I don’t feel sorry for her so much as I am ashamed of our political system that it can just turn a blind eye to this sort of abuse of power. That it can just destroy lives and not bat an eye. That we don’t hold firm accountability to these abusive politicians. This is more a reflection on the voters. Americans seemed to cheer Clinton for his womanizing savvy. How cool is it to abuse an intern in the Oval Office?
I think power causes people on both sides of the influence to do some really irrational things. But the responsibility always lies in the hands of the person WITH the power. Monica may have been 22 and perfectly within her capacity to decide what she was doing; but we’re talking about the president. She got stars in her eyes and there was no way she could see how this could come crashing down on here. Clinton, on the other hand, had an entire entourage of legal and political protection. The man lied under oath and got away with it. This is just a complete breach of trust on every level.
Americans seemed to cheer for Clinton? No, I think it was a certain type of American. Certain media types? Yes, the Leftist Media, which, at the time owned the broadcast media & print media. But not the Internet media, which was starting to emerge in popularity to the general public.
No, it is NOT cool to abuse an intern in the Oval Office. It is NOT cool for a US President to defame and disgrace the political office in the manner Bill Clinton did. No, it is NOT cool that his political machine destroyed her and any other woman who became entangled with Bill Clinton when it became public. But those are 2 different stories. Monica made her bed. She layed in it. Well, not really. She had an UNREQUITED love affair. She was treated like yesterday's trash, but she was treated that way all along. She was still going after him, she was still trying to have a "consummated" relationship with him. It was her MO. According to stories of the time, she never had one successful relationship, because (IMO) she sought unattainable relationships. Guys who would not treat her right, married men, etc.
Maybe Monica was a messed up young woman, but she was no angel. Go back and read some of the newspaper articles & interviews of people involved in Monica's life BEFORE she went to Washington. Monica Lewinsky was - to use a stereotype - a Jewish American Princess who lived in the 90210 zip code. However, she never got the love & attention she craved from her daddy. Mommy was a self absorbed, star crazy aspiring journalist. Her parents divorced and Monica finished out her HS years craving to be accepted by the "in-crowd" but was always on the fringe. She would shower acquaintances with gifts in order to be accepted, she went overboard in her attempts to be popular, etc.
Then, at 19, she became involved with a married HS teacher from her old HS, while she was babysitting his children. According to some accounts I've re-read from that era, her mother got her the internship (through a high-powered connection, of course) in Washington to get her OUT of that relationship. Some accounts say it only ended when the wifey-poo found out, other accounts say it ended when mommy dearest got her the internship.
I cut my Intrawebs teeth on the Monica Lewinsky scandal. We had just obtained internet access since the Ex was leaving for a Med Cruise in the Navy. I was horrified at the details being exposed on the news! I couldn't believe my ears that something like this was happening and I didn't believe it was true. When I heard about "The Drudge Report" the first time, it was on CNN and after I found that website, I used to live there and also on Lucianne.com, because both websites came out about that same time. I did not feel Monica's pain at all, ever. I think she caused it. Yes, she was decimated by the Clinton Machine, but I think that is what happens when you mess with fire. You get burned. Bill Clinton's peccadillos and his womanizing history is a separate story altogether.
You know, I was 22 at one time. I worked for a very large "quasi" government type of agency in Washington, DC. While there, I was asked to apply for a certain job, and was flattered that I was personally sought out! I went to talk to the Director of that Department about the position, and I realized in the middle of the discussion that the "job" as his assistant would involve much more than just my clerical abilities. He didn't come right out and SAY it to me, of course. It was very obvious to me, though. I was very young, very naive, and such a goody goody two shoes. However, I was not flattered any longer. I was scared out of my wits, to be honest. I left that office that day and never applied for that job, because I had a feeling it would not be what I was after. So there are many types of young, naive 22 year old women. I was not the Monica Lewinsky type.
She has brains and political cunning, what she lacked was charisma. She gets it by proxy while she is married to Bill. Divorce Bill and she is just another unattractive thick ankled semi-intellectual who is boring and uninspiring trying to make it in DC.
: ... Chapter 5: The whole world is saying I'm a slut, but I'm not a slut!
