Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Lawrence O'Donnell wraps up the Weiner...story.
I first have to say how sad I am about how this turned out.
I had kind of hoped that Wiener would be vindicated, even though I had long since decided that he was simply not being honest.
I desperately did NOT want Breitbart to have successfully destroyed this man's career, which is mostly the reason why I did not report on it.
It is somewhat reminiscent of how I reacted to news about the John Edwards love child and adultery story.
I did not blog about the story for a long time because I did not want to do anything which might have caused his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, any more pain. However since that story broke I have had a conversation with the National Enquirer reporter who broke that story and told him thanks for what he did.
It was a story which needed to be told, regardless of how much we may have at one time supported and admired John Edwards. And believe me, I really did admire him very much.
But you see that is the difference between how I deal with learning that the people I support are flawed human beings, and how the people who support Sarah Palin, and others in the GOP, deal with information which makes THEM look less than competent or capable.
I would NEVER consider trying to change history, or creating some alternative universe where my candidate's answers were correct, in order to defend somebody that I supported. I would carefully consider what I had learned and then, based on that, decide if they were still worth supporting.
Which is why I have to say, that I really don't support Rep.Weiner's decision to remain in Congress. I think he should resign. Immediately.
I like the guy, I understand that what he did SHOULD really be just between he and his wife, but he lied. And even after he had EVERY reason to come clean he lied, and lied, and lied.
And for me, that is a deal breaker.
That, of course, is only my opinion. If yours is different, feel free to disagree with me.
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I like Weiner a lot. I don't like what he did, but like you, I think that is mostly between him and his wife. He has lost the trust of his constituents. Time will tell if he can get it back. The good part is that after only a week of lying, mostly due to extreme embarrassment apparently, the guy steps forward and comes clean. Compare that to the others that Breitbart had no interest in destroying: Ensign, Sanford, Vitter, Foley, Swartzenegger, etc. Weiner has a conscience and knew he had fucked up. Can't say much for the rest of them.
ReplyDeleteWHy should he resign? Sure what he did was stupid, but Diaper wearin' David Vitter got caught up with prostitutes, and GOT REELECTED to the Senate.
ReplyDeleteCharlie Rangel is still in office, right? Hell, here in DC , while he was Mayor, Marion Barry was caught on tape snorting COKE in a hotel room with hookers, has been charged with not filing or paying taxes, and unpaid parking tickets, and he still gets elected to city council.
Bill Clinton stayed in office, right? Should he have resigned?
Weiner was set up, but he shouldn't have taken the bait. Stupid, but illegal or unethical? Nah.
Another fooled feminist (I posted a link to a similar article yesterday):
ReplyDelete"What Does Sarah Palin Want? It Looks Like She Has What She Wants"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-sive/what-does-sarah-palin-wan_b_869632.html
I'm trying to figure out why there would be any feminists that would be impressed by Sarah and I'm not having much luck. Maybe it's that Sarah is so incompetent that what she does comes off as non-traditional to those that only have casual familiarity with Sarah's operation? It seems that the people commenting there (and the other one I linked to yesterday) don't buy into the arguments presented, either.
>I desperately did NOT want Breitbart to have successfully destroyed this man's career
ReplyDeleteDidn't Wiener destroy Wiener's career? (Just askin')
I like Weiner immensely, and I was die hard Clinton supporter. I really don't care what politicians do in their private lives, unless it contradicts a political stand used to get elected or raise money.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree, once ANY elected official lies to the American people, they need to be booted out of office.
In both cases of Clinton and Weiner, they had a chance to take the high road and fess up, quickly, but instead wasted everyone's time and money playing a cat and mouse game. And, I am sorry, if you lie once, especially about something so trivial just to cover your own boney a--, then you are capable of lying about something more significant.
Like Babies and Bridges and Troopergate, Oh My.
MicMac
I don't like stories like this, but for all the dumb stuff he did, he at least had the eventual courage to tell the truth and admit he made a mistake.
ReplyDeletePalin, of course, has no such courage.
He's a disappointment to be sure but there has to be something really wrong with a guy who even THINKS about taking that picture of himself in the first place. It's not a question of "What was he thinking?" it's more like "Why wasn't he thinking?"
ReplyDeleteI agree totally with you. It is all about the lie.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gryphen. This just confirms the kind of person you are. I had hoped it wouldn't be true either, but it is. The sooner he leaves, the less damage he can do.
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is if he can still do his job well, and his actions don't make him a hypocrite (as in he was working on legislation to ban sending pictures of people in their underwear over the internet, trying legislate morality, etc.), then he can continue to hold the position. The voters will decide if he gets re-elected. Chris Lee resigned immediately for 2 reasons: his daddy was rich and held the purse strings in the family and wanted him to quit immediately; and there were even more damning Craigslist posts (he was looking for transvestites) that he knew would come out. Weiner did cop to having an even more lewd photo out there, so there's probably not much more to be exposed.
ReplyDeleteBig picture: the state of our political system is so morally bankrupt. Not only are our politicians largely hypocrites, but it's become a system of opposing parties trying to tear the other down by stalking elected officials and finding any damning evidence they can get. Ultimately Weiner's situation is personal (so was Lee's). The person I truly feel sorry for his wife. She is the one who was both betrayed and humiliated.
Sad as it makes me, I agree with you. We can't trust him. and he should go. It's the same reason I can't support the GOP like Newt...once a liar, always a liar.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Breitbart, he was playing his 'poor me' routine on CNN just now...the media just doesn't like me or trust me...blah, blah, blah. Wonder why, Andy? Could it be that you blackmail people, edit things to suit an agenda, and only got after one party?
4:13AM. I'm not giving him that much credit. What he did hurt the party and his causes. It was selfless, reckless, and stupid. It isn't between he and his wife since he is a distraction from every effort we made.
ReplyDeleteI assume technology would be able to determine if he had been hacked, etc. so I am not giving him any credit for coming clean. I hate Breitbart more than anything, but I am not defending Weiner in any way shape or form.
That is a deal breaker for me also. I liked Mr. Seiner for is intensity fighting for change.
ReplyDeleteThese lies about Paul Revere and his ride demonstrate Palin will lie about anyone. Her supporters are like a cult and are morally reprehensible.
I find cheating and lying distasteful, but I actually admire Weiner for refusing to step down. It's time that politicians put private life back into the private realm. Sure, he lied - but he was put in an impossible position. The list of politicians who did the same is so long, from Clinton to McGreevey, that I think it's time to say what is wrong is the media circus and not what people do in private between consenting adults.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I think it's a different story when hypocritical politicians deliberately and specifically run campaigns and conduct public policy based on phony "family values" which they then ignore in their personal lives. They are fair game.
When it comes to sex scandals with politicians, I'm pretty much exhausted, and I really don't give a damn about them. The media picks, and picks, and picks like it's the most important story out there. Dudes (the media that is), get over it. It's sex. Everyone does it, whether solo or with a partner.
ReplyDeleteAnd IMHO, this was pretty much a nothing story. He sent racy pics. So what? This is between his wife and himself and how they will deal with it privately.
Weiner's been shamed, so now let's get to what's really important out there.
I am just plain mad that after the way things are going in this country and the republicans trying to destroy everything like medicare and social security that Weiner would do something so incredibly stupid. He has brought shame on himself and it does throw some dirt on the Democrat party even though Weiner did it all himself.
ReplyDeleteI hope his wife cuts that weiner weiner off.
I would not be surprised if the Edwards story started as a set up, but then turned into a more complicated scenario.
ReplyDeleteI am in NY and like him a good deal BUT this conduct shows he is on really shaky psychological grounds, like he really hates his political life and wants out. Or he thinks his whole life is a fraud in that he did not deserve the goods things he had and simply had to destroy it by showing what a worthless person he really is. A very, very messed up guy. He has to leave. For his own good, not to mention ours. It was so sad watching him go down. Even as a supporter, I could see before yesterday that his extreme defensiveness and anger was concealing a major lie, but he kept it up for many days and sealed his fate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Gryphen. When I look at John Edwards today and think back to the excitement when he endorsed then-Senator Obama for President.... well, it's quite a shame.
ReplyDeleteJust like Edwards, Weiner confessed because he was cornered, not because he's a great guy. Breitbart is disgusting but he didn't make Weiner take that picture.
Totally agree: the sexting is between him and his wife, but jeez, how can men in this day and age of the Internet think they won't get caught? Poor judgment and lies.
ReplyDeleteSo happy that Huma didn't stand by his side.
ReplyDeleteMargaret Thatcher to Sarah Palin: don't bother dropping by
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/wintour-and-watt/2011/jun/07/margaretthatcher-sarahpalin
Palin unlikely to get an audience with Thatcher
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/palin-unlikely-to-get-an-audience-with-thatcher-2293856.html
Thatcher snubs Palin?
http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/7007298/thatcher-snubs-palin.thtml
Weiner has done a lot of good as a congressman. I don't think issues like this should necessarily mean he should have to leave office.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it pains me that he has become another politician that has been caught in a sexual scandal. And I really hate that a scumbag like Breibart has scored a win like this.
For the life of me, I can't figure out why politicians take chances like this. If you know that there are people like this just waiting for you to screw up and ruin your career, why would you do this? It's stupid!
Personally, I don't care about his sex life. But I do care about having him voted out of office and having a republican or a teabagger take his place over it. Then that effects the nation as a whole, and that DOES piss me off.
over at c4p they have decided that SPAZ spoke about Paul Revere's ride as she did ON PURPOSE, to teach Americans "real" history and to mess with the Media. It was a brilliant ploy, they say, which makes her more presidential than ever before! wee haw! each time she mis-speaks, she's really doing it to find out if we're paying close attention......
ReplyDeleteI'm disappointed too, Gryphen. I really liked Congressman Weiner and am sad that he lied about this until he was cornered.
ReplyDeleteI disagree very much about his resignation, though. He was a dumbass, yes. As one of the most outspoken dems in congress, he had to have known that repubs would come gunning for him to take down someone who was one of their enemies. He should have known better than to open himself up to this kind of betrayal.
I don't believe this calls for his resignation. I don't. As far as I'm concerned, he does his job well and that's what I ask from someone in that position.
I like him and I'll continue to support his work.
I'm disappointed in Weiner. I'm disgusted that Breitbart succeeded. I hope Shirley Sherrod is suing him.
ReplyDeleteWeiner corrected his lies pretty quickly in the DC scheme of things. I don't think he should resign. I doubt his constituents think he should resign, but we'll see. NYC'ers are a unique bunch of voters.
I heard somewhere that he is not well liked by his fellow NY Reps and they might cause him to resign. I had thought he was a pretty important Rep b/c I see and hear him on TV a lot and see clips of his dramatic speeches in the House. However, now I'm hearing that he is not really a hard worker in Congress, just a visible one, sometimes taking credit for the work of others, and has this job just b/c he wants to be Mayor of NYC next election. So maybe we won't miss him if he does resign.
He went out of his way not to blame any women yesterday and I appreciate that. Nevertheless, Wikipedia said that he can't keep staff members b/c he verbally abuses them. If he doesn't resign, I hope he will be a changed man.
according to wikipedia, bill clinton presided at the wedding, less than a year ago, of the congressman and his wife, long-time hillary associate
ReplyDeleteMy two cents--we NEED him in DC, especially since he's probably the loudest, most outspoken and fearless Liberal voice in Congress, after Grayson. This scares the GOP, for good reason. Whatever he did, he did--at least he didn't preach about Family Values and Purity while doing it, which is more than I can say for the long list of Rethugs caught philandering around--and who stay in office! The lying does bother me, but at first he was admitting that he couldn't say "with certainty" that it wasn't him, which is a bit damning anyway. I believe he was backed into a corner, and who knows what bad advice his handlers gave him to counteract it. If it wasn't done on the Government dime, it's not illegal, especially since it appeared to be consentual.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, if we continue to pump this story, we're giving backhanded credit to Breitbart, and the general public will forget the bullshit he's "reported" in the past. Notice how the Shirley Sherrod lawsuit has all but disappeared from the press? The days ahead are going to be rough, and Arianna's buddy is going to be sent out to fish for more dirt against the Left. How long before he's unleashed to try and "refudiate" a preposterous hoax that so many have been researching for so long?
I like Weiner and think he has been an effective congressman, but agree he should resign for two reasons, 1.) Fair or not, scandals like this will dramatically impact his future effectiveness and his evasiveness and lying will call into question his future efforts, and 2.) He needs to be focused on getting help for himself and his family.
ReplyDeletePeople inevitably will compare this to Vitter, Ensign, Rangel etc and ask why he should do anything differently? He should respond differently to show he is different (if he is) and because Vitter, Ensign, Rangel, et al are morally bankrupt individuals and there is no honor or justification in being 'no worse' than they are.
In Europe this isn't even a big deal..the lie? maybe yes...ironic when you have an idiot like Palin running around lying ALL the time, and nobody seems to question her.
ReplyDeletebut Bill Clinton didn't resign..he went on to have a successful career. Anthony is close friends with the Clinton's, hopefully he take heed and continue a successful career. As a female, I fully support him
I can't say I'm all that torn. Weiner is who he is. I guess the best thing he can do is simply own there are photos and move on. Breibart will continue to push and may come forward with more. Like blood in shark infested water.
ReplyDeleteCan he survive? Who knows. I think he should focus on getting himself square with his family first, then worry about the politics.
At least he came clean. I live in MN and endured the men's bathroom lies of Craig. It only gets worse as you make it. Kind of like Saree, She could have made fun of herself and the whole Revere thing would be over. Now Wiki has padlocked the Paul Revere site because it's under constant attack for revision. Are they really that desperate?
She'll get a pass on the emails. She's not worried in the least and I believe she had access to and probably was given permission to redact as she wanted. And it won't surprise me if she adds things to the emails, words to smooth out some annoying old matters.
Ah well, seems she dodges bullets, does nothing actual criminal, gets her monkey's to commit ethics violations, then tosses them under the bus. She'll get past babygate. I'm convinced she lied to the max but I'm also convinced the MSM will never call her on it and if they do they can scare up a kid and some phony documents.
Sad to say, all the work you and the rest of the AK bloggers have done really hasn't done a thing to interest the MSM and get them digging into her. She must have some serious stuff on people out there.
Sarah confess to ALL your sins and do the right thing now. You have done so much to wreck this country you should go to jail for a long long time.
ReplyDeleteI don't really care if he resigns or not. He confessed rather quickly. What I am sick of is our obsession with the "erotic leader" here in the USA. I am revealing my post-Jungian background here with the use of that term, but the support of Sarah Palin is also rooted in the need for an "erotic leader" on the right.
ReplyDeleteSpitz, Edwards, Weiner & Clinton are examples on the progressive side. (I supposed two of those guys directly through donations, and campaigned for one of them.) Vitter, Schwarzenneger, Craig, Palin, and Ensign are examples on the right. We, in the US, have become overly occupied by erections and "fertile wombs/erection providers."
Jungian analysts ask why Americans need an "erotic leader." It is an excellent question. Other countries do not.
I am sad about Weiner. I was sad about Edwards, too. But if their erections are so hard to control, I don't want them managing our country. Since Palin can't manage her "womb," I don't want her in power either. These folks are too easily distracted by their own "potency" (another sign of narcissism) and we have to find true leaders who can see beyond their own sexual fantasies and truly lead.
I also like Weiner and was sorry the story turned out to be true.
ReplyDeleteHowever, considering what others have gotten away with, it seems small potatoes.
He told one lie compared to hundreds put out by Palin.
While I don't like pornography myself I understand it's something men can have problems with.
I hope he does not resign. He never claimed to be a pagagon of virtue and the area he represents is not in the bible belt.
Sad and very disappointing, but didn’t we all pretty much know with “certitude” that he was hiding something when he couldn’t say with “certitude” that the picture was of him? I mean c’mon. And yes the lying is a big problem.
ReplyDeleteRachel put up a good chart last night ranking the creepy/prosecutable scale of various politicians’ scandals (Vitter, Ensign, Arnold, Spitzer, Edwards etc) and Weiner ranked as pretty creepy, but not very prosecutable.
He did come clean as far as we know and has been rightly embarrassed and humiliated. He has a marriage to repair, and the trust of his constituents to regain. This can be a defining moment for him and I think he should be given a second chance.
On Lawrence’s segment last night two Massachusetts politicians were mentioned (Barney Frank and Ted Kennedy) who both survived worse scandals to become extremely effective representatives of their constituents. Although I’ve loved all the times Weiner has gone off on the Republicans, I think he deserves a chance to apply a little less bombast and a lot more elbow grease and knuckle down to work hard for his constituents. Time will tell if he is up to the task.
Weiner, like Grayson, has a passion for justice for the middle class. We need him. That being said, Rep. Weiner, it takes a special kind of stupid to do what you did and think you wouldn't be caught after recent similar events to other politicians. That kind of arrogant stupidity gives one pause, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteHere's your sign, but don't resign.
Andrew Sullivan Sums Up 'Weinergate' Perfectly.
ReplyDelete"Weiner has not resigned and, frankly, I see little reason why he should. No one, so far as I can tell, was harrassed, no one was abused, no actual sex even took place at all. I'm not sure one can even find any hypocrisy here. Moreover, if online flirting is unforgivable, why isn't off-line flirting unforgivable? And what really is the difference? Apart from pictures that can be used to humiliate - and even blackmail.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/07/982830/-Andrew-
Sullivan-Sums-Up-Weinergate-Perfectly?via=siderec
Quite OT, but you must check out Colbert's re-enactment of Paul Revere's ride, a la Palin, lol.
ReplyDeleteNo Gryphen, unfortunately I agree with you. I hate how this came out too, but it is what it is. And for me, it is not only about the lying, but the very juvenile characteristic of the action(s). Is spending time taking pictures of your privates to send by whatever means - whether it is a Polaroid snapshot sent by mail, or a VHS tape or sent over the internet by email, FB, or twitter just the most childish thing you have ever heard of? At first I thought that is like a high school boy but actually it is more like middle school or even worse - like playing doctor: "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours." That is what 4 and 5 year olds do because they are fascinated by the thing in their pants having just discovered it. It is cute at that age, but still has to be dealt with by the parents teaching what is appropriate and what is not. Weiner didn't get this? Do we really need our congressmen/women to have so much time on their hands as to play around like this?
ReplyDeleteOnce again people will believe that the MSM always tells us about unseemly behavior by politicians, so if Babygate, Housegate, Dairygate, you-name-it-gate were true, MSM would have told us.
ReplyDeleteWrong.
disagree. he needs to stay in congress and we all need to put it behind us. he explained why he lied - the shame and the humiliation. i wish he had not lied, i am pissed off at him for lying, but we need him in congress.
ReplyDeleteHere's another reason he should resign: Email evidence that he planned to use his congressional staff/consultants to facilitate a cover up.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to get ugly and it would be nice, if just one time, an elected official had the decency not to drag all the rest of through their dirty laundry for months. Plus, he's giving the Breitbart and Fox News's of this world a peg for continuous distractions leading up to the primary season. This is not just about his career.
John Edwards should send Weiner a thank you card for knocking him off the front page.
Sorry. 2 Corrections - "I supposed two of those guys directly" should be "I supported two of those guys..."
ReplyDelete& "We, in the US, have become overly occupied WITH erections and 'fertile wombs/erection providers.'"
I am kind of tired of the people in charge who only seem able to be in touch with their inner fifth-grader.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I'm forced to agree with Virginia Voter @4:15. But I hope there's an adult candidate next time the Weiner runs.
Who wins?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailybeast.com/
blogs-and-stories/2010-03-30/
which-party-has-more-sex-scandals/
WHERE ARE THE GROWNUPS?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Gryphen. Once a person lies you can never believe that person again. Weiner should resign.
ReplyDeleteHere is LOD's excellent Rewrite from last night:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/
21134540/vp/43303723#43303723
Lawrence gets into Edwards and of course Palin regarding campaign finance law. He's not letting Sarah's use of PAC funds go.
Yep. He showed poor judgement and he lied.
ReplyDeleteBut so have a lot of Republicans and for even worse (or even illegal) transgressions and they're still in office.
I wish someone would give Breibart the Breibart treatment.
I really like Weiner, when he gave an interview, he so aggressively defended our side, I loved it. But now, when we are in a great position to attack the GOP, he's a huge distraction. So so sad. I want things to turn out well for him in the end, but not in Congress - not now. He was so strong and now he's weakening us.
ReplyDeleteAs for Breitbart, there is a special place for that guy and any network that gives him airtime is disgusting. He should stay on Fox where the losers go.
But lying so consciously to his constituents over an embarrassment and lying to his wife does begin to trouble me in the light of a new day. Yes, he copped to his lies. And he has been humiliated enough. But still ... if we do not try to hold elected officials to telling the truth, what basic civic standards are we prepared to defend?
ReplyDeleteThis morning there's another troubling dimension. One if his sexting companions was Ginger Lee, who became embroiled once the "scandal" broke. Weiner directed her to lie:
On June 1, he emailed her: "The key is to have a short, thought out statement that tackles the top line questions and then refer people back to it. Have a couple of iterations of: 'This is silly. Like so many others, I follow Rep. Weiner on Twitter. I don't know him and have never met him. He briefly followed me and sent me a dm saying thank you for the follow. That's it.'"
Weiner suggested a nice touch -- some good ol' Southern charm: "And then maybe insert some y'alls in there."
On June 2, Weiner sent Lee a proposed statement she could give to the press: "I have nothing to do with the situation involving Rep Weiner. I follow his twitter feed. And for a brief time he followed me. Much has been made of the fact that I have posted about my admiration for Rep Weiner and his politics. All I can say about that is that I'm a fan of his. Rep. Weiner sent me one short direct message thanking me for following him. I have never met Rep. Weiner and he has never sent me anything innappopriate [sic] ..."
Am I going to get on my high horse and say he should quit his job because he lied? No. But the public trust is gone - which is essential for a man in elected office.
http://andrewsullivan.thedaily
beast.com/2011/06/the-issue-of-lying.html
Sorry Gryphen............It still comes down to what one does in private, sexually, is their own business. PERIOD! No, he should not resign. He is one of the few rational Democrats we have!!!! One surely must ask, "Did the recipient of the lewd material lead him on and set him up?" Think about it!
ReplyDeleteI don't think he should resign. Do I like it that he lied? No, of course not. But I think we've created a situation where our politicians are not allowed to be fallible or human. How many of us have lied when caught with our hands in the cookie jar? It usually doesn't make us "less than" or require us to quit our jobs.
ReplyDeleteWhat he did was despicable to his wife, but does not reflect on the job he does as an elected politician unless he is using his position to provide financial assistance to these women.
I might feel differently if he were one of those politicians who bangs the drum loudly about criminalizing adultery, homosexuality, etc. and then turns out to be an adulterer or gay.
I suppose some might find me hypocritical for having this viewpoint while, at the same time, wanting to see Sarah Palin exposed for babygate. The difference is that Sarah used her big lie to further her career and bilk money out of her believers. If someone can show be that Weiner has done the same, I'll call for his resignation.
MSNBC gave wall to wall coverage on this and I had to mute the TV. I want to give MSNBC the ratings, but I could not listen to shredding any more. I liked Rachel's attempt to put it into perspective in comparison to other scandals, but I may avoid the news for a couple of days. I often work from home and when this story broke yesterday, his press conference was really depressing and sad.
ReplyDeleteLive Slogging Weiner's Press Conference
ReplyDeletehttp://slog.thestranger.com/slog/
archives/2011/06/06/the-man-has-balls
Everyone lies about sex.
ReplyDeleteWhy should politicians be any different.
Did he commit a criminal act and lie about it?
Did this have anything to do with his job?
It's Breibart. Consider the source. If there is an effective Democrat in Congress, they are a target to be brought down by any means necessary. Should we let Breibart succeed?
I'm sure the Europeans are laughing at us again for getting our panties in a twist over what they wouldn't even consider a sex scandal.
Meh. I think it's kind of small potatoes -- stupid, yes, but nothing compared to the lies of Sarah. He should probably resign just to keep from giving the GOP fodder, but honestly, I don't have a dog in this fight.
ReplyDeleteI do disagree, respectfully, with Elmo, DaisyDem, and the rest of you who somehow think the very act of taking such a picture is inherently juvenile or icky. I have and enjoy many such pics of my SO -- nothing wrong with the pic in itself. Sending it to a stranger? Now, that is indeed dumb.
I have not heard that Rep. Anthony Weiner has charged usurious interest, foreclosed wrongly on anyone's home, maintained an unsafe workplace that caused worker deaths or injuries, raided anyone's pension, issued no-bid contracts to cronies, polluted the air or water, or busted a union. Until those who did are punished to the full extent of the law, Weiner's critics can just piss off.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/07/982866/-Weiners-
critics-can-just-piss-off?detail=hide
Hey 5:35, Weiner did this to see if we were paying attention just like the sea of pee pee people think that Palin messed up the story of Paul Revere. It was a perfect ploy by Weiner. He was sick and tired of hearing Palin mangle history so he did something so courageous - he took the pictures so that he would be front page news and take Sarah off the 24hour news cycle. Take that Sarah!!!
ReplyDeleteI long lost respect for Weiner when he bashed the President, claiming he was "not a values guy." I long thought he was arrogant and a sore looser who couldn't get past Hillary's lost.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, if Weiner should resign for lying, then the entire GOP should resign because they lie to America everyday and the media helps them do it.
Have only read the first comment (womanwithsardinecan) and I agree with her with only one small exception: I don't think his constituents will care. Yes he lied to begin with but it was clear to me from the time that he first uttered the word "certitude" that he was probably guilty and that he was uncomfortable about lying. Yesterday was no surprise to me. I sure do hate it. I'd bet money that Breitbart will release each and every photo he has because he won't be able to resist doing it.
ReplyDeleteWeiner should resign. The Democrats and the Republicans have become congressional embarrassments. Why do these guys behave so hideously? We pay them hefty salaries; when do they have the time to photograph their pecs and genitals? We have serious problems that require serious solutions. We need more women, ethnic minorities, and young people of character to run for office. I've had it with the Depraved White Boys Club. Only the overprivileged, entitled majority can conduct themselves with such amoral abandon and expect nothing to come of it.
ReplyDeleteWeinergate & Why The Media Let Us Down Again.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you, but i've just about had it with the American media covering congressman Anthony Weiner and the appropriately named "Weinergate" as if it were important news. This is the same media that paid little if any attention to the killings of Brisenia Flores and her father. This is the same media that has been following Sarah Palin as she mangles American History. Is she a potential republican candidate? Maybe. Does she have a snowballs chance in hell at winning the presidential election? Believe she does if you want to. Sean Hannity loves to say that the mainstream media (that he belongs to whether he is smart enough to admit it or not) died in 2008 due to the election of President Obama. Well, Sean helped kill it. By covering non-issues like the Jeremiah Wright situation or the Bill Ayers situation and not covering the fact that Wall Street was destroying the economy. Once again, the American media has let us down. Before I go into that, I have a few things to say about congressman Anthony Weiner and his, uh, controversial wiener.
.
Congressman Anthony Weiner is a borderline idiot. He's a borderline idiot because he set the stage for this nonsense. All he had to do was own up to this from the beginning. These type of things do not go away now that we live in the internet-age. What took days or weeks or even months centuries ago only take a few seconds to a few minutes now. Instead of getting overly defensive, he should've said the things he did yesterday last week. This should not be an issue now. So, that part is Anthony Weiner's fault. Sending the pictures is also his fault. Lying about being hacked is his fault. However, he did apologize to his wife, his family, his constituents, and to those who look up to him. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, this sex scandal gets a 2. This was by far the most boring sex scandal ever. As far as we know, he didn't spend tax payer dollars covering it. He didn't father a child. He didn't campaign on being against crotch photos. Anthony Weiner is a man who made a mistake. He however is not a hypocrite. His mistake doesn't fly in the face of everything he has campaigned on. His mistake did not lead to criminal charges (yet and I doubt they will.) His mistake didn't lead to hundreds of thousands of injuries or deaths. Congressman Weiner did not place himself on a moral pedestal and lecture others from there. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) did however place himself on that pedestal. Congressman Don Sherwood (R-PA) placed himself on that pedestal. Congressman Dave Foley (R-FL) placed himself on that pedestal. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID), Senator John Ensign (R-NV), and Governor Mark Sanford (R-SC) also placed themselves on that pedestal. They were all holier-than-thou. These are the "family values" politicians. These are the last people who should be involved in any type of sex scandal, no matter how small or large it is. Some of them stayed in office. Some of the resigned. Congressman Weiner said he is not stepping down. I don't think he should, unless the House Ethics Committee finds out that he did something Ensign-esque. I support Anthony Weiner and will respect his family by not going into the details of the "scandal" because the media has done a pretty good job of doing that.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/07/982722/-Weinergate
Why-The-Media-Let-Us-Down-Again?
I agree with you, Gryphen. Weiner should resign. Weiner may be liberal (and I have enjoyed many of his television appearances ripping the Repubs), but he does have one major thing in common with Sarah Palin, which is that they are both totally in the tank for Israel. If Israel started WW3, she'd be cheering it on so she could go to heaven sooner; he'd be cheering it on because in his eyes Israel can simply do no wrong, period. Both positions are equally detrimental to U.S. foreign policy, IMO.
ReplyDeleteWeiner exhibited extremely bad judgment in sending these photos of himself to strange women, and Nancy Pelosi is calling for an ethics investigation. If evidence is found that Weiner used government resources to conduct these communications, he'll be even more SOL.
The fact that Breitbart is such a piece of scum is really irrelevant here. Weiner did this to himself and put himself in the position to be exploited by Breitbart. That makes what Weiner did even more reprehensible: he played right into right-wing hands (no pun intended, lol).
So far, the media, with the exception of the National Enquirer, has ignored the story.
ReplyDeleteLet's tally the score...
Weiner has reporters hounding him for a week after a known charlatan, Andrew Breitbart, breaks a story about Weiner's indiscretions... a story that happened to be accurate, the same way a broken clock is twice a day.
On the other hand, Senator Tom Coburn, the bagman for Senator John Ensign's cuckold, enjoys media silence.
Notwithstanding my record of accurate reporting on Republican scandals, the media has all-but ignored a sex scandal involving the third-in-line to the Presidency, House Speaker John Boehner.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/06/982638/-Maybe-its
-time-for-the-media-to-say-what-they-know-about-Boehner?
I agree with you about 80 - 90% but I couldn't disagree with you more on this story. I am from California and what the Governator did to this once great state is horrendous. He lied about groping women and because people are just plain stupid they would rather hire an incompetent former steroid using bodybuilder who was a terrible actor and an even worse Governor just because they didn't want to pay a little more in taxes. He lied before during and after he was elected. If he had told the truth and if people hadn't been stupid we would be in a better place right now. Our schools would fine and we wouldn't have had to layoff thousands of teachers. The poor, middle class and special needs kids and adults had been destroyed so Arnold could say he didn't raise taxes on the rich bastards.
ReplyDeleteI am not happy with what Rep. Weiner did but I have to say I would swap him out for my Rep. (who voted to kill medicare and also voted to change the definition of rape.) in a heartbeat and if I had a choice between Anthony and Arnold well without a doubt it would be Rep. Weiner. I think he was embarrassed about the whole thing and told a lie to get out of an uncomfortable situation. So do I care if he lied? Nope not one bit because I feel there are degrees of lying and his wasn't that bad. It is nothing like fathering a child with someone other than your wife(while lying about groping women during the election, and having your wife a person who many in California love and respect come to your defense), having your wife and kids in your campaign commercial while you are screwing a prostitute(lied about family values in ads and speeches), having your parents pay your mistress(illegal probably and lied about family values), condemning President Clinton for his moral lapse (while sleeping with someone other than your wife and not being honest) or lying about giving birth to a special needs baby. The republicans reward their liars we shame and condemn ours.
His lie started out as one more of omission than commission. He was clearly uncomfortable lying and did it badly. There doesn't seem to be any hypocrisy. I'm more troubled by congressmen and senators who are hypocrites, those who completely misrepresent themselves, and those who lie about bills and laws: death panels, Ryan Act won't end Medicare, etc..
ReplyDeleteI hope he gets counseling.
Isn't it interesting that the reporters at the Rep. Anthony Weiner's press conference ask one tough question after another but when they "interview" Sarah Palin, they are tongue-tied?
ReplyDeleteDo they give her a pass because she's stupid? I think so. Or is it because they know she'll lie no matter what the question? That also, too.
Sharon1943
Weiner is not one that rants in about 'family values' like the Right, who have shown time and time again, many talk the talk, but don't walk the walk - Vitter easily comes to mind, who still has his seat and re-elected and in fact is the one who puts forth bills on issues that have regard to 'family issues'. Vitter protected his staff member too regarding domestic issues and Vitter's office paid for his trips home for Court appearances. Why hasn't that slob been removed? Double standard?
ReplyDeleteThis played out for a week. He did not engage an investigation using taxpayer dollars. Pelosi is the one raising the ethics investigation.
All those posting he should resign, must be nice to be 'perfect' in life. Nobody is. Ghosts can be found in all our closets.
Until it is treated consistent across the board, he has at this moment every right to remain in office. I fully expect he will become a better representative for this - not what Vitter et al have done. Take Ensign - until the report was going to be released - he lied for months and months and couldn't get out fast enough before the report issued 5 minutes after his resignation. I'm still waiting for Coburn to go down on this too as he stands before us and lies as the difference - the money, the lobbying and the chanting of 'family values'. Gov Sanford remained in office until end of his term and unfortunately, all the ethics charges he got away with as he did use state funds, equipment.
To see another blogger refer to Weiner lying as big as Sarah - Really??
I too am disappointed in Weiner, however I would hate to lose him in congress. I would be happy to trade my piece of crap republican congress woman for Anthony Weiner any time. She is in lockstep with the party 100% of the time. At least Weiner fights for progressive causes. How about it NY want to trade?
ReplyDeleteSue in Kansas
What is Breibart doing with a pic of Weiner's weiner? Someone might need to check out Breibart?
ReplyDeleteMostly, I'm just disappointed in the guy. He was one of the outspoken, gutsy Dems, and I don't know about anyone else, but the fact of his name alone will always make me remember Weiner's weinergate. Kind of dampens the respect factor, that's for sure.
ReplyDelete$carah lies and lies and lies and lies and lies.....
ReplyDeletemlaiuppa 6:58
ReplyDelete"I wish someone would give Breibart the Breibart treatment."
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I totally agree. Knowing the lies and damage to ACORN, NPR and Shirley Sherrod he has caused without a blink of an eye - you know his closet is full, waiting to spill over.
There's only one legitimate reason to be upset with Anthony Weiner, and that's because his behavior and its discovery has taken away a bold and effective voice in the Democratic party. Everything else you think and feel about him is bull.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/
michael-bader-dmh/everything-
said-about-ant_b_872346.html
The only reason to get stirred up about Anthony Weiner is because his version, his perfectly human version, of shooting himself in the foot happens to have hurt a progressive movement which desperately needs him and people like him to fight for real victims and against important lies that actually do hurt lots and lots of people, the lies we hear from our political enemies today about who should prosper and who shouldn't in our society. Every else about you think or hear about him is just, well, bullshit.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com
/michael-bader-dmh/everything
-said-about-ant_b_872346.html
The bullshit judgments, theories, and analyses that CNN and the other spin-rooms-masquerading-as-news-shows are generating can't possibly have much to do with Weiner, and, in fact, they don't. They have to do with the people spinning them, whether it's AC and his fellow bloviators or the rest of us who spin along with them. I've seen a dozen men in psychotherapy who have done some version of what Weiner did and in each case we were able to piece together a complicated story that explained their behavior, a story involving feelings of disconnectedness, longing, anxiety, guilt, and omnipotence. It was a story that made sense, even if it had led to behavior that caused themselves or others suffering. It wasn't because they were "stupid," or "power-hungry men," or liars, but because of perfectly human motives, needs, and conflicts that, when understood with genuine curiosity and compassion, rendered the behavior anything but "disgusting."
ReplyDeleteThe problem we face is that we do stuff all the time that probably doesn't reflect our best judgment, or feels somewhat compulsive, or self-destructive, or involves forbidden longings, fantasies, and needs, and that we not infrequently dissemble, lie, and rationalize in order not to face them or have them discovered by others. It's not a comfortable part of being human but it does seem to come with the territory.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
michael-bader-dmh/everything-
said-about-ant_b_872346.html
I'm heartbroken by this story. It even haunted my dreams last night. And I feel that he has embarrassed the party, not to mention given Breitbart sudden credibility. It's terrible.
ReplyDeleteBUT: I am awfully glad Clinton's scandal did not result in his impeachment or resignation, and I think the country is better off for it. Maybe if Weiner hangs in, he can overcome this. But I don't know. Unlike Clinton, he's bombastic--in a good way--and that sets his shitty behavior apart, I think. He may well have destroyed his entire career. If only he had owned in the first place.
Men are men, no matter their job. If a guy owns a computer, and if he knows how to contact someone, and knows someone to contact, he has probably sent out a "dirty" picture.
ReplyDeleteI am very disappointed in Rep Weiner, not because of the photos, which are lame & tame, but because he was such a powerful ass-kicking Democrat, and didn't apologize for being a liberal. Now he has this to distract from that. Like Ted Kennedy, who was such a powerhouse, and an incredible person, but he still had so many scandals, and the right always tried to dismiss him, and use his scandals against the Democrats every election.
Man, what a disappointment! If I could grab Weiner by the lapels I'd scream "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!?"
ReplyDeleteWhy would any politician think that they could keep creepy exhibitionist behavior secret ESPECIALLY when there were incriminating digital photos floating around the internets?
I understand why he lied. He was embarrassed and I'm betting that his wife had no idea of his little hobby. I couldn't give a shit about the photos. I think it's kind of icky and weird, but it was between consenting adults. However, the lying and reckless misuse of government technology I DO very much object to.
I suspect that Weiner will have to choose between saving his marriage or saving his career. I don't see how he can salvage both. If he tries to stay in office, he will subject his wife to ongoing embarrassment at the hands of that loathsome bottom feeding Breitbart who will undoubtedly prolong this saga as long as possible. If Weiner has ANY vestigial dignity he will spare his wife, family, and constituents further grief and embarrassment and resign. That would be my personal advice.
Having said that, he did nothing criminal. If that whoremonger Vitter can remain in the Senate for engaging in criminal behavior, Weiner should have nothing to worry about. If mere creepiness is the new metric by which we decide who should be ousted from office, how many Congressmen and Senators do you think that we'd have left?
I wish that Weiner had had the courage to defiantly come forward and proclaim, "Yeah, that's MY weiner and I'm damn proud of it! This is what I do in my off time; send pictures of the little Weiner to as many ladies as I can. It's legal and everyone involved is a consenting adult. Next story." Had he done so, he might have been able to get past this. He might have sacrificed his marriage by doing so, but that may already be collateral damage from this sordid affair.
I really had high hopes for Weiner. Maybe he can resurrect his career, but I suspect that it will take more time than the 2 year election cycle of the House will allow.
Fuck that mucous oozing slug Andrew Breitbart. How is our nation bettered by this man's wallowing in his own fetid and festering sewage?
Anon 7:25
ReplyDelete"Notwithstanding my record of accurate reporting on Republican scandals, the media has all-but ignored a sex scandal involving the third-in-line to the Presidency, House Speaker John Boehner.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/06/982638/-Maybe-its
-time-for-the-media-to-say-what-they-know-about-Boehner?
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Thank you for that link. Extremely interesting.
To watch/listen to those vids and lack of responses - speaks volumes.
Do we hear Briebart pushing on this -- Crickets. Boner is higher on the food chain closer to the White House and we hear CRICKETS.
Also with regard to Cockburn - his manipulation of his involvement - his involvement being in a Report. That fell off the media radar very quickly - so much so, it appears as letting Cockburn away with it. And this issue has the potential to be illegal.
And people say the media is 'left'.
As one astute Tweeter, pretty soon we won't have ANY political candidates who have not sent a picture of their junk to someone. Just think of how many kids now a days, teens mostly and some twenty somethings, send pictures of their junk (top bottom both) to pals or partners. You actually think anyone would not keep them around for old times sake, and later sell them like Weiner's gal pal did? Those junk senders are the next generation of political folk, like it or not. As I told my daughter in GRADE school, if you can't show it to grandma, DO NOT put it out in public. Anywhere.
ReplyDeleteWeiner was stupid. And there is definitely a creep factor to what he did, but IIRC all of the recipients were random adult females, which is a whole different ball of wax than if he had been sexting interns or minors. Also IIRC, he wasn't stalking them, either. Stalking would definitely be out of bounds for me.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind he was carrying the Clarence Thomas not-reporting-things football, which is why I think Breitbart was put on his t(r)ail. So I think a Congressperson should be given one newsworthy stupidity and wait for the next one before we start howling for resignation.
Well this NY girl is on Team Weiner!
ReplyDeleteShould he have lied? Probably not, but his privacy should never have been invaded to begin with, even if he was dumb enough to use an account with his real name on it.
What he does on the internet is between he and his wife; not my business. Plus unlike Vitter he did nothing illegal. Republicans are such hypocrites to ask him to step down and continue to give David Vitter a pass!
This whole thing is a non controversy as far as I'm concerned. I'd still vote for Anthony Weiner as Rep. and I'd love to vote for him as mayor!
Oh and BTW Weiner did lie at first then came clean. He's getting called out for that. When has Sarah ever been called on any of the numerous lies she has told? The double standards of our media makes me ill.
ReplyDeleteWeiner lied about his sex life so he should resign? Then the entire Republican party should resign for repeatedly lying about the health care bill, medicaid, the debt etc. to there constituents. They're such hypocrites!
ReplyDeleteWhen you back a man into a corner he's going to do or say whatever he thinks at the time will get him out. That's just plain normal survival instincts coming to the front of the brain.
ReplyDeleteI don't perceive his public deception as being all that long though. Timewise. It looks to me like when the adrenalin wore off and he was still boxed in with so much evidence mounting against his opening lie that the only way out became telling the truth and he manned up.
It's not like Sarah who sticks to the lie no matter what and for years on end.
As far as his sex-scandalous predecessors - I think we're to blame for teaching the press that sex scandals are what we want for breakfast.
Libidos and ambition go hand in hand and I've said this before about ambitious politicians: For every truly ambitious pollie there's a wife tucking into her pillow thinking "Thank God! I need the rest!"
-Oz
@5:13 AM
ReplyDelete"DEMOCRAT party?"
What Weiner did was incredibly dumb, and so was his lie. We have to warn teenagers not to put compromising pictures on Facebook, Twitter, etc., so the fact that a grown man did this speaks volumes about his cluelessness in thinking this crap wouldn't be traced. However, IMHO, a public censure should serve the purpose of conveying the message that he is being held accountable, rather than being made to resign. He is keenly aware that he was dead wrong, and I'm quite sure he won't repeat it. He is one of the most vocal voices for American underdogs, and we need as many of them in Congress as possible.
ReplyDeleteI think we have to be a little concerned about having anyone in office that isn't bright enough to know that NOTHING you do on the internet is private. Seriously, can men learn to not let a bit of power go to their "heads"? How many will it take before you guys realize that you will get caught. Especially those of you out there making babies.
ReplyDeleteNotice that he persists in lying even as he confesses by claiming he sent the pic as a "joke" when he also admits that there are at least 6 recipients of pics and some of the pics are more explicit, including nude.
ReplyDeleteIsnt this self-destructive behavior clear evidence of a psyche at risk for ever increasingly irresponsible and inappropriate activities?
Im not opposed to supporting a Wiener resignation but it's fun to watch the GOP calls for it while ignoring their own "members" misbehavior. (Vitter, Ensign, Craig, Newt, Sanford, etc... Family values, my ass.)
I hope the congressman can continue to bother Supreme Court Justice Thomas about his recusing himself on any cases dealing with the Affordable Care Act if they come to the court.
ReplyDeleteHe had been on twitter earlier in the day this incident happened, the Justice had to amend his financial disclosure forms and the congressman must have gotten under Justice Thomas's skin. Presto a republican ratF*%Ker comes out with a sensational story and the republicans now have a bright shiny object to distract from the real story.
To lose as strong a progressive battler As Rep Weiner to something so banal as sexual fantasizing is deplorable. Compared to sundry sex scandals on the right, Rep Weiner's missteps seem very minor which makes the whole affair more of a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I agree that Rep Weiner should resign. His standing as a source of forcefully spoken truth is irretrievably compromised. Resign, help choose his successor and return to private life while rehabilitating his moral standing is his to do list at the moment.
A return to public office is very possible and desirable. His Party needs him and will continue to need his brand of progressive for a long time to come.
This is a real shame. I liked and still like Wiener's firebrand of a presence in Congress. He was so good at calling out the Republicans on their cold-blooded idiocies. What he did was bone-headed and more a private faux pas than anything else. I don't think he should resign, but we all know how the Right likes to whip up the outrage. I wish one of those reporters had asked Breitbart about that lawsuit coming his way while they were throwing all those questions around. He's an ogre. The Right will try to drive Weiner out and I hope he stays. We need fighters like him in Congress.
ReplyDeleteM from MD
I am at work, so I don't have time to read all comments, but does anybody smell a Koch-funded rat here?
ReplyDeleteAnthony Weiner was hard at work, trying to get USSC Justices Clarence Thomas and Antony Scalia to recuse themselves from health care deliberations. They are attending Koch functions & Thomas' wife is a rabid Tea Party activist.
SO-- How hard is it to find a politician's Achilles heel & hire a couple of gals to go after him? I mean, really -- not that difficult!
I'm not saying the man shouldn't have taken those photos. That was really, really GROSS.
I just think it is possible that he was asked to send those photos by women who were hired to entice him.
But the lie was about sex. Which is none of our business.. Would I have preferred that he come clean from the get go? YES, but in this puritanical swing to the right I understand why he lied.
ReplyDeleteI will send this one out to Mr Weiner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMGhTYYEAro&feature=share
OMG! A politician lied!
ReplyDeleteHe lied because he was embarrassed & scared. A married guy who stupidly acted like a fifteen year old. I probably would've lied too to try & save face.
Thing is, in politics the lie always ends up worse than the truth - or so they say.
I disagree with you. I want him to stay. He's broken no laws. He apologized. He was sincere, & I believe remorseful.
He is not a hypocrite. He has never wagged a moral finger at Americans.
I want him back at work & go after Clarence Thomas. Now that's a crook that needs to go.
This is not a defense of Anthony Weiner. He's a dope for going anywhere near this kind of behavior, but he has probably been doing something like this for a long time. And, he's going to have to right his own ship.
ReplyDeleteMy objection is to knee-jerk feeding frenzy that is going on right now by most news operations.
The info in this scandal is based on checkbook journalism. I suspect it started with $$ to Andrew Breitbart, who calls himself a conservative blogger. How else does he support himself. Then Breitbart did his deal to open his guano heap to ABC. I would not be surprised that he, or someone, is paying the women to come forward.
Keep in mind that despite his sanctimonious protestations about "saving Weiner's family," Breitbart is a slimy concoction who shows up to be a political activist for anyone who will pay him. He led the tea-party bands who showed up for SP in Wisconsin. Those groups were bused in courtesy of the Koch Brothers money.
Now regular news operations are reading his blog and repeating it without much critical thinking. Does no one remember the mess he made of the life and career of Shirley Sherrod?
Weiner's rough road is set. He's gonna be lucky to make it through this. It will be up to his district, and not the talking heads.
The dangerous party in this is Breitbart. Put and keep a microscope on him. He has no regard for the truth. With acorn his record is now 1 for 3 -- not credible in the news biz.
He shoulda said, straight away, "I am SO busted. And embarrassed. Now, you lying Republican scum, how DARE you try to balance the budget on the back of the poor and elderly, while lining your own silk pockets with lower taxes." Then, go home and work things out with his wife.
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say we don’t know yet if he was interacting with underage girls and if he paid off anyone with campaign funds. If any of this went on I will change my mind. It is not unusual and in fact somewhat normal for people who are afraid to at first lie about something they did, even if they are known to be very honest people. Lots of people who fool around on their spouses lie about it for years. It was clear to me when he said he could not say if the picture was him or not he was having a hard time with the lying. I knew then he would come forward with the whole truth and needed some time to get over the initial shock while processing the right thing to do. I hoped that deep down he was really a person who had integrity and had somehow gone off the rails. This is not who he is and I am horrified that his friends are two chicken**** to say that. He is a good legislator and I don't care what his private sex life is about. That is an issue for his wife to take up with him. How many of us have never made a stupid mistake and yes it is hard to believe he did something so stupid? The Democrats are joining the group mobbing of one of them because they have no backbone and some already had a bone to pick with him. I have to wonder how many of them have even emailed or tweeted a picture of themselves for sexual reasons since it is a pretty common practice. Why the investigation into campaign contributions which have absolutely nothing to do with this? The Republicans are frothing at the mouth and are using this story after so many of their hypocritical types were targeted by Democrats for their indiscretions. The reasons for the targeting were not because of their sexual behavior, it was the hypocrisy between what they do and their words against women's health, gays and their pushing of religious beliefs they don't adhere to on others. The cowardly Democrats are too afraid they will be bullied next, so they do whatever the right wants. This is America where people are free to masturbate to any stimulation they choose. If he has no ethics or criminal violations he should be left alone. It is easy to see by looking at him he is devastated. We should give him a chance to redeem himself.
ReplyDeleteWorse that the lying and a very close second to the pain to friends family and staff is what a great gift he has given to people like Brietbart, Limbaugh etc.
ReplyDeleteConsidering what the Republicans are and what Wiener has become as a spokes person for the Democratic base, this is very damaging.
They will be slinging Anthony's Weiner in to our faces for years.
PLus Anthony has destroyed one of the strongest voices of the Democratic base.
Obama and the WH can ignore us even more now.
And the Right can damn us all with Weiner's excesses.
As a resident of NY-26, I've had to live through the scandal of Chris Lee. I was so relieved to have all that nastiness behind me and a brand new Democratic Representative in Congress.
ReplyDeleteThen this happened and I am REALLY angry!
I'm angry because:
1. We've lost the one person who wouldn't back down from exposing Clarence Thomas's breach of ethics rules AND from pushing him to recuse himself from ruling on health care law.
2. We've lost the loudest and most persistent advocate for the middle class, veterans, seniors, children and the poor.
3. He's given Andrew Breitbart credibility.
4. He's taken the focus away from the dangerous legislation the Republicans are working to pass that will destroy the middle class, the economy and the rights of women.
I was a staunch supporter of Anthony Weiner until I heard his vague denials and suspected that he was lying. While it appears that he has broken no laws or Congressional rules, he has allowed his ego and his arrogance to destroy his career, his family and, to some extent, the reputation of the Democratic party. Yes, there are members of Congress who have done much worse and actually broken the law, but I look to the Democratic leaders to display a higher level of integrity than those on the other side. He needs to resign, get some counseling and repair what's left of his marriage. Perhaps he can someday return to politics but right now I don't want him distracting us all from the potentially catastrophic damage that the Republicans are doing to this country.
I live in New York and the last thing we need is another special election. If it turns out Weiner violated the law, then yes he should resign. But as of now it does not look as though he did. He lied about a personal matter that should never have gone public.So I'd rather leave this between Weiner and his wife and not go through more electoral turmoil than we already have here.
ReplyDeleteA politician lied. The "moral police" have unleashed their outrave. What Weiner did is juvenile, dumb, stupid, icky, and yucky. I like the guy immensely, and believe he and his wife can and will work though this. From what's been released so far, it's relatively minor compared to Spitzer, Vitter, etc... Can he get counselling, repair his image, and still do his job? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteHe's very good at what he does, one of the few to draw a line in the sand and stand up for the middle class and working poor.
As a woman, Breitbart is more of a danger than any of the other players in this story. He's exploiting the fact that Weiner's wife is pregnant, as a ploy to get sympathy. Really? He went THERE? Who's the scum?
Weiner had an audience, who KNEW he was a married man, and their corresponences aren't being leaked. (I know the reason, there's money to be made) They're not "victims", I'd like to know who put them up to it, and why.
You cry about the lies. You lie to yourself to build your ego. You have no right to condemn his future right to serve in his present capacity unless you have money grubbing and using the pomposity of media, pathetic insultin on your mind. Lies, REAL LIES, are what Mr. Weiner has the ability to root out. So fuck those "truthful" priorities and mealy mouth liberals. Get real answers, righteous indignation isn't needed here.
ReplyDelete