It Appears The Sexist Attacks On Hillary Clinton Are Being Recycled

    We've seen this before.

    Mark Di Stefano
    by Mark Di Stefano

    Political Editor, Australia

    Watching the Republican convention from Australia, this screengrab from the MSNBC television broadcast really jumped out.

    MSNBC

    It was an array of sexist badges being sold outside the Cleveland arena. One in particular was pretty awful and referred to Clinton's thighs, breasts and left wing.

    But it was striking because it was nearly the exact line used against former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard in a scandal in 2013 that became known as "menugate". At a fundraiser for the conservative Liberal National party, this menu was served with the main course dedicated to the country's first ever female PM.

    Dave @chef09876

    @deanhepburn if your collecting tweets about the coaltition: This is a menu from a Lib dinner that Hockey atteneded

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    It read: "Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail - Small Breasts, Huge Thighs & A Big Red Box". (Julia Gillard has red hair)

    Twitter: @chef09876

    The Liberal National candidate behind the menu was exposed, but party leader Tony Abbott did not disendorse him.

    And let's not stop there. Take these badges and t-shirts being sold that refer to Clinton as a "bitch".

    Vocativ @vocativ

    .@morninggloria & @sroudman found some buttons at #RNCinCLE

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    Saeed Jones @theferocity

    My word. RT @bimadew: 🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮🚮 #cleveland #RNCinCLE

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    Gillard was also regularly called a bitch by her political opponents. In one of the most infamous photos in Australian political history, opposition leader Tony Abbott and senior members of his party were shown speaking at an anti-Gillard rally, in front a sign that called the prime minister "Bob Browns [sic] Bitch".

    Alan Porritt / AAPIMAGE

    Bob Brown was the leader of the left wing Greens party at the time, and had entered into a political coalition with Gillard to help her remain in power.

    There were even signs around calling her a witch.

    Alan Porritt / AAPIMAGE

    So Aussies watching the US election aren't really surprised by gender-based attacks coming out during the campaign. Like when Donald Trump accused Hillary Clinton of playing the "woman's card" earlier this year.

    edition.cnn.com

    It's straight from the playbook of Julia Gillard's critics, which you can read about here, and here, and here.

    David Crosling / AAPIMAGE

    It makes this interview from last year quite prophetic ... as Gillard called on Clinton to call out the sexist abuse she was receiving.

    BBC Newsnight

    “What I do think looking back on my time as prime minister is that I assumed that the maximum reaction to being the first woman prime minister, both positive and negative, would be in the early days of my prime ministership and then it would kind of wash out of the system,” she told BBC Newsnight.

    “What I actually found was that the longer I was prime minister, gendered insults became a very convenient weapon to go to when you were doing something politically controversial. If I had my time again I would call it out earlier in my period as prime minister.”