Tom Vilsack Does Hillary Clinton’s Dirty Work

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


There’s a delicious lack of self-awareness on display in these comments by former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack (D). He suggests, without bringing up specifics, that there is trouble in Rudy Giuliani’s personal life — the “number of marriages,” the “relationship he has with his children.” And then, in the same breath, Vilsack transitions to Hillary Clinton’s history of familial problems and says, “We ought to be focused not on scandals. We ought to be focused on the direction of this country.”

Let’s talk for just one second about the wisdom of a Clinton aide drudging up someone else’s sordid personal life. This is either a terrible idea, because it reminds everyone that if Hillary Clinton wins the presidency we’re going to have years and years of headlines and TV newscasts filled with psychodrama, or it’s a dangerous but marginally okay idea because voters see Hillary as the wronged party in her relationship and don’t assign her blame the way they would to Rudy.

Either way, that doesn’t seem like a particularly strong political play. How about we cool it, Vilsack?

(H/T PrezVid)

What’s independent journalism worth to you?

Our news will always be free to read, watch, and listen to online. But what is its value?

Unbiased reporting on the issues that billionaire-owned newsrooms won’t touch. Fearless research into the dark corners of government and corporations. Ferociously fact-checked news that focuses on the facts, and the facts alone.

It IS free for you and every reader, viewer, and listener to utilize. But it’s not free for our team to make. So, what’s it worth to you? Let us know by making a donation: Make a one-time donation today to support this work. Or make a monthly sustaining donation to help us plan for the future.

Whatever you choose, know that you’re supporting more independent, investigative journalism in a time when we need it most.

What’s independent journalism worth to you?

Our news will always be free to read, watch, and listen to online. But what is its value?

Unbiased reporting on the issues that billionaire-owned newsrooms won’t touch. Fearless research into the dark corners of government and corporations. Ferociously fact-checked news that focuses on the facts, and the facts alone.

It IS free for you and every reader, viewer, and listener to utilize. But it’s not free for our team to make. So, what’s it worth to you? Let us know by making a donation: Make a one-time donation today to support this work. Or make a monthly sustaining donation to help us plan for the future.

Whatever you choose, know that you’re supporting more independent, investigative journalism in a time when we need it most.

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

INDEPENDENT. BECAUSE OF YOU.

Mother Jones has no billionaires calling the shots—just readers like you making fearless reporting possible

Donate