It is the ultimate example of voters getting the representatives that they deserve. A recent poll shows 56 percent of constituents of Anthony Weiner want him to remain in office. I spoke on the Weiner scandal on CNN last night.
For years, Democrats have been criticizing the blind loyalty shown to politicians from Tom DeLay to David Vitter. Yet, in New York, voters want to retain a politicians who spent a week piling lie upon lie over the sending of lewd photos. In addition, some of the women complained that they only wanted to talk politics — making (if true) Weiner a type of virtual flasher. He then alleged that a crime of hacking was committed and attacked media — calling them foul names and blaming them for the scandal. Despite this record, the voters want Weiner to continue to speak for them. Weiner only admitted his lies when pictures emerged showing him and confirming his role. Stories have now emerged suggesting that he contacted at least one woman to try to convince her to lie.
What exactly does it take? Just because you like his politics and he attacks people you dislike does not excuse a member in such despicable conduct. When people complain about Congress being a cesspool, they need to consider how their own blind loyalties contribute to that problem.
Weiner is now saying that his wife is making him stay in office, though others have suggested that he needs this job. In the end, it is up to the voters to determine the minimal level of honesty and integrity required to be their representative in Congress.
Sources: NY Post
@LottaKatz: The existing mechanisms in the House are ineffective, corrupted by decades of politicians that do not engage in scrutiny or punishment because they do not want to be scrutinized or punished themselves. So people like Rangel actually break laws and get away with a slap on the wrist.
The House can Expel Weiner (fire him) with a 2/3 vote of the members. This has been a high bar, the last two members expelled were convicted of bribery (Myers and Traficante). There is no Constitutional rule saying that a crime is required, but I would be astonished if Weiner were expelled for nothing but consensual sexting with adults.
Yes sir MR. c
Weiner lives in Queens.
bdaman, The middle class does not live in DC. They live in the Maryland or Virginia suburbs. Maybe Weiner can get a job on MSNBC or CNN like Spittzer did.
@Bdaman: Each of them have been doing exactly that for quite some time before being married. Perhaps if you paid any attention to facts and reality or ever bothered to think before running your mouth you would have picked up on that.
Bdaman: Are you self-aware in the least? The link you provide is talking about exactly the same poll as the topic of this thread. It’s not a shock poll to anybody here, it is the topic of the frikkin’ discussion!
Professor Turley also linked to a discussion of whether Weiner needs the money, and his credit card debt.
Yes I’m aware I was trying to get it to sink into your thick skull. They may have only been married a year but this doesn’t mean this is the only time they have been together.
P.S. Try living in NYC or D.C. on $154K a year dufus. You’ll see it doesn’t buy you much.
A new report shows just how ugly – and expensive – New York City can be, especially for the middle class, squeezed by skyrocketing living costs and stagnant wages.
The study, released Thursday by the Center for an Urban Future, shows that New York City is hands-down the most expensive place to live in the country.
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-02-05/news/17916262_1_new-yorkers-urban-future-expensive-urban-area
The 8 Most Expensive Cities In America
#8 Washington D.C
#1 New York
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-8-most-expensive-cities-in-america-2010-7#1-new-york-8
Is there not a process in place in the House to determine ‘wrongdoing’ and mete out a penalty? Can it not just be allowed to work without all of the public hand-wringing and moralizing? When his (Weiner’s) political and policy issues become hypocritical and harmful to those engaging in the same behavior as the esteemed Representative I’ll get exercised, ’till then….
@kderosa: $154K is three times the median wage. They have been married less than a year; so a year ago each of them were living just fine on about $154K. Clearly their “lifestyle” could not have changed THAT much, and IF he resigned, they would not be much of a D.C. “power couple” anymore, because he would not have any political influence whatsoever.
@Tony C “I would not describe a couple earning $154K as struggling to make ends meet”
Considering this power couple’s lifestyle and the expense of living in or about Washington DC, losing half of their total income is going to put a major hurting on them.
@Bdaman: Are you self-aware in the least? The link you provide is talking about exactly the same poll as the topic of this thread. It’s not a shock poll to anybody here, it is the topic of the frikkin’ discussion!
Professor Turley also linked to a discussion of whether Weiner needs the money, and his credit card debt. (But that link also proves Weiner may not need the money after all, his wife earned $154K last year; I would not describe a couple earning $154K as struggling to make ends meet).
Do you want to read more? Scroll to the top of this page, dufus.
@Bdaman: So what? That is just more evidence he wasn’t lying to protect his job, he doesn’t NEED to protect his job, he cannot be forced to resign and he cannot be fired. He was lying to protect his reputation; his job is perfectly safe both when he was lying and when the truth came out. Which just proves the point, he wasn’t lying to protect his job, which makes YOU a liar. I suggest you resign immediately.
Weiner CAN’T quit because he needs the money… as a shock poll reveals he might still hang on to his job
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2002078/Anthony-Weiner-CANT-quit-needs-money.html#ixzz1PHPIbxSV
He’s trying to protect his paycheck.
Oh, now you can read minds?
It was earlier reported that the disgraced congressman cannot quit because he cannot afford to due to credit card debts and having nothing to fall back on should he lose his $156,117 salary.
Just when you think you have heard it all,I came across this:
Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin: Married to a
Muslim agenda
http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/WashTimesWeinerAbedin.pdf
@Bdaman: He’s trying to protect his paycheck.
Oh, now you can read minds? You have no idea what his motive is, and in fact his paycheck has never been in danger: He cannot be fired from his job without criminal charges.
It seems far more likely Weiner was trying to protect his reputation and trying to conceal embarrassing acts that would diminish his status in the eyes of his peers. That is not necessarily for any tangible gain at all, and the survey shows his job was safe among his constituents even after the news broke. Concealing shame over one’s sexy talk (and no actions have been shown) is not lying for tangible gain, it is lying for emotional reasons.
As for the private sector, that is another lie. I have known a marketing executive that cheats on his wife with multiple mistresses, his bosses know that, and even cover for him to some extent, and they haven’t fired him, because they don’t give a crap as long as he keeps selling trainloads of product. Why in the world would you think the private sector would fire any asset over some sexy banter? They only fire people they don’t need, and then for any excuse that comes to hand. That’s kind of the whole problem with the corpocracy, as long as they cannot be held personally responsible or liable, the profit takers do not give a shit how the profit was made or if the underlying actions were moral or not. They see caring about morality as a one-sided bargain that is not really in their favor, as a straightjacket that would constrain them but would not constrain their competition.
That is why morality must be imposed upon business from the outside and may even be welcomed by some businessmen, because if everybody is forced to do something (like pay a minimum wage) then doing it will not put one at a competitive disadvantage.
“He is a very troubled scum bag and he should have stepped down as well.”
Roco, or is it Rococo?
You answered the question well and negated any charge of hypocrisy that could be leveled at you. It’s good to know that you’re an equal opportunity upholder of your ethical principles.
Raff,
Thank you.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/14/6856116-herbert-anthony-weiner-is-done
Obama is a Weiner and yes he should resign.
Didn’t Obama say yesterday that if he were Weiner he’d resign…
“I’m having a hard time accepting his betrayal of his pregnant wife as immaterial and passing his actions off as mere lust gone awry.”
Mespo,
Thanks to you for your kudo’s. I’ve lived through some interesting times career-wise, as the Chinese curse goes.
As for your quote above, it’s not like I don’t have sympathy. In three decades I’ve never betrayed my wife, or even flirted with betrayal and I never will. My commitment to her owes nothing less. I presume the same is true with you. However, my experience with the men I’ve known and with observing males in general, is that maybe more than 50% (I think this is conservative) believe their gratification is paramount to their commitment to their mate. A recent poll indicated that 75% of males would cheat on their spouses if they knew there was no way to get caught.
In many societies, as you well know, men having mistresses is acceptable and then so is cheating on their mistress. While American culture has never overtly condoned this, it does so covertly and always have. One of the great flaws in our culture is an abiding hypocrisy regarding sexuality. Just as one of the characteristics of the majority of males in the US, is a lack of maturity in sexuality and their tendency to let their testosterone rule their brain.
Given this, as a male rises in status, for many their sense of sexual entitlement rises also. This combines with the old saying that “power is an aphrodisiac” made popular by Henry Kissinger’s pre-marital exploits. I am sure that Weiner’s exploits are far from uncommon in the males who infest any positions of power and that his are actually somewhat sophomoric when compared to political sexuality.
Now I loathe men who feel that sense of sexual entitlement, or even believe that their sexuality is a proof of manhood. In my opinion they are childish and probably lousy lovers in general. However, having had some experience with politics and being a psychotherapist I believe the phenomena is not a true judge of a man’s ethical nature, but merely a man’s immature sexuality. I criticize and praise the downfall of men like Craig, Ensign, etc., not because of their smarmy sexuality, but because of their hypocritical stance against the very things to which they feel entitled. Say what you will about Weiner, but he has not been guilty of that.