If it can damage the reputation of Cliff Huxtable, Republicans hope similar past allegations can derail Hillary Clinton's 2016 run by doing the same to Bill Clinton's reputation.

Recently I am sure that many of you have probably heard a conservative or two conflating the recent allegations of rape and sexual molestation against Bill Cosby, with Bill Clinton's famous extra martial adventures.

Rush Limbaugh has had that a mainstay of his recent radio broadcasts, and Fox News has recently jumped on the bandwagon as well.

In a recent Politico article it was revealed that this was not a simple case of coincidence and that there is actually a concerted effort to link the two men in the minds of the American people: 

Digital operatives recognize that Cosby’s fall is sure to be an unusual case, given the severity of what more than a dozen women have said he did, including several who had not spoken out before. 

But strategists also see Cosby’s fall as a case study in how social media can spread old news to new audiences — with speed and efficiency dramatically different from what any previous generations of political candidates have encountered. 

Here's more: 

Some believe this issue could become a problem for Hillary Clinton, the party’s early 2016 frontrunner. Bill Clinton’s history of infidelity and allegations of harassment were thoroughly aired in the 1990s. The question is whether the information will find a new audience on social media or one that views the events through a new frame. 

There is some precedent for a shift in attitude. Monica Lewinsky reemerged online this year with an interview in Vogue. While she was widely mocked and harassed online in the late 1990s — she even calls herself the first true victim of cyber bullying — she found a far more sympathetic environment in 2014, with some comedians even apologizing for how she was treated as a White House intern and feminist writers defending her. 

Still, Hillary Clinton’s expected 2016 campaign will have little hope that Republicans and reporters won’t spend time trying to rehash the former president’s personal and political scandals. 

Paul, the Kentucky Republican and likely 2016 presidential candidate, hit Democrats and Bill Clinton earlier this year for using a position of power to take advantage of young women. “Anybody who wants to take money from Bill Clinton or have a fundraiser has a lot of explaining to do,” Paul said during a February interview on CSPAN’s “Newsmakers” program. That followed comments earlier in the year on NBC’s “Meet the Press” when he said, “there is no excuse” for predatory behavior and “We shouldn’t want to associate with people who take advantage of a young girl in his office,” referencing the Monica Lewinsky affair. 

“If anything, Bill Clinton’s past transgressions are a case study in how politicians have displayed the wrong type of attitude with the people they’ve worked with,” Republican strategist Madden said. 

It’s unclear if Republicans could successfully create a viral issue out of Clinton’s past. There have been no new women to come forward in recent years or other scandal to propel it forward. While Cosby faced lawsuits and other allegations of rape and sexual assault, several women have come forward recently. The story has become national news and NBC has canceled a new Cosby comedy show.

It must be pointed out that there are vast differences in what Bill Cosby did with drugging young women and taking advantage of them against their will, and Bill Clinton's sexual escapades which featured willing participants. I am not saying that Clinton was without fault, just that the allegations are in completely different ball parks.

I have long felt that while Bill Clinton is one of Hillary's greatest assets, that he is also potentially her Achilles heel.

If Bill has been behaving well I seriously doubt this old news will have any effect on her candidacy.

However, if Bill has strayed even once since all of that was revealed that could be a real problem for Hillary.

And it is clear that the Republican party is going to work very hard to make that happen.