Monica Lewinsky: Roger Ailes's Dream Was My Nightmare

[DonViejo]

By MONICA LEWINSKY MAY 22, 2017

This is not another obituary for Roger Ailes, who died last week a year after being ousted at Fox News. It is, I hope, instead an obituary for the culture he purveyed — a culture that affected me profoundly and personally.

Just two years after Rupert Murdoch appointed Mr. Ailes to head the new cable news network, my relationship with President Bill Clinton became public. Mr. Ailes, a former Republican political operative, took the story of the affair and the trial that followed and made certain his anchors hammered it ceaselessly, 24 hours a day. It worked like magic: The story hooked viewers and made them Fox loyalists. For the past 15 years, Fox News has been the No. 1 news station; last year the network made $2.3 billion.

Some experts have noted that viewers found Fox for the first time because of the crisis. John Moody, a Fox executive editor, reflected on that period: “The Lewinsky saga put us on the news map.” As he put it in another interview: “Monica was a news channel’s dream come true.”

Their dream was my nightmare. My character, my looks and my life were picked apart mercilessly. Truth and fiction mixed at random in the service of higher ratings. My family and I huddled at home, worried about my going to jail — I was the original target of Ken Starr’s investigation, threatened with 27 years for having been accused of signing a false affidavit, obstructing justice, suborning perjury and other crimes — or worse, me taking my own life. Meantime, Mr. Ailes huddled with his employees at Fox News, dictating a lineup of talking heads to best exploit this personal and national tragedy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/opinion/monica-lewinsky-roger-ailess-dream-was-my-nightmare.html

[sarah FAILIN]

1. why is her name out there AGAIN????

So tired of her.

[Aristus]

2. I don't think it's unreasonable for people whose lives were ruined by that vulture to go public

with the story.

It makes a nice counterpoint to Rachel Maddow's fluffery over Roger Ailes's death.

[Blue_Tires]

4. Monica made out all right...

Exclusive interviews, book deals, a short-lived fashion line, etc....

[maxsolomon]

8. really? she "made out all right"?

I think she'd gladly have done without all the benefits you mention.

[Gravitycollapse]

12. Her life was basically ruined. Your comments are uninformed and offensive.

[lostnfound]

14. Thank you.! Nt

[lostnfound]

13. You don't look much at the psychological side of life, then? Is it all about the stuff?

What if she were your daughter getting dismantled on nightly TV month after month after month, for a youthful indiscretion?

Do you ever put yourself in her shoes?

[JudyM]

21. "Youthful indiscretion?" I wouldn't let her off that easily.

[LenaBaby61]

30. Monica made out all right...

Well .....

WHO wants to hear their name used in such a nasty and pejorative way IE: "Oh, so (Insert any woman's name) gave (Man's name) a Lewinsky." There's that Blue, stained dress. Former Pres. Bill Clinton, the cigar and what he used it for and on whom.

BOTH Monica and Bill were wrong for engaging in what they did, their behaviors. Bill was a much older, married man who should have been concentrating on his presidency. Clinton's presidency was somewhat derailed. Lewinsky was wrong to have told Linda Tripp about her affair, and Tripp was a dog for telling others what Lewinsky told her in strict confidence. From Bill Clinton to Monica, to the House Managers--some of whom where guilty of having or being IN affairs or between mistresses (Gingrich, Bob Livingston etc.)/making mistresses or wives have abortions (Bob Barr etc.), having outside families/children (Henry Hyde, Dan Burton), pedophiles (Dennis Hastert etc.) closeted gays (Larry Craig etc.) who criticized Bill Clinton were hypocrites and embarrassments to themselves that were outed. More recently, we seen the fortunes of Ken Starr (Ousted as President at Baylor University because of a scandal) who later pretty much admitted that there was really no there, there, with the "Clinton Scandals" which cost us taxpayers time and money.

NOT too many winners all the way around from this sad, sordid saga in our nation's and political history where frailty and humanness intersected with hypocrisy and gall. SCARY thing is that this current scandal involving tRumputin/family/putin/russian interference into US elections to elect tRumputin/assange & fakileaks, GOP voter-suppression, the GOP protecting tRumputin thus far so that they can destroy this country makes the Clinton "scandal" look like a picnic in the park.

[demmiblue]

7. Thank you. n/t

[lostnfound]

11. Yep. She was victimized by a sick misogynistic culture and by Fox far more than by one horny guy

She has as much right to speak up about it as anyone. Flipping hypocritical culture, big on "slut-shaming" and not giving a shit about the individual people who are being publicly humiliated.

The GOP and FoX were DISGUSTING in that whole episode, and wasted so much taxpayers money in the process.

[elleng]

26. She wrote a piece for the NYT.

Don't read it if you don't want to.

[sarah FAILIN]

29. I don't intend on it.

She can stick all the copies of it in a ziplock bag and save them for whoever is interested in reading them later on for all I care about her.

[ATL Ebony]

32. Exactly. She's not the most ethical person either but made a very valid point.

I have to wonder if she's looking for a talk show gig since she's being very public these days.

[Chasstev365]

3. I hope Linda Tripp is happy!

Fox "News" is one of the most destructive forces in American history!

[SoCalMusicLover]

9. Because She's Clearly The One Who Lied

Why exactly is she a witch? She's neither the one who came forward with what took place. She was the victim, and merely told her side of the story when she had to.

I would say more, but it would probably get this post flagged by someone who didn't like it.

[obamanut2012]

10. "Bimbo"?!

WTF

[demmiblue]

6. Monica Lewinsky has been so maligned by both sides of the political spectrum.

I actually rather admire her after watching her TED talk:

I will refrain from saying anything else.

[Horse with no Name]

24. I actually have also listened to her

And what she went through. It was horrible and she didn't deserve a bit of it.

[JI7]

15. this was one of those things nobody needed to know about and something she could have written a book

On years later when she was retired to make some money but without hurting hers and others lives at the moment.

And the hypocrisy of those who thought this was so important and how dare they pres not tell them about it whole defending trump is disgusting.

[mac56]

17. SHE'S not that bright?!

Really?

You really need to stop. Now.

[Gravitycollapse]

18. You win the misogynist of the day award.

[Jno_Gilmor_]

20. Lol

[WinkyDink]

19. Shut. Up. Look, I'm as cognizant of Mitterand's two women at his funeral as anyone, but to have

President Clinton almost brought down by this affair was AWFUL!

We do NOT need to be reminded of it! EVER AGAIN!

[JudyM]

22. Yes. And it went beyond Clinton, to impact our party more broadly.

[lostnfound]

25. What was the name of Mark Sanford's girlfriend? Gingrich's? Remember when Ailes dissected them?

No? Huh. What a shock.

[WinkyDink]

35. And Rudy's flaunted mistress became his wife. New Yorkers hated him, then....9/11.

[JCanete]

27. That's not on her, as much as its on him, as much as its on our whole culture

that wants all the sordid details and wants to pass judgement from on high. I'm not exactly sure why she should shut up, but I am sure the culture around this stuff needs to change, and probably is changing for being talked about openly.

[hunter]

23. Roger Ailes is dead. Good.

I've a very twisted history as a late teen and young twenty-something.

I saw people naked but I always escaped with my sacred virginity intact, not even so much as a hand job.

And should he demand it, I'll proclaim my own greater Christian Purity over that secretly masturbating-in-the-closet pervert Ken Starr.

I'm pretty sure Monica and Bill still live in his head.

Hand the pathetic man a cigar.

[KT2000]

28. Very good piece of writing

Many young people would not have survived what she experienced from the media - especially FAUX.

[Lucinda]

31. +1

[Mike Nelson]

33. I remember that...

...FOX' "...all Monica, all the time!" motto. Good she writing about the real abusers. I'd like an essay on consensual sex and that it's wrong to shame women for enjoying sex as much as men... although I do have a problem with the power difference, obviously.

[luvMIdog]

34. I'm sure she isn't the only person on the planet that regrets blowing someone ;)

And yeah Faux news never went after any rethug girlfriends or sex partners like that