Nightly Show Panel Decries Sexist ‘Rhetoric’ Against Hillary; ‘I Love Her Like I Love Lady Macbeth’

January 27th, 2016 2:21 AM

The panel on the Tuesday edition of Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show spent a large part of their segment decrying the criticism of Hillary Clinton as almost exclusively due to her being a woman and the need “to stop hating women...as a culture” with one panelist comparing her love of Clinton to their admiration for the Shakespeare character Lady Macbeth.

Nightly Show contributor Robin Thede started the parade of sexism charges by denying host Larry Wilmore’s question if it’s fair to ask Clinton about her honesty and instead declared that “you can disagree with things she's done politically, but we have to stop hating women — like, as a culture.”

Wilmore asked her to confirm this claim and Thede complained that “other politicians don't have this kind of rhetoric about them and these things that have nothing to do with the campaign” and “I’m tired of it.” 

Of course, this was what many in the liberal media have been lamenting concerning President Obama for eight years now, but that’s another argument for another day. 

Fellow liberal comedian Jena Friedman chimed in a few moments later to add that while almost nothing in politics will be fair for anyone, “I think Hillary just being in the public eye, like, knows this more than anyone” because “last time she was president she had to deal with everyone calling her Bill.”

Despite Nightly Show contributor Mike Yard arguing that questions about Clinton’s honesty are fair since next to no politicians are honest people, the one-sided railing against opponents of Clinton continued as Friedman dropped the bizarre comparison to Lady Macbeth and brushed aside her e-mail scandal: 

FRIEDMAN: I was just going to say I love her, I always have loved her. I love her like I love Lady Macbeth —

YARD: How much do you love Lady McBeth?

WILMORE [TO FRIEDMAN]: You got to have her first hair style.

THEDE: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: That’s on purpose — no, it’s just, you know, and we all have skeletons in our e-mails. You know, it's not like — I just think we do give her a hard time. I don't know if it's because she's a woman, or you know.

Wilmore jumped in to agree with Yard that politicians are generally untrustworthy, but also blasted the string of developments emerging at a time concerning Clinton’s e-mail scandal as unfair and excused a student at the CNN Iowa Democratic Town Hall on Monday for asking Clinton about it because he didn’t grow-up in the 1990's and has been “hearing all this Benghazi bulls*** and all this stuff and is like, I don’t if I can trust her.”

The relevant portions of the transcript from Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on January 26 can be found below.

Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore
January 26, 2016
11:52 p.m. Eastern

LARRY WILMORE: It seems like Hillary is always being questioned on her reputation. First of all, is this a fair take on Hillary? 

NIGHTLY SHOW CONTRIBUTOR ROBIN THEDE: Well, I’m just — can I just say something? And this is — my honest take about Hillary, politics aside, you can disagree with things she's done politically, but we have to stop hating women. Like, as a culture, I feel like there's —

WILMORE: You think this is about women hate?

THEDE: Yes because other politicians don't have this kind of rhetoric about them and these things that have nothing to do with the campaign. Really. I’m tired of it.

(....)

JENA FRIEDMAN: Well, nothing about, who said anything had politics had to do with fairness and I think Hillary just being in the public eye, like, knows this more than anyone. You know? Like, last time she was president she had to — 

THEDE: Ha ha ha. 

FRIEDMAN:  — deal with everyone calling her Bill. You know? 

THEDE: So is that was tough for her. That was tough. 

WILMORE: How much does Bill have to do with this whole narrative of her being untrustworthy?

FRIEDMAN: Seven percent. I don’t know. 

WILMORE: No, but it seems like she’s paying for the sins of his administration. 

THEDE: Absolutely, back in the ‘90s —

WILMORE: Or the fact that she stood next to him when people were so mad at her for that?

THEDE: Yes, the fact that she stood — I think they’re absolutely still mad about that. I think people are still resentful. In the 90's, it was cool to blame the woman when the husband cheated. And now, it's the opposite. We feel really sympathetic for women who get cheated on but she still has that residual resentment.

(....)

FRIEDMAN: I was just going to say I love her, I always have loved her. I love her like I love Lady Macbeth —

NIGHTLY SHOW CONTRIBUTOR MIKE YARD: How much do you love Lady McBeth?

WILMORE: You got to have her first hair style.

THEDE: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: That’s on purpose — no, it’s just, you know, and we all have skeletons in our e-mails. You know, it's not like — I just think we do give her a hard time. I don't know if it's because she's a woman, or you know. 

WILMORE: Well, there has been, to me, I’m a little suspicious. Let me say a little suspicious because I agree with you. I think all politicians are untrustworthy. You know, but this whole drip, drip, drip with the e-mail thing seems a little bit on purpose to me. You know, and it’s one of those things that — it's putting it out there once you put it out there that you can't trust her, you can’t trust her, she’s a liar, she’s a liar. How do you put that genie back in the bottle? I mean, like, when I look at that kid, he doesn’t remember the ‘90s. You know, he’s hearing all this Benghazi bullshit and all this stuff and is like, I don’t if I can trust her.