Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh predicted Thursday that Democrats and supporters of Hillary Clinton will use sexism as a tool to shut down opponents who attack and critique her.

Limbaugh, who cited The Daily Caller’s story listing all of the words one cannot use to criticize Clinton, said the former secretary of state will use the “rule of firsts” in her effort to become the first female president. The radio titan added that the GOP establishment and the media will kowtow to Clinton and “shut up” in an effort not to seem sexist. (RELATED: Here Are The Words Hillary’s Supporters Won’t Let You Say)

“This rule of firsts that the Democrats have successfully implemented with Obama, it never works for Republicans. It only works for Democrats. The rule of firsts, the rule of no criticism of firsts did not apply, for example, to the first female secretary of state — the first black female. That was Condoleezza Rice. And it was open season,” Limbaugh said. “The fact that she was the first black female secretary of state did not make her immune to criticism. Because she was a Republican. In fact, she was Sarah Palin-ed.”

“People went after [Colin Powell], even though he was the first black male secretary of state. The rule of firsts did not apply to him,” Limbaugh continued, “nor did it apply to the first Hispanic attorney general. George W. Bush broke the racial barrier on a number of positions, and it didn’t matter. Every one of his appointees was destroyed, or at least they tried. But with Barack Obama, any criticism is disallowed. Any and all criticism was chalked up to racism. And it worked.”

“The Republican establishment, and many in the media just don’t want to go anywhere near being called a racist, and so they just shut up,” Limbaugh opined. “And now Hillary is attempting to implement it for herself on the theory that she’s going to be the first female president.”

[h/t: Breitbart]