Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will resign today from his seat in Congress. In addition to the political pressure from his own party, Weiner had a couple of strong legal reasons to resign.
I have disagreed with those defending Weiner or opposing his resignation. I could care less about his bizarre fetish with exhibitionist acts. However, he engaged in a pattern of lies that included alleging criminal acts of hacking by others and attacking the media. He is further accused of harassing women with these pictures. I cannot understand the view that a member who showed such utter dishonesty and poor judgment should be forgiven because he is “good for the cause” or a loyal liberal. I agree with the double standard shown in the response of cases like Senator Vitter, but that does not relieve Democrats or liberals of their duty to hold their leaders accountable.
Weiner had two strong legal reasons for resigning. As mentioned in earlier posts, the greatest danger of criminal conduct is his alleged coaching women to lie if contacted by investigators. Yesterday, another woman stepped forward to say that she was pressured to lie by Weiner. Notably, the woman yesterday also said that her efforts to discuss political issues were met by responses from Weiner to get her to engage in sextexting. By resigning Weiner reduces (the admittedly low) chances for a criminal investigation.
Second, Weiner was likely to be investigated for this misconduct and there are risks of claims of false statements as well as the creation of new evidence that could be used against him. This includes possible civil litigation. It also includes possible investigation of Weiner for harassment of women who were contacting him to discuss his work as a congressman. It also includes incidents where Weiner could be charged with using official resources in engaging in this conduct.
By resigning, Weiner shuts down the main threat of investigation that he is facing. The result of that investigation would have likely made it difficult for him to secure a new position — or to come back later and run again as a “healed” individual. The new photos show that this was not a few racy shots but pictures taken from various locations, including the House gym and his office. It also includes claims by women that they tried to get Weiner to discuss his political work and views — not his body parts.
Source: Politico
Preview: Is Anthony Weiner an Asshole?
by Matt Taibbi
June 15, 2011
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/preview-is-anthony-weiner-an-asshole-20110615
The Supreme Court of Assholedom will be ruling on the question of Anthony Weiner in the upcoming days. To that end, I’d like to solicit reader opinions on the following questions that have been put before the court.
1. Is Anthony Weiner an asshole?
2. Are you automatically an asshole if … you claim you can’t recognize your own crotch?
3. … if you publicly tweet pictures of your junk?
4. … if you’re leering and snorting at reporters’ questions in one week, then breaking down crying and begging forgiveness when you get caught?
5. … if you legitimize Andrew Breitbart?
6. … if you condemn one congressman, but excuse another for the same behavior because he happens to be a member of your party?
“The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.
Woodrow Wilson(1856 – 1924) “
What bothers me is that he was given the bum’s rush out of office by people he didn’t work for or represent. A majority of his constituents (from the last poll I saw) wanted him to remain. There is the question of whether he could have continued to represent them effectively if he was stripped of committee powers and black balled by other members of congress – but ther4e’s something dangerous about how he was made to resign.
What I come away with overall from this whole sordid fiasco is that Americans are incredibly juvenile about sexuality…AW demonstrated that and so did the general reaction to his indiscretions in both the media and general public commentary.
At least we can now hopefully regain some of the momentum against the Ryan medicare insanity that was lost during this whole useless charade.
Elaine, while on can be sexually harassed via the Internet it’s a hard case to make and I can’t find anything Weiner did that rises to that level. He wasn’t in a position to offer any rewards or punishments for sexting with him, he wasn’t any one’s boss he was sexting. He wasn’t in a position to make the venue toxic for anyone that didn’t sext with him. Shutting down sex-talk on the Internet is easy.
The way you handle someone on the Internet that texts you information you don’t want is to block them or unfriend them. You just walk, or click, away, with or without calling them a pig as you ‘leave’. Unless you can translate an isolated exchange into cyber-stalking across sites or 3D stalking it’s just a rude presumption on the part of the initiator of the sex-talk. To hang around and continue texting that person is ridiculous.
“I think what Weiner did to some of the women he corresponded with was as a form of sexual harassment. Think of what would happen to a man who sent female co-workers text messages and photos like the ones Weiner sent to women via Twitter”
Were any of these women his co-workers, employees, constituents, …?
“Let’s face it–the man has a problem! ”
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and that is rare up there!
Mike s. “It’s a bitter pill to me and I think he was basically told by his own party they would not allow him to accomplish anything if he remained. I feel this even though the husband of a second cousin of mine may get the seat and he is a good man. I still firmly believe that Democrats are held to a much higher standard and this is especially true if they don’t follow a centrist line.”
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This double standard could not happen if it wasn’t with the collusion, no, active participation of the Democrats themselves. The President all but called for Weiner to resign but not for Rangle (nor anyone else caught in a scandal) to resign. That Weiner is a strong progressive voice is also a factor in these bi-partisan calls for his resignation. Neither party wants strong, popular progressives around.
Meanwhile, the story following the Weiner news on a 5 o-clock news show I watched was that there are strong signals that the Medicare/budget negotiations may be resolved by a bipartisan agreement to make cuts, possibly deep, in Medicaid. Don’t know if that’s true but I wouldn’t be surprised. How many elderly people or relatives could afford being in a nursing home without Medicaid? Weiner would have been good to have taking that fight to the floor of the House.
He was also making Clarance Thomas’ conflict’s of interest a public issue.
Elaine M:
thank you for the laugh.
Swarthmore mom,
I like Weiner too. Still, I won’t excuse his behavior. I doubt that any woman who has been a victim of sexual harassment would.
Swarthmore mom,
I understand your correction. That said, it doesn’t change my opinion of Weiner and his behavior toward the women he corresponded with via Twitter.
Elaine, I don’t like what Weiner did either but at the same time he was one of the only ones to actually stand up to the republicans. I will miss that.
Elaine, Puzzling referred to what Weiner did to his female constituents. I was merely making a correction.
Mike S.,
From that Huffington Post article:
“The news that Congressman Anthony Weiner has decided to resign due to what I would regard as a junior-high-school-level prank makes me realize that we are living in an era in which increasingly sensationalism is being used as a substitute for serious political discourse. Weiner was being self-destructive in putting himself in such a vulnerable position by his actions in sending pictures of his genitals on the internet to young women in order to impress them about one of his attributes that was no one’s business but his own. That he showed poor judgment in doing so is unarguable, but what I would question is how that behavior would seriously compromise his ability to be an effective legislator which he amply demonstrated in his championing of a single-payer health care system.”
*****
Weiner is forty-six years old–and a member of Congress! He should have matured enough by now to have progressed beyond a “junior-high-school-level prank” mentality. IMO, what Weiner did goes far beyond a junior high school level prank and shows an incredible lack of common sense and good judgment. Let’s face it–the man has a problem!
*****
Swarthmore mom,
I’ve been a Democrat all of my adult life–and I have a problem with what Anthony Weiner did. What difference does it make if the women were his constituents or not?
I don’t think that any of the six women were constituents. Weiner was a highly partisan democrat and puzzling seems to have a problem with that.
@puzzling: I know you were writing Mike, but “countless”? “Predator?” It wasn’t countless, the number of women that have come forward is SIX. And he was not a predator, he never raped any, never had sex with any, and as far as we can tell all the communications were maintained consensually, not one of them asked him to stop sending them tweets or messages.
Hyperbole is corrosive; not EVERYTHING you dislike is a crime, not EVERY jerk is a predator, and if treating women like “sex objects” is a crime than we are going to need a LOT more prisons pronto.
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/06/in-sex-scandal-congressman-resigns-for-not-having-sex-ctd-1.html
Mike,
So despite the fact that this predator treated countless female constituents like sex objects to be toyed with for his amusement, all is somehow forgiven because he is for single payer? Please.
Is there no other articulate voice for single payer to be found in his district? Of course there is. Weiner was no more a highly principled progressive than Obama is, and the fact that this was illustrated only by a revelation in his private life doesn’t change the reality. I would also support those who would out these so called “family values” Republicans who live closeted gay lives. All of these hypocrites should be stripped of their ability to rule over society.
Off of Mike S Link: As predicted, Weiner gets a first Job Offer post resignation, and I think it is serious, and the job is roughly the description I gave of using his Congressional expertise to advance the cause of a corporation. This one is public, others will be private.
Mike S.
Truer words were never spoken:
“What I find particularly hypocritical about the public and political reaction to Weiner’s behavior is that perfectly “acceptable” legislative actions occur all the time in Washington and state houses that have a far more chilling effect on the “general welfare” than anything Weiner had done”
The Media,The Media,The Media!!!!!