“It took a lot of work to get to where are are today, but I want people to know we’re a normal family,” says Abedin, 37. “Anthony has spent every day since [the scandal] trying to be the best dad and husband he can be,” she says of her husband, who does all the laundry. “I’m proud to be married to him.” – Anthony Weiner Shares a Family Photo
DEMOCRATIC SELF-LOATHING has robbed the party of many talented people. Republican voters seem to always forgive their guys. Democratic self-loathing doesn’t seem to allow for it, because for some reason Democrats are trying to live up to a religious conservative standard that not even Republicans can meet.
Republicans self-righteousness allows nefarious womanizers like Newt Gingrich to believe forgiveness is due them, because right-wingers think they’re connection to God entitles them to be forgiven and politically redeemed. Rudy Giuliani is another classic case, who also ran for president after humiliating his wife, as is David Vitter, who remains in the U.S. Senate.
Eliot Spitzer would be a lot more effective in the political arena than he is on Current TV and I say this as one of his viewers. John Edwards, the idiot pretty boy, spoke of “two Americas” long before Occupy was born and his message was very similar. Whether he can resurrect his reputation with voters in North Carolina is highly unlikely and if he decides he can’t he has no one to blame but himself and I bet he’d be the first to agree. But his focus on the poor is worth a lot more today than the Democrats supporting austerity in the Congress.
It shouldn’t just be former Pres. Bill Clinton who is forgiven and allowed to keep his job against all Republican efforts to take him down. The American people decided he should, through a lot of help from Hillary Rodham Clinton, who saved his philandering ass.
Mr. Weiner is keeping mum about any forays back into politics, but he and his family didn’t do the People article for grins. So, I’ll take the question left unasked. There is no reason Anthony Weiner shouldn’t be allowed to put himself back into the political arena, if that’s what he and his wife decide, though he told People he has no plans to run for mayor. New York voters can decide from there. They’re smart and are very capable of assessing what politician has their best interests in mind.
We have far too few politicians on the leaning-away-from-center-pushing-the-left-ish-side of the political aisle as it is.
The other issue is that our politics is rotten at the core. It’s a dirty business and what Anthony Weiner did was sleazy, but it wasn’t illegal. It’s not even out of the ordinary. People also have to get over the ridiculous idea that politicians are role models. It’s patently absurd. Read history and you’ll see that the marketing of legends didn’t match up to the men they actually were in real life. What’s laudable about an Administration letting Wall Street crooks off the hook, while the American taxpayer pays the bill? What’s exemplary about promoting entitlement “reform,” while funding drone programs that kill innocent people? What’s moral about cutting food stamps for the neediest Americans? Have you read Mitt Romney’s economic plan?
Has Anthony Weiner done anything to keep the middle class from thriving? Is he against American workers getting a living wage? Does he support austerity? His Middle East views are right-wing, but it’s still the expected norm if you represent New York, as well as the Democratic Party. These are the questions that should make a difference to Democrats, not whether he can pass the fidelity test, which a lot of men and women can’t.
But then, I’ve done time researching and investigating relationships, sexuality and the dating scene, so I know Anthony Weiner isn’t an anomaly. He’s just someone who got caught.
Everything else is between he and his wife, the beautiful and talented Huma Abedin, Secy. Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, who has forgiven him after what I’m sure was a walk through hell.
image via Shutterstock
It does not matter which political party a person is in, the pictures like that are game over. He did it to himself. You may have a point that people should be elected to office based on their qualifications.
Considering that “Progressive” yakkers like Stephanie “Obama Can Do No Wrong Check Out My Sexy Liberal Tour” Miller continue to tell six bad Weiner and Clinton jokes for every one mention of David Vitter, etc., I wouldn’t bet too heavily on a political comeback for this guy. “Liberals” tend to eat their own, mainly to prove to the other side that they are “fair and balanced.” Of course, the result is that they aren’t.
DING! DING!! DING!!!
I, for one never condemned any of these people, so it would be presumptuous of me to even think of forgiving them. Moreover, the sanctimonious and hypocritical Republicans who condemned them are a lot worse as they are truly evil. Their policies and actions engender true human suffering, force people to go hungry, maybe even die; this includes women and children. And they have absolutely no mercy.
Amen.
Like Ramsgate, I sit here wondering what on earth I need to forgive Anthony Weiner for. His wife may have had reason to be honked off, depending on the terms of their relationship, but nothing he did was illegal, and except for his initial lies to the public about his behavior, which was none of our business, anyway, none of it was unethical. It was, at worst, silly.
I’d love to see a day when the silliest and most harmful thing any congressman does is to send photos of his johnson around the Internet.
Isn’t that the truth.
This is another long post, so please skip it if you don’t have the time. I wish I could be a more constant poster around here but for various reasons, my posts are intermitent. So, when I do post, I’ve saved up lots to say and so my posts are usually LONG.
That eyeroll is for me. 
So, I apologize for what can be seen as an annoying trend on my part. I’ll try my best to post more often. Peace.
This is a very interesting topic.
DEMOCRATIC SELF-LOATHING has robbed the party of many talented people. Republican voters seem to always forgive their guys. Democratic self-loathing doesn’t seem to allow for it, because for some reason Democrats are trying to live up to a religious conservative standard that not even Republicans can meet.
Man, ain’t that the truth! Many Dems seem to want to impress Republicans with just how stern they are when someone in their party misbehaves in their private life. Just to prove what? That they are not the godless, bohemian, cheating, lying commies that the Republicans try to paint them as? And, the Republicans as you said have never been as harsh as Dems have been on their own when one of their GOP brethren get caught in a wide stance or wearing diapers with some Madame.
I haven’t seen any polls in NYC about whether the electorate has ‘forgiven” Weiner enough for him to run again. I’m limiting this to NYC because if Weiner does try to make a political comeback, imo, he will run for mayor, even though he is denying it now. It’s a long way away from that election, Nov 2013, so like many others have said and done, he can say he had a change of heart. Right now it’s too soon for him to be openly declaring a run for that office because of his sleazy behavior.
However, I think it’s a good bet a majority of the NYC electorate will forgive him if they haven’t done so already. He was very popular in his district before and after the internet interlude.
As is always the case in these cases, I felt for his wife, Huma Abedin who is not only stunningly beautiful but by all accounts a brilliant woman. And, also by all accounts she’s done a brilliant job for Clinton.
Weiner was a god damned jackass for even thinking of cheating on this woman and I felt the same about Bill Clinton for his continued bad behavior towards Hillary Clinton. What the hell were both men thinking? Yes, I know they weren’t thiking with their grey matter.
But, if both these women and their jackass husbands have worked hard in their marriages and reconciled, resolved/settled their issues whatever they were and both women have forgiven their men, then who am I do still hold a grudge. I just wouldn’t want to be married to either of them if I were heterosexual. And, I also lost a bit of respect for both men. But, that me and that’s it.
I’m more aggravated with Clinton over his Bain stance and some of his political decisions than about his infidelity no matter how much I wanted to slap him silly over his needy behavior with Lewinsky and for clearly hurting his wife (and daughter).
Sometimes we forget about the kids in these cases but I’m sure it’s incredibly painful and embarrassing for any of them to have their father’s infidelities broadcast in public.
For me, it’s also a matter of degree. Of all of these men, I found John Edwards and Gingrich’s behavior towards their wives unforgiveable. I know my feelings towards both of these men had to do with both women being ill at the time and the extreme callousness in their behavior. That was difficult to take for me or dismiss. But, again that’s me.
It shouldn’t just be former Pres. Bill Clinton who is forgiven and allowed to keep his job against all Republican efforts to take him down. The American people decided he should, through a lot of help from Hillary Rodham Clinton, who saved his philandering ass.
I agree. Especially the part about Hillary Rodham Clinton. She did save his sorry ass.
Again, what you said here is important for me (and as someone from NY) as questions to ponder when voting for someone.
Has Anthony Weiner done anything to keep the middle class from thriving? Is he against American workers getting a living wage? Does he support austerity? His Middle East views are right-wing, but it’s still the expected norm if you represent New York, as well as the Democratic Party.
That question about being a NY representative and support for Israel is one question that is a wash for voters for all candidates when they run for office because unless they talk the talk about that support, they won’t get past the primary.
And, if the answer is NO to the first three questions for any candidate, they will be on my short list for whom to vote.
Andrew Cuomo din’t pass muster regarding the austerity question, so I didn’t vote for him for Governor even though he was as friendly as an angel regarding my right to marry my partner. And, I am very happy that I was able to marry my partner. And, I’m very grateful to Cuomo for the hard work he did to make that happen. I just thought his financial plans for the budget trumped my wanting to get married. We could survive that as a family. Not that many people who needed state services could survive drastic cuts in the budget.
These are the questions that should make a difference to Democrats, not whether he can pass the fidelity test, which a lot of men and women can’t.
I strongly agree. Fidelity in marriage is between two people and it’s their business.
I don’t agree with those who say “if he cheated on his wife, he will cheat on the country”. Of all of the men who were POTUS and who were not faithful to their wives to name a few: Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson and Clinton: they just don’t fit that bil of cheating on the country.
Now, as far as I know, Nixon was faithful to Pat although it was rumored that he abused her physically and verbally and he fits the bill of cheating on the country. It’s not as cut and dry as some would have it. Frankly, I don’t think one has anything to do with the other. If you are going to commit high crimes and misdemeanors on your country, you are going to do it whether or not you cheat on our wife (and in the future, husband).
Was Nixon destined to cheat the country? Who knows. But, there was a clue in his background that could be a tell. I don’t think it’s that well known that Nixon was caught breaking and entering a Duke Law School professor’s office and was arrested while an undergraduate at Whittier College. And, he failed to note that on his application in an FBI employment application.
Now, If Weiner runs for Mayor, I can’t vote in that race because I no longer live in the city. But, for arguments sake, if I did, I would give him a chance of winning my vote. If he ran in the next Mayoral race, his chief rival will be Christine Quinn, the Speaker of the City Council. As many here may already know, Quinn is the first woman to hold that office as well as the first openly gay person. I’ve been a supporter of Quinn not because I’m a gay woman (that’s the least of it) but because as with Weiner, I hold many of the same positions as Quinn.
And, there are votes that both have taken that I’ve disagreed with. So, it’s a pretty even playing field when it comes to credentials, philosophy and how well they would do as Mayor. And it would be an exciting race to watch as well because both are big New York City personalities although Quinn originates from Long Island (now my current neck of the woods).
Same here. People, professionals particularly, have different views of their personal and work lives. I’ve worked well with people I could barely tolerate as people, because they were good at their jobs and I could trust them to behave well enough that they weren’t a problem. I’ve also had friends who were tough to work with.
I, for one, *so* enjoy reading your long
comments. 
I’m gay and stuff and hope this isn’t too misogynistic, but I’ll take ten Weiners over one O any day!
You ditnt…YOU DITNT…oh yes you did, you DID say it!!!!!
I think if they had held an election the day he resigned he would have won overwhelmingly.
Taylor, thank you, thank you, thank you. Democrats bench our best liberals while Republicans allow David Vitters and other cretins of their ilk slither throughout the political system regardless of the type and number of mortal or venal sins they comit.
It’s just got to stop.
Q. Where is the most dangerous place to be in the world?
A. Between Chuck Schumer and a television camera.
Anthony Weiner is in the same mold. Now resigning because of what he did is nonesense. But, perhaps voters should ask what kind of person they want to represent them. Sen. Gillibrand appears to be effective and respected without being so loud and obnoxious.
Further more. Perhaps it is some kind of karma. If he held any other job; besides a politician, he would have be fired way before those photos became public. In July 2008 the NYT had an artlcle about him. The way he treated his office staff, physically abusing office furniture in anger, high turnover rate of his staff. Doesn’t sound like a pleasant work place environment.
It wasn’t the Tweets that lost him his seat, it was the lying about them. Important to remember that as you rail against the puritanical Republicans. He is from a district in Queens, NY that hadn’t elected a Republican since WWII, in a state with two Senators and a Governor who are Democrats. Rail against the Republicans all you want, it was the Democrats that kicked him to the curb.
Many of the post here, with treacherous Republicans as the villains, seem to be written by a person without any medium to longterm memory or the use of Google or Wikipedia, odd.
No, it wasn’t. Weiner’s constituents never wanted him to resign in enough numbers to matter. What ended his House career was that the Democratic “leadership” didn’t want to deal with the situation. If he had told the truth from the outset, they would have still forced him to resign, either because they didn’t want to have to listen to all the jokes, or because they found him annoying for some reason (possibly for reasons guyski mentions above). Whatever the motivation, and I think it had less to do with embarrassment than it did with them wanting Weiner gone anyway, they weren’t going to back him, so he resigned.