Monica Lewinsky says she's grateful to younger generations for helping shift the perception of her story...

[demmiblue]

“How is it that the 24-year-old person with the least amount of power in this situation had the largest consequences for what happened?”

At #TAF25, Monica Lewinsky says she’s grateful to younger generations for helping shift the perception of her story, saying they wondered: “How is it that the 24-year-old person with the least amount of power in this situation had the largest consequences for what happened?” bit.ly/3IkhDd9

— The Atlantic (@theatlantic.com) 2025-09-26T11:45:07.450Z

https://www.youtube.com/live/GqnNnP7_rjQ

[drmeow]

1. Remembering Lewinsky

and Anita Hill, part of that shift is not just that the younger generation did not live through the "brainwashing" but there had been a shift in the cultural attitudes (which is a BIG part of why MAGAt men and Incels are so enraged). The increased awareness since the early 90's of sexual harassment, child sexual abuse, and the concept the coercive nature of a power differential has potentially changed people's view of this as a completely consensual relationship to something very different.

[valleyrogue]

12. Lewinsky was no Anita Hill and not a victim of any sort.

She has made a lot of money being a pseudo-mistress of a US president. If she had an ounce of integrity, she would have lived her life in obscurity and found a real purpose in life. She has none because she is a narcissist capitalizing on other people.

[mr715]

26. Lewinsky was a victim

Her name is synonymous with blowjobs. She didn't sign up for that.

She can be a victim and be a shit person. These are not mutually exclusive. For example, James Comey - asshole victim.

[CentralMass]

33. If I recall she made it her mission to have her "encounter" with Bill Clinton.

He should have declined but she initiated the incident.
I am not going to make a judgment either way.

[mr715]

36. Bill Clinton is batman smart.

He should have known better. He could conceive of potential fallout.

[CentralMass]

37. Bill was was also a "dog".

[mr715]

39. Yup

We contain multitudes.

Monica Lewinsky is a victim and a problematic figure in her own right.

[multigraincracker]

2. Part of a long history of Blaming the Victim

[RobinA]

22. Lewinsky Is Not

a victim. Unless you agree that 24-year-old females are incapable of making good decisions.

[mr715]

30. I think there are a lot of 24 year old females capable of making poor decisions

Many of them end up becoming victims.

[Biophilic]

34. But most of us didn't spend the rest of our lives capitalizing on it.

[mr715]

35. Given the chance, I'm sure many people would

Either way she is going to be the blowjob lady. She can at least be the rich slut or the poor slut.

I apologize for the provocative framing, but that is how I see her capitalization on this.

[Oeditpus Rex]

59. Setting her sights on one man

makes her a "slut" because that man was president of the United States? Do you see her capitalization on this that way, too?

[mr715]

60. You think she'd be framed any differently?

She was a woman on the news in the US because of her sexual activity.

[Oeditpus Rex]

61. Which news broadcast

used the word "slut" to describe her?

[mr715]

62. It certainly was subtext. As it is here.

[Oeditpus Rex]

64. Where does one find 'subtext' in a news report?

In the Chyron? The sidebar?

[Skittles]

49. it's utterly ridiculous

she wasn't a child, I was a sergeant in the military at that age

so sick of her and her whining - jeez, will Stormy still be beefing in 20 years?

[llmart]

55. I so agree with you.

At 24 I was married with two children and owned a house. She's not a victim. Clinton didn't force himself on her and if I remember correctly, she was pursuing him. Didn't she even show him a thong she was wearing or tell him that she was wearing a thong? I'm not saying he was stupid to do what he did, but I think she initiated it.

[Skittles]

56. they're consenting adults but they are both disgusting

pathetic behavior

[llmart]

57. Linda Tripp included in that disgusting behavior also.

[oasis]

65. Linda Tripp AND Lucianne Goldberg exploited

Monica’s situation.
Those two bear a great deal of the blame for how this “affair” was thrust onto the public.

[Happy Hoosier]

3. Not that I'm excusing Bill, but...

Still curious why she kept that dress and didn't wash it. Like.... EWWWWWW.

[valleyrogue]

5. She was a groupie. She took after her mother.

Gene Lyons and Joe Conason wrote all about it, but if you were alive then or old enough then and followed the sham "impeachment" of Bill Clinton, you would know she was anything but an angel.

"Presidential knee pads." Sure, she was a victim. Sure.

She was a woman who found herself dumped in favor of his wife and daughter, you know, somebody with family values, after he slipped up during the government shutdown over Medicare funding. But Lewinsky always wanted to be famous, so she has ridden this dubious fame for over 30 years ever since she opened her mouth to Linda Tripp. She is in her fifties now and STILL hasn't moved on.

[Happy Hoosier]

7. I was, and did...

As far as I know, she has always said, at least until recently, that she was a willing participant.

Having said that, Bill is a horndog and always has been. He had a very hard time keeping it in his pants. And interacting that way with an intern is pretty clearly unethical, but also pretty clearly completely legal.

[valleyrogue]

9. Evidence he was a "horndog" other than the GOP smears

which tried to pin all kinds of women on him for political reasons simply because he posed a threat to the GOP's "Southern Strategy"? There ain't any of note, and there haven't been any serious claims since his presidency that he was a "horndog."

You bought into a lot of garbage by the political right, aided and abetted by the media.

[EdmondDantes_]

14. Gennifer Flowers, Elizabeth Gracen, Dolly Browning, and Sally Perdue

All of them have admitted to affairs with Bill Clinton. Clinton himself acknowledged Gennifer Flowers but claimed it only happened once.

And that's not getting into the claims from multiple women that he assaulted them.

[EdmondDantes_]

11. Bill Clinton has a long history of cheating, it wasn't a slip up

His actions don't scream family values. Admittedly I have a harsh view of infidelity, but as her boss, he had greater responsibility.

[marble falls]

47. Shame on you. The impeachment was political bullshit. So is piling on Lewinsky.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

51. Yes.

[RobinA]

23. It Was

a trophy. Guys put the heads of dead animals on the wall, Monica kept the dress. I mean, she bagged big game.

[mr715]

31. The Big Dog nt

[valleyrogue]

4. I hope people aren't buying what she is trying to sell.

Last edited Fri Sep 26, 2025, 09:50 PM - Edit history (1)

She took after her mother, a woman who pursued married celebrities. That was her whole goal in life, to be a groupie to a famous man. Hers was a president of the United States, who, by the way, broke off this "affair" because of his own family. He wasn't a Newt Gingrich or anything like that. Furthermore, she was seeing another man at the time and had gotten pregnant by said man.

She was not a "victim" of any sort.

I am really tired of her defenders because they clearly don't know anything about the case or were too young to remember it.

She is STILL trying to capitalize on the fact she engaged in some clumsy foreplay in the Oval Office instead of actually doing something constructive with her life.

No sympathy for her and I will never have it for her.

[badhair77]

6. Her flashing her thong at him as an invitation for a "relationship."

her history of an affair with a married former teacher with a family, her sharing of the blue dress details with Linda Tripp, and the list goes on that she lacks understanding of boundaries. I, too, wish she’d find some purpose in her life and move on. She exhausts me so I try to stay clear of anything ML.

[valleyrogue]

8. People need to remember those inconvenient details and tell the younger generation

that she was NOT a "victim" of an "imbalance of power" or anything remotely closely to it. It was Bill Clinton who had her sent to the Pentagon because he KNEW that what he did was a bad idea.

We can all be grateful she didn't try to pass off her pregnancy, which ended in abortion, as being from Bill.

The FIRST thing I did when I read Bill's autobiography was look up the Lewinsky thing and Hillary's reaction after Bill told her the truth about it. She kicked him out of the White House bedroom for a time, with his only real friend being his late, beloved dog Buddy. She would have been justified divorcing him, but they patched things up and are still going strong all these years later.

[valleyrogue]

10. She actually went back to DC to become an intern

in order to bag the president of the United States. She had no other motive. She wanted to be a "presidential mistress" like Judith Exner supposedly was, like Nan Britton was. She succeeded to some extent though she came up short. She capitalized on her dubious notoriety.

[3catwoman3]

50. Most 5 year olds know that it is inappropriate to show your underwear...

...to others.

[JI7]

19. Yes, she had a show that was planned for release around 2016/2017

to try to gain from what many thought would be a Hillary Clinton Presidency.

Clinton was wrong for cheating but this wasn't a case of harassment or using his position to gain something.

Every few years she herself comes out to talk about this.

[bagimin]

13. Monica and her "presidential knee pads", as I recall

On her way to the White House with ulterior motives. Not excusing Bill, but this was a planned deal on her part. Just go away already.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. I find it hilarious the way people still go to bat for Bill Clinton's personal reputation, myself.

[RobinA]

25. It's Not Going To Bat

for Clinton. It's believing that women are capable of making their own decisions. Good or bad.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

53. Looks like Clinton was the

victim around here.

[obamanut2012]

16. Well, many of the replies in this thread are appalliing

My God.

[demmiblue]

27. +1 (I am not surprised, though)

I really admire how she rose above the trauma of the situation, and used her experience to help others. Not many could. She is good people!

[mr715]

28. Right?

Shame on us.

[marble falls]

48. HUGELY appalling.

[Skittles]

58. it's pretty simple

if you don't want to be known as a horndog prez, don't have any kind of sex with an intern

if you don't want to be known for a blowjob, don't blow a prez

they were both disgusting and for the love of GAWD I she would stop talking about it, MOVE THE FUCK ON ALREADY

[BannonsLiver]

17. I can't think of anything more pressing in today's world.

🙄

[Skittles]

52. THANK YOU

SICK of hearing about that gal......enough already.

[Ping Tung]

18. History was made by a blue dress and a naughty lady.

The citizenry thrives on salacious scandals.

"Mind your own damn business." Tim Walz

[karynnj]

21. I would contest that she had the most consequences

Bill Clinton and through him the country paid a very high price.

For Clinton personally, it means that though he was a successful two term President, it unfortunately will likely be the case that most mainstream obituaries will mention the scandal and that he was impeached. By his own account, he for at least some period of time nearly lost his marriage. He had some in his administration leave.

For the country and the world, his transgression may have cost Gore the Presidency. Consider that Bush, who had drinking problems until he was 40 ran on bringing decency back to the White House - even as he ran against Eagle Scout Gore. It has since then likely made his strong voice less compelling to some who were not Democrats.

I think what he did was stupid and beyond wrong. However, both of them were adults and it apparently started when she flashed her thong. What still surprises me is that this did not lead to her immediate removal for inappropriate behavior. It does suggest that Clinton's closest people may have seen this as a Clinton norm.

It also seems that had she wanted, she could have dropped her first name in favor of her middle name, changed her hair style, color etc and gone about applying for jobs or higher education. She seems to have often used that short period of her life to be a media person etc. She did not have that many accomplishments when the scandal happened. Her internship happened because her stepdad was a big donor.

[SamuelTheThird]

24. A lot of dead Iraqis because of her

Gore would have won

[mr715]

29. Gore probably would have won.

But she didn't kill those Iraqis. The blood is on other hands. The stuff on her hands isn't blood.

[snowybirdie]

32. Hey I'm a life long

Democrat and still am mad at Bill Clinton. He should never have hit on a young woman in his employ. Remember the Me Too movement folks? He is a married man who made vows and he violated them. Think of what could have been off only he'd resigned and Al Gore became president instead of Junior Bush in 2001

[PragmaticLiberal]

41. Actually, she hit on Clinton.

His mistake was not rebuffing her immediately.

[snowybirdie]

54. Okay

A starstruck young woman hit on a 50+ year old man. Young people are sometimes stupid. A 50+ year old man knows better than to reciprocate her advances. Especially a high ranking politician. Clinton was an excellent president, but debased his legacy with this stupid affair with MS Lewinsky. So glad Hillary rose above this scandal and was an excellent Senator, Secretary of State and almost President. An amazing woman.

[Traildogbob]

38. Clinton was totally wrong

To cheat. He got one blow job under the table by a mistress that was willing based on her admiration of him, and vulnerable. And we don’t know how many more he MAY have had. I would believe many. Lots of GQP Christian’s probably laugh about it because of their hate for Hilary. She WAS a victim with zero sympathy from most Americans.
Trump gets over a dozen blow Jobs under the table for 3 hours with live coverage at each cabinet meeting and STILL treated as Gods right hand man and a real Christian.
And can we even attempt to count the cheating Trump accomplished on ALL his wives?
The Old Testament has a cure for cheating, so let’s get some rocks, and do what God told us to do.
Amen!!!

[mr715]

40. It was more than 1 beej

The number doesn't matter tho

[Traildogbob]

42. You are right

One is off limits for someone married. Period.

[mr715]

43. You may remember the gross cigar story.

I shall not recount it here.

There were many victims. Monica Lewinsky was one. Hillary Clinton was another. Both are defined, in part, by someone else's choices concerning their lives.

[Traildogbob]

44. I do!

At 15 and friend and I snuck into a county fair X Rated tent and observed a cigar smoking incident.
Scared me for life. And she blew smoke rings!
Can’t watch anyone smoking stogies now and not see it again😳😵‍💫😵‍💫🥴🥴😵😵

[mr715]

45. Ooof

lol

[Norrrm]

46. Hillary had to compete with Monica. Laura had to compete with Jeff Gannon. Melania is still competing, but weakly.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

63. The MAGAt Republicans

made a great big circus of the impeachment, hauling in boxes of "evidence," it made me sick.

I think Monica's used up her 15 minutes.