen, Hillary needs to take it head on. Like her testimony on #Benghazi! to shut up the right-wing noise machine.
Bill frankly stepped into this and should keep his mouth shut on the topic.
Fox News would prefer a campaign of character smears as opposed to a policy debate given the lunatic ideas coming from the Trump camp like building a wall and getting Mexico to pay for it. Don’t let them get away with it!
So since Trump is on his third marriage, can he we ask him using the same rules of everything is fair game in politics if he has ever committed adultery? I’m sure if he were asked he would go ballistic crying that the liberal media was attacking him unfairly and of course his supports would be reacting like a bobbleheads shaking in agreement.
Clinton’s easy defense is the 800 pound guerilla in the room constantly ignored by Fox News: Let’s discuss the good work the Clinton Foundation does regarding women.
https://www.clintonfoundation.org/our-work/by-topic/girls-and-women
So the larger irony is the misogynistic Saudis are funding programs which boost women’s issues. Maybe not in their country but certainly abroad. So, Sean, tell me again why Hillary and Bill shouldn’t take their money? Oh, I know, you’ll shift to the Clintons taking payola right-wing conspiracy theory. But at least we can shut your pie hole on women’s issues.
Moreover, if the Saudi’s money is tainted giving to the Clinton Foundation why isn’t it dirty giving to our defense industry since the Saudis are one of its biggest clients? This is with the blessings of a Republican led Congress and past Republicans in the White House like Bush.
Saudi Arabia is an ally we need in the Middle East. Which is why they aren’t an issue except as a useful tool to bash Hillary.
I agree, Ellen, Hillary should take on The Donald (and his creator Fox News) aggressively.
The Clintons aren’t gonna let the GOP paint them the way they painted Kerry. This ain’t their first rodeo.
