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June 9, 2011
Five Reasons Anthony Weiner Should Not Resign
In defense of the dick-tweeting Congressman.
By James Brady Ryan
More lewd pictures of Rep. Anthony Weiner have hit the internet. (Everyone now knows he waxes his chest.) That, plus the badly timed news that his wife is pregnant, and the whole world is calling for his resignation. They have valid points: he lied to his constituency, embarrassed his party, and is easy fodder for Republican opponents. And yet, I'd like to see him stay. Here are five reasons why Rep. Weiner shouldn't step down.
1. He's a good Congressman.
You may disagree based on your own political beliefs, but as a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, I’m consistently happy that Anthony Weiner is a voice in our government. (Often a very loud one, in both a figurative and literal sense.) One thing that is so frustrating about politicians of any stripe is the sense that often hide their actual beliefs in exchange for political capital — does anyone really think Obama doesn't support same-sex marriage, even if he's claiming otherwise? But Weiner is well known for sticking to his views and defending them with great fervor, which is refreshing. Plus, I'm just not ready to say goodbye to a guy who so vehemently supports same-sex marriage and abortion rights.
2. He will continue to be a good Congressman.
This scandal doesn't affect his ability to do his job. And it’s really none of our business. No one is arguing that Weiner is a stand-up guy anywhere outside of the House of Representatives. But I would be much more concerned if we found out Weiner was committing tax fraud or was a secret member of the KKK, because those things would make me question his ability to be a competent and fair representative for all his constituents. But sexting is a personal problem. Was it a gross violation of standards of decency? Yes, and he lied. But he didn't lie about anything relevant to his performance as a politician. In our current political climate, people are forced out of office for lying about sexual escapades, but not for lying about policy. Newt Gingrich gets a harder time for his divorces than he does for having blatantly changed his stance on climate change. If this hurts Weiner's reputation so much he can't get re-elected, that's one thing, and if the House Ethics Committee finds that he violated their rules, that's another. But if not? At least let him serve out his full term.
3. It's not actually the government's concern. And the government has plenty to be concerned with.
Tea Partiers, Republicans, and some moderate Democrats love to talk about creating a small, un-intrusive government, until something like this breaks. And then, all of our maxims ("Keep the government out of my bedroom!") fly out the window. We're living in the most powerful country in the world (or at least one of them), and we're talking about a grown man Tweeting a picture of his penis. The U.S. is dealing with some massive, messy shit right now. I think we should keep our heads in the game. Unemployment's still close to ten percent, we're fighting two wars, and extreme weather patterns are laying waste to half of the country. No one in office should be exerting one iota of energy on Anthony Weiner's dick.
4. He read a picture book to Congress.
Not only that, it was House Mouse, Senate Mouse, and hilarity aside, we were on the verge of a government shutdown — some people needed a refresher course. Plus, I see no problem with some levity in the government — and there are not many government officials quite as entertaining as Weiner. His speeches are consistently captivating, and you need that kind of dynamic, engrossing presence in government to remind people they need to pay attention. C-SPAN most definitely is not going to do it.
5. Puns this good come once in a lifetime.
If Rep. Weiner resigns and fades from public view, can you imagine all the hilarious headlines we'll never get to see? All we'll have left is Boehner, and his name is only funny written down. I don't want to live in that world.
Commentarium (60 Comments)
This is really interesting to me. He's come out looking pretty bad -- and I can only imagine how upset I'd be if I was his pregnant wife -- but this shit happens all the time. Half the men in congress are currently doing something their wives don't know about, just like half the men everywhere.
I kinda hope he holds strong...
My love for the guy who made the NYTimes write the phrase "teary-eyed Weiner"
beautiful!
Three wars. Just sayin.
everyone forgets about Libya...
FOUR wars (you forgot Yemen).
Obama and Wiener are WARMONGERS! ILLEGAL WAR-MONGERS!
They BOTH must go!
Honestly -- probably, yes, his wife is livid. But there's a not-that-slight chance that this is something they've worked out between the two of them. Which is one of the reasons the whole public-eyes-in-your-bedroom thing really sucks. What if she is aware of it, and OK with it? She's now under tremendous public pressure to be so outraged and so offended by this. Or even if she decides not to leave him over this she'll be under public scrutiny for her decision. It's just gross to push the tabloid eye onto peoples' personal lives.
The penis-tweeting didn't concern me but the lying does. Sure hate to lose him as my Congressman though.
"A grown man Tweeting a picture of his penis." That's reason enough to resign! But then #5 makes me rethink and say "stay, stay!" I'm Canadian so this doesn't effect me too much but I love watching his unparalleled arrogance on CNN: it's compelling and fascinating.
A-fucking-men. We didn't elect him based on who he fucks--it's based on what he does AS A CONGRESSMAN.
And as a congressman he made phone calls to these women from his office. As a congress man he outright lied about being hacked. As a congress man he invited the networks to interview him in his office where he continued to lie. As a congressman he accused innocent people of hacking. As a congressman he coached people to lie for him. As a congressman he offered PR people to coach these women to lie. As a congressman he lied for 10 days before coming clean. And he only did that because he knew the truth was coming.
As for keeping the government out of our bedrooms, sure, stay out of the bedroom, but when you start sending out unsolicited naked pictures of yourself, I think you've stepped out of the bedroom.
And don't go into his personal life oh no, that's not allowed, unless it's a republican senator in an airport bathroom, then we're all about making people resign.
A great congressman who shows a lack of respect for the office he was elected to, and in doing so shows a lack of respect for his constituents.
Well said, meh. Someone with judgement that bad doesn't deserve to be a Congressman.
meh, you said it all.
Because, as we all know, meh... You have never lied, right?
Dear "med" -------- (I hope "med" doesn't stand for "medicine") you're either stupid or a child. Simply put, you have no idea what your talking about. First rule: politicians are ALWAYS fucking someone, guy or girl, doesn't matter. Expect it. (This is no longer 1940. Politicians are NOT these noble gentlemen trying to help the common man: Henry Fonda or Jimmy Stewart no longer exist) What you really have to ask yourself is whether these politicians are going to HURT the common man. The Republican party for instance, has turned our democracy into a plutocracy (Using the same sweet talking Henry Fonda/Jimmy Stewart rhetoric that women, in particular, fall prey to) In 2008, the Republicans have permitted the rich to back a huge truck up to the U.S. Treasury and drive off with half a trillion dollars calling it a 'bail out'. They have basically sold this entire country to China (1 trillion dollar deficit means in twenty years our kids are going to be working for a Chinese middle management), but I guess you still think "America is the Greatest Country in the World" . The Republicans, working on behalf of big business have virtually raped our country for short end profits and in twenty years America will be a third-world country because we don't produce or manufacture anything- again thanks to the Republicans who permitted U.S. Corporation to leave the U.S. in order to take advantage of lower pay in 3rd world countries, effectively breaking the backs of the unions that protected the common man from being exploited- NO MORE! The whole point is we want someone whose going to protect our interest from these Republican-vampires (case in point: that scumbag Joseph Bruno who took millions in "campaign contributions" and changed policies on behalf of "Special Interest" that screwed over the working class six ways to Sunday) I couldn't care if Weiner (or any politician) is getting rammed up the ass by black trannies. Congressman Wiener has not taken a penny from special interest or voted to change policies to benefit big business (check his record if you don't believe me) This is the kind of politician we want. Who cares what the guy does with his pecker?
I'm curious if you feel the same way about David Vitter, or if he gets a pass for being Republican. Sure, he never tweeted his dick, but he did make extensive use of prostitutes, the main difference being that he actually broke the law.
Well said
Okay, so lets pare down what @meh wrote above:
1. He used his office telephone to make phone calls to these women
2. He lied. (EVERYTHING you wrote after that is attached to the same lie; breaking it apart may make your cute lil' list longer, but it's all central to one lie.)
I have no problem with him using his office phone to call these women. I assume congress gets an excellent rate, and if you think of the ridiculous spending we're currently mired in, this is a laughable offense.
And yeah, it's problematic that he lied, but I can understand how embarrassing this situation is/was for him. I'm sure he just freaked out (and yes, freaking out can perpetuate for longer than the initial lie). Was he stupid? Absolutely! Does this mean he can't legislate effectively for his district--his actual job AS A CONGRESSMAN? No. He can still do that.
And the reason republicans get the brunt of it during their sexual scandals is because they act like they're fucking moral puritans, which all of these idiots are anything but. In general, the democratic party isn't known for telling people how or who to fuck, but the repubs have a fetish for doing so.
I hold them all to the same standards. Vitter, Clinton, Weiner.
You can't even hold yourself to your own standards.
Stand by for the underage women. It will be interesting to watch you spin that one.
I like to accuse people of things without any proof. Then I like to think I'm clever by stating that you might try to justify my fantasies.
Oops, I see plenty of proof now. I need to go back to what I do best: Sniffing jocks and stop pretending to be people I admire.
Other than I was going to say something similar to what LAP said (which s/he said wonderfully) I will say that the reason that I am upset by things like Larry Craig being found during the bathroom stall incident is that he has openly criticized Clinton for his scandal and vehemently opposed gay rights but was found out to be hypocrite.
I don't give a fuck if he is gay, I just hate when someone becomes such an hypocritical obstacle to gay rights in politics.
yeah what he did is pretty bad but its sad to see the only strong liberal voice resign because of his immaturity when theres plenty of corrupt congressmen focused on being reelected so they take bribes and pretend they follow our maxims. while they make yays or nays, on bills they dont even read, that our based on ideals and not what a econmist say.
Reason #2 just isn't true. He's drawn too much attention and flak about this, so other politicians, even in his own party, just won't want to connect themselves to him for a good long while. Which means that essentially the only effect he will have is through his voting, which is still a force, but not nearly as forceful as introducing or co-sponsoring a bill. Not to mention that his support for anything is now grounds for it's derision in the media. He's made himself too toxic and media charged to work with, which means his colleagues and "friends" are probably gonna hang him out to dry. He may not resign, but I'm pretty sure this will be his last term regardless
i heard theres a hotdog bun missing its weiner.
It's the attempted cover-up, not the act that's the issue. Just because he likes to be contentious does not make him a good representative. Under those standards, Sarah Palin could move into NY and replace him in a heartbeat. His immediate response to lie over this issue destroys his credibility on any other issue that Congress needs to address. Given that the only currency a member of Congress has is his or her credibility, he needs to go.
Yup
He should stay just to confront the hypocrisy of Republicans who had no problem supporting the re-election 0f prostitution customer David Vitter , and never called for Ensign, Sanford or Craig to resign. They all actually fucked people they weren't married to and abused their offices in the process. Next to them, Weiner's offense is tatamount to jaywalking--except jaywalking's illegal and flirting is not.
The Vitter comparison is a terrible one. #1 His name showed up seven years after the deed and he had already spilled his guts to his wife. #2 He came clean immediately, never lied, never hid behind some crazy convluted hacking story. I could give a crap if he sends 100 pictures of his wang to women as long as they don't have a problem with it. The point is HE IS A LIAR and someone that went to extrodinary lengths to make up this wild ass story that was quite frankly unbelievable. He cannot not ever be trusted to tell the truth. I guarantee you that he would never be called to testify in a court of law he has zero credability
So let me get this straight: Vitter breaking the law doesn't actually warrant consideration for you? Under this logic, if Weiner had already told his wife about it and just straight up said "yeah, that's my dick," you'd have no issue with the whole situation? What kind of messed up logic makes obfuscation worse than flat out crime?
maybe vitter's not the best comparison, but surely you can concede sanford is...if "hiking the appalachian trail" isn't lying, not sure what is
The fact that no one seems to care that he sent Cordova a picture of his penis without her consent makes me suspicious of the "it would be a shame to lose such a supporter of women's rights" argument.
Wait, what? Where did you hear it was without her consent?
Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/nyregion/weiners-pattern-turning-polit...
"“I have not sent him any suggestive messages,” Ms. Cordova said.
She said she was, however, surprised by his informal tone. “He was just very casual,” she said. “It wasn’t like talking to a U.S. congressman.”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Weiner did not dispute Ms. Cordova’s account.
Mr. Weiner, at his news conference on Monday, said he had sent Ms. Cordova the underwear photo “as part of a joke.” But Ms. Cordova said the image was not in keeping with the tenor of their previous interactions.
“I still didn’t get the joke part of it,” she said."
oh, actually that's really creepy
Yeah, it's not cyber-flirting, it's cyber-flashing.
So, I gotta say, this changed my entire perspective of this incident. This is totally gross and deeply disturbing, coming from someone who claimed to be a proponent of women's rights.
And agreed on the fact that the fact that this was not consensual -- not the fact that it was adulterous -- is the real outrage here, and one that seems to have been completely ignored.
If he is willing to be disloyal to his own wife, how can anyone seriously expect him be loyal to his voters? End of story. If he was not married, or if the wife condoned this (like Rex Ryan's), I would have zero problems with this.
And how do you know she doesn't?
Because she hasn't commented on it.
Maybe it's a private matter? If she announces to the public--who has no inherent right to this information, scandal or otherwise--won't that put her in harms way and damage her career? She's playing it perfectly, either way.
You're right G Unit - no elected official who has been disloyal to a wife can be loyal to his voters. Of course, that wipes out most of Congress, as well as a large part of the Republican presidential field.
FUCKKKK...THIS GUY!
Maybe the problem is that we have begun to accept this as the norm in our politicians. We need people better than this guy on both sides.
Why is this such a big deal?
The only instance in which I hold the consentual sexual practices of a politician against him is if his platform involves homophobia or family values nonsense.
At least your honest about your bigotry. I'll give you that.
I am the master of logical fallacies.
I suppose that the rationale is this:
If a political or religious figure decries homosexuality yet engages in it himself, even the champions of such a platform don't abide by it. Otherwise, I don't care if someone "cheats" on his wife. Although, the more I read about it, the more it seems like Weiner's really creepy.
But yeah, at least I'm honest about my bigotry. I guess that I just can't bring myself to tolerate people who restrict my rights.
And I'm the master of illogical fellatio.
Back to sniffing jocks...
While we at it, let's give him a Nobel Peace Prize too!!
He's done nothing at all to deserve a Nobel Prize which...oh, never mind, you don't need to do anything to win one.
Back to sniffing jocks of honest, hard-working conservatives.
whenever a politician moves his lips, he's lying.
I think President Obama made his point perfectly clear. He should take the advice of his party!
Trying to put the rape on underaged children? Constantly sending pics and obsessively texting? Lying with a straight face? .................yeah, got to go. Too many people of integrity in this world that could easily replace this elitist scum who has never held a job other than politician. All the talk about "Republicans" raping America...really? They just did all this by themselves? No help from the Left (who controlled the legislature)? Really?
Weiner is a socialist runt who wanted to tell America how much beeter he was then everyone else. I'm sorry but taking wealth away from anyone is not freedom. We have but only to examine places were unchecked liberalism has reigned unabted for decades: Detroit for example....how is that working out? The answer lies in the middle, always in the middle....the corporate fatcat and the welfare thief must come to an accord for this thing to work.
Bye bye Weiner, socialist, elitist dog!
Ugh! I have undermined myself with poor proofreading!
During the 14 years that Anthony Weiner was in Congress, he sponsored 0 bills that were enacted into law. During his 14 years in Congress, he sponsored 0 bills that were passed by the House. During his 14 years in Congress, Anthony Weiner sponsored 0 bills that made it out of Committee. Now it is coming out that he was abusive to his staff and that he alienated members from his own party. What he did do was run an effective self publicity campaign. I'm sorry, obnoxious does not equal good. Obstreperous does not equal effective, and I do not understand why you lefties feel that he was either good or effective.
There's a terrific amount of knowledge in this atircle!