nope, but you go ahead...maybe flynt, the spiritual leader of YOUR party, will be in Vegas then too
Monday, Aug. 11, 2003 1:46 p.m. EDT
Clinton Friend Larry Flynt out to Sling Mud
Porn-magnate-turned-California-gubernatorial-candidate Larry Flynt promised on Saturday that he wouldn't reprise his role as a political dirt digger to go after Arnold Schwarzenegger, telling MSNBC that he wasn't interested in doing to the GOP front-runner what he did to Bill Clinton's enemies during impeachment.
In the next breath, however, Flynt hinted that he was sitting on information that could be politically damaging to the Hollywood action star, telling the news network, "I know that there's some red meat out there."
Despite Flynt's denials, the alliance between the former first couple and the investigative pornographer may turn out to be Schwarzenegger's biggest problem, especially given Flynt's past success in ending the political careers of other prominent Republicans who made the mistake of crossing Bill and Hillary.
"I'm not interested in anybody's personal sex life," Flynt insisted to MSNBC, explaining, "I was during [the] impeachment of Bill Clinton because I had a lot invested in him. I think he is one of our greater presidents."
According to Flynt, then-President Clinton privately expressed gratitude for his success in blackmailing Republicans with sexual dirt.
"The president sent word to me, you know – ahh, he was thankful for my effort, and maybe after he left office we could break bread or something," he told The New York Observer in 2000.
Publicly the White House showed its appreciation through press secretary Joe Lockhart, who began describing Flynt's Hustler as a "newsmagazine" during press conferences.
With Flynt's help, the Clintons beat back impeachment by winning an acquittal in the Senate. Now, five years later, the former first couple are pulling out all the stops to save Gray Davis - and, in the process, preserve the state's 55 Electoral College votes for Hillary's presidential run.
With Mr. Clinton's tawdry past, however, neither Bill nor Hillary is particularly well placed to raise questions about Schwarzenegger's personal life.
Mr. Flynt, however, operates under no such contraints. His decision to offer a million dollars for sexual dirt on GOP impeachment backers was enough to frighten many leading Republicans.
And despite Flynt's protestations that he only indulges sexual blackmail when it comes to saving the Clintons, two years ago he offered $10 million to anyone who could supply nude photographs of first daughter Jenna Bush.
Flynt's Hustler even published a composite photo of Jenna's head on the naked body of one of his models over the caption "C'mon Jenna! Accept Larry Flynt's TEN MILLION DOLLARS and raise the American flag!"
If the past is any indication, look for Larry Flynt to find a way around his pledge not to go public with the "red meat" he says he has against Arnold. Especially if Bill and Hillary need a little help from their favorite investigative pornographer. |
