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Your Ultimate Hillary & Kim Comparison Guide

by Alicia Lu

He has no shortage of asinine quotes under his belt, so it almost makes sense that Newt Gingrich just compared Hillary Clinton to Kim Kardashian. Now wait a minute, I said it makes sense that he made the comparison. But the comparison itself? It makes zero sense; it makes negative sense; it's owed some sense. Hillary Clinton is a former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and First Lady, and she might be running for president in 2016. Kim Kardashian is a reality TV star famous for her selfies, her relationship with Kanye, and having sex with Brandy's little brother on video.

In other words: completely incomparable. But that's what Gingrich did during a debate on CNN's Crossfire on Tuesday.

Gingrich made the ridiculous comparison when discussing Hillary's comment that she and Bill were "dead broke" when they left the White House, which drew criticism from Republicans who accused her of being "out of touch" with the average working American family. Bill then came to her defense yesterday, saying that she understood very well what lower-income working Americans were going through. The same day, Gingrich said this:

You have to understand the problem Bill has. Bill is to politics what Fred Astaire is to dancing; he is just automatically amazing and he wants to have Ginger Rogers out there dancing. Instead [with Hillary Clinton] it’s a little bit like watching Kim Kardashian get kicked off the stage by Prince because she couldn’t dance.... I don't think, as a candidate, she dances very well.

Gingrich is referring to a Feb. 2011 Prince concert during which the singer called Kim Kardashian on stage, but after she just stood there awkwardly, he told her to "get off the stage!" So in the context of Bill and Hillary, Bill has the smooth moves when it comes to politics while Hillary stands around awkwardly. Geddit?

Political punditry aside, let's examine Gingrich's choice of comparison a little closer. In particular, here are all the reasons why Hillary Clinton is nothing like Kim Kardashian...

Educational Background

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Hillary graduated with a political science degree from Wellesley College, where she was the first student commencement speaker, and a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School. Kim did not go to college.

Career

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Hillary advised the House Committee on the Judiciary during the Watergate scandal, helping the committee reach the decision to impeach President Nixon. When she was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2001, Hillary became the only American first lady to hold national office. Hillary then became the 67th Secretary of State, serving under President Obama from 2009 to 2013.

After Kim became a tabloid fixture for her involvement in the Ray J sex tape and friendship with Paris Hilton, E! offered her and her sisters their own reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Some of the products Kim has endorsed include diet pills, Bebe clothing, and Skechers shoes. Kim's film credits include Disaster Movie, Deep in the Valley, and Tyler Perry's Temptation.

Words of Wisdom

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Hillary told the crowd at the Vital Voices Conference in Vienna, Austria, in 1997:

There cannot be true democracy unless women’s voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country.

Kim told E! her thoughts on the president:

I had dinner with [Obama] once, and he just seemed very firm about the change, and that’s, like, his motto.

Marriage

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Hillary has been married to Bill for almost 40 years, surviving one affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Kim split with NBA player Kris Humphries after being married for 72 days, surviving not even one season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Images: Getty Images