1998 Redux: Clintons Political War against the Tea Party Movement

by Marinka Peschmann

Last week Big Government reported that a “meeting of former Clintonistas and senior Democrat political operatives” headed by James Carville took place “to coordinate a push-back to the burgeoning tea party movement.”

For those who recall former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, it is hardly surprising that the Clintonistas who saved the Clintons in 1998, when the Monica Lewinsky scandal became a threat to the Clinton’s political survival, are now plotting to ostensibly save the Democrat party.

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Reportedly as part of their ‘push/pull” strategy, 7-8 national figures active in the tea party movement will be identified, targeted and smeared.

The question is–will the tea party movement learn from the Clinton’s history of the politics of personal destruction?

First, I should declare my involvement. In late 1999, I was approached by Linda Tripp’s representatives to write her story. Tripp was targeted, vilified, and smeared during the events that led to President Bill Clinton’s impeachment. As a result, I saw how the Clinton machine worked to destroy their “political enemies.”

A little history here is necessary. It was January 1998 when the Drudge Report broke this news: “Newsweek Kills Story on White House Intern: 23-Year Old, Former White House Intern, Sex Relationship with President.” Serious allegations of suborning perjury, false statements, witness tampering and obstruction of justice followed threatening the Clinton presidency. Shortly thereafter, it was reported that tape recordings existed.

Former President Bill Clinton denied the allegations. Then on January 27, 1998, former First Lady Hillary appeared on NBC’s Today Show to defend her husband. Having, at minimum, knowledge of his record of infidelities, without hesitation Hillary accused what she coined the “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” of conspiring to destroy her husband and of attempting to “undo the results of two elections.”

“… And I think when all of this is put into context, and we really look at the people involved here… look at their backgrounds…,” Hillary declared, “some folks are going to have a lot to answer for.” [i]

President Obama’s Secretary of State and global peacemaker’s accusations ignited a political war to keep the Clintons in the White House. The press snatched Hillary’s bait.

The Clintonista’s, with James Carville leading the charge, declared “war” on anyone who might be involved. By discrediting and impugning Hillary’s VRWC targets, they masterfully turned the focus away from the alleged criminal activities and changed the dialogue to “it was all about sex.”

Linda Tripp was cast in the Clinton White House script as Hillary’s evil VRWC ringleader. The former civil servant who had served in the Clinton White House had taped her phone calls with President Clinton’s paramour Monica Lewinsky as an insurance policy to avoid having to lie under oath about it in the upcoming Paula Jones sexual harassment case against the President.

The nation split down party lines. Battle lines were drawn. It was American versus American. It got ugly.

In the Clinton’s war of politics of personal destruction no tactic is too low.  The Clinton machine went into overdrive to destroy Linda.  Straight out of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, ‘Pick the Target, Freeze It, Personalize It and Polarize It,’ their character assassination tactics commenced by blast-faxing talking points to the press, ascribing inaccurate motives to Linda such as inferring she was a “Republican” even though she was a registered independent. Private investigators were dispatched to dig up dirt.[ii] Even Linda’s confidential FBI background check was illegally leaked out to the press. The “nuts and sluts” tactic previously employed to discredit other women caught in the Clinton’s crosshairs changed to spin Linda into a jealous, bitter woman who conspired to destroy the Clintons so she could write a book.

During the Clinton’s political war the nation saw how anyone could be used to defend their version of events; including Secretary of State Madeline Albright and the late Senator Ted Kennedy who both declared their unwavering belief in President Clinton. President Obama’s Chief of Staff, then Bill Clinton’s CoS, Rahm Emanuel helped close ranks as well when he said, “There is actual truth, and it pertains to two points. Did the president have a sexual relationship with this young lady? No. Did the president ask this young lady to lie? No.” He said, “And that’s what matters…” [iii]

While America’s enemies plotted and schemed, for months the Clintonista’s dragged America through their war of political survival until forensics on a blue dress stopped them. Because just like a fictional Hollywood screen play, the Clinton story line took wildly creative liberties. At the end of the day Hillary’s accusations were false; it was President Clinton who lied about Lewinsky, not Hillary’s phony VRWC or Linda.

Today, a broad brush to paint the tea party participants as racists or domestic terrorists has already begun. But one of the many lessons to learn during a Clinton smear campaign is to learn from Linda’s mistake of keeping silent. Her silence allowed the Clintonistas to control the dialogue, where falsehoods morphed into perceived reality irrespective of the truth.

The Clinton’s reputation to never count them out is well deserved. Assuming recent speculation is correct, and Hillary is planning to re-seek the Presidency, consider that similar speculation about Hillary’s plans to run for President during the Clinton White House years, despite her denials, also proved to be accurate.

Buckle up.

Cross-posted at marinkapeschmann.com

[i] Hillary Clinton and Matt Lauer, NBC’s Today Show, January 27, 1998

[ii] [ii] The Secret War, Newsweek Magazine, Michael Isikoff and Evan Thomas with Mark Hosenball, Karen Breslau and Daniel Klaidman, Special Report, p. 36 February 9, 1998

[iii] White House, President Clinton’s senior policy adviser, Rahm Emanuel, CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, January 25, 1998


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Posted Feb 23rd 2010 at 10:14 am in Politics, Tea Party | 279 Comments