Looking back, 2016 seems like such an idealistic time.

Back then, a group of political activists shared a list of words they said one couldn’t use to describe then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, arguing to do otherwise would be sexist.

Today, certain public figures are arguing in earnest that it’s good for comedian Samantha Bee to call Ivanka Trump a “feckless c--t,” because it’s speaking truth to power or something. Others are even praising Bee's choice of words.

Fun times!

Comedian Alise Morales said in an CNN panel that Bee’s remarks were consistent with the comedian’s duty to “speak truth to power,” arguing that Ivanka Trump is "one of the most powerful women in our country,” and therefore the “c—t” remark was “punching up.”

TV writer Jess Dweck added separately, “OK, but when will Ivanka apologize for being one?”

“It's absolutely wrong to call Ivanka a ‘feckless c—t.’ She's a lot more than that. She's a feckless c--t WIFE. She's a feckless c--t SISTER. She's a feckless c--t DAUGHTER. And she's a feckless c--t BUSINESSWOMAN. She contains feckless c--t MULTITUDES,” said screenwriter Bess Kalb.

“That was the wrong word for Samantha Bee to have used. But mostly because (to paraphrase the French), Ivanka has neither the warmth nor the depth,” said actress Minnie Driver.

Political cartoonist Jen Sorensen said, “Samantha Bee, a woman, calling a white supremacist wannabe-oligarch's enabling daughter the c-word, is punching up."

Then, there’s New York magazine contributor Rebecca Traister, who wrote a 10-part tweet thread arguing ... okay, never mind, I can tell you're getting bored with this.

So, here's the point: This almost makes me miss 2016. Almost!

Back then, a pro-Hillary Clinton group, the HRC Super Volunteers, emailed reporters to inform them that they’d be on the lookout for coded sexism, including words and phrases like “polarizing,” “calculating,” “disingenuous,” “insincere,” “ambitious,” “inevitable,” “entitled,” “over confident,” “secretive,” “will do anything to win,” “represents the past,” and “out of touch.” I'm just going to assume that c--t would make the list.

"It was sexist media coverage that brought us together, especially in Texas and Ohio," John West, one of the founding members, told me at the time. "As a gay man, I find sexism synonymous with homophobia. We're liberals and progressives. So, we're very sensitive to that sort of stuff."

It wasn’t just this one group alleging sexism in the way the nation talked about Clinton. Many in the press hopped aboard this train, and stayed on it long after President Trump won.

The funny thing? Progressives actually aren't sensitive to this stuff. Not if the woman in question isn't one of them. They're proving that right now.

I just about got whiplash going back-and-forth between defenses of “punching up” with the word “c—t” and articles claiming it is sexist to suggest Clinton, a former first lady, senator and secretary of state — pretty powerful, right? — should consider packing it up after blowing an election in which she enjoyed every conceivable advantage.