Hillary Clinton’s self-image as a feminist champion has always been at odds with her political partnership with a serial womanizer whose electoral career has depended on discrediting and smearing the women with whom he’s had dalliances. The disconnect is a little as if Jane Sanders were married to Lloyd Blankfein.
Hillary tends to get a pass, because the 1990s were a long time ago, the media often scold anyone who brings up the scandals, and most politicians think it’s bad form to talk about someone else’s marriage. Unconstrained by all these boundaries, Trump is hitting her with his characteristic abandon.
Hillary’s defenders say this is tantamount to blaming her for Bill’s infidelities. Of course, she’s not responsible for his wanderings. But as a fully vested member of Bill’s political operation, Hillary had as much interest in forcefully rebutting all allegations of sexual misconduct as he did.
Bill’s private affairs were never truly private because they always had potential political ramifications, and often directly involved his conduct in office. This is why he corrupted everyone around him who had, as the price of admission, to help him lie and cover up.
Hillary was always with the sisterhood, except when one of the sisters piped up about Bill having sex with her or grossly mistreating her, in which case Hillary was with the patriarchy — i.e., her powerful, entitled husband — all the way.