What Weiner Did Was Worse Than an Affair

Townhall.com ^ | June 14, 2011 | Dennis Prager

[Kaslin]

To their credit, most Democratic Party leaders have (finally) called for New York Rep. Anthony Weiner's resignation. But among liberal commentators and millions of other Americans, there is a great deal of flawed thinking about whether Weiner should resign.

The two most common arguments offered against his resigning have been that (1) what Weiner did was not illegal and (2) it was not even as bad as an extramarital affair because he never met, let alone had physical contact with, any of the women to whom he sent naked and semi-naked photos of himself.

The argument's entirely beside the point.

The point -- the whole point -- is the effect of what he did on the United States House of Representatives and on the country as a whole, especially young people.

There is a simple way to prove this. Let us imagine that some congressman had walked onto the House floor in his underwear. I think it is fair to assume that just about every Democrat and Republican in the country would demand his resignation. But why? That action is not illegal, and it certainly does not constitute a form of infidelity to his wife.

The reason people would demand his resignation is that such behavior disgraced the House of Representatives.

That is the issue here. When a member of Congress sends pictures of his penis to women around the country, he has demeaned Congress.

And he has done so far more than any member of Congress whose extramarital affair was publicly disclosed.

Most Americans understand that Congress, like every other institution, including their local church and synagogue, is composed of sinners. While we might wish that every member of Congress were as upstanding as we hope our pastor, priest or rabbi would be, most of us live in the real world and do not believe that marital infidelity automatically disqualifies one either from running for, or from holding, public office.

Furthermore, we understand that marital infidelity can be solely a matter between a husband and wife, and is not necessarily the country's business.

But what Weiner did is the country's business because of its effect on the reputation of the House and because of its effect on young Americans.

If I were a member of Congress, I would not be livid at every one of my colleagues who had had an affair. But I would be livid at Weiner. Every day he remains a congressman, he makes every one of his colleagues look bad: You can send photos such as Weiner did to women around America and still remain a member of this institution.

And at least as destructive as his impact on the House of Representatives is his impact on young America. The message to young Americans is the same: A 46-year-old member of Congress can send photos such as this congressman did to women around the country and keep his seat.

To appreciate how terrible this looks to a young person, ask your teenage son or daughter if he or she would be more humiliated if it became known that Dad had had an affair or that Dad sent photos of his penis to young women he never met.

I cannot think of a single event that symbolizes the decline of American society -- and especially of its liberal elite -- as much as Weiner's actions and his retention of his seat in Congress.

It is almost surreal. The Weiner photos pervade the Internet, and people like Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., do not demand the congressman's resignation, and liberal commentators wonder whether the congressman violated any laws.

Salon's Joan Walsh on MSNBC: "You can't accuse him of hypocrisy; he's not a family values moralizer. You can't accuse him yet of breaking the law."

Los Angeles Times editorial, June 8: "We'd prefer to leave it to New York voters to decide Weiner's political future."

And surely the Los Angeles Times knows that a majority of New York City voters say Weiner should stay in office.

New York Times editorial, June 6: "Mr. Weiner says he will not resign, and there is no evidence yet that he broke the law or abused the resources of his office. He said the computer and BlackBerry that he used were his own, not issued by the government."

If you ever need to show someone how low liberalism has sunk in our lifetime, just show him this New York Times editorial. A congressman sends photos of his genitalia to women he doesn't know, and The New York Times doesn't think he should resign unless the BlackBerry he used was issued by the government

[Let's Roll]

He was trolling for young women and the younger the better.

[Maverick68]

Let's be honest: The reason the Dems aren't rallying around Weiner is because of the Hillary/Huma connection...

Weinergate Featuring Barney Frank

[libstripper]

At someen the course of his travails, Bill Clinton said he’d get through it all as long as there were no pictures. That’s where Weiner screwed up: it was nearly all pictures.

[Colofornian]

Weiner essentially “flashed” women. He should have to register as a Sex Offender.

Exactly. 'Tis refreshing to view a FReeper's comments who "gets it."

The only problem is...they'd actually have to start arresting porn stars for prostitution...which I think they should...

But then, there would go Congress' (& men in general) porn market...and there's not exactly any public will to do that...

So the land one-time honored to celebrate July 4 continues on its slide beyond Sodom & Gomorrah...

No wonder it seems like we're under economic judgment.

[muawiyah]

Thanks to Amy Winehouse we have a "song" that is easily adjusted to Tony's circumstance:

To Wit:

Huma tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"

Yes, I've been hacked but when I come back you'll “no, no, no”

I ain't got the time and if Pelosi thinks I'm fine

Huma tried to make me go to rehab, I had to go, go, go

I'd rather be at home with Ebay

I ain't got seventeen days

'Cause there's nothing, there's nothing you can tweet me

That I can't learn from Mr. Hannity

I didn’t get a lot of sass,

But that picture was shot through glass

They tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"

Yes, I've been hacked but when I come back you'll “no, no, no”

I ain't got the time and if Pelosi thinks I'm fine

Huma tried to make me go to rehab, I gotta’ go, go, go

The man said, "Why do you think you here?"

I said, "I got no idea"

I'm gonna, I'm gonna lose my baby

So I always keep a laptop near

She said, "I just think you're obsessed

Tweet me, yeah baby and go rest"

Huma tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"

Yes, I've been hacked but when I come back you'll “no, go, go”

I don't ever wanna post again

I just, ooh, I just need a friend

I'm not gonna spend ten weeks

Have everyone think I'm on the mend

And it's not just my hide

It's just 'til these tears have dried

Huma tried to make me go to rehab, I said, "No, no, no"

Yes, I've been hacked but when I come back you'll “no, go, go”

I ain't got the time and if Pelosi thinks I'm fine

Huma tried to make me go to rehab, I had to go, go, go

[muawiyah]

I think you don't understand ~ WE don't want Tony to resign. Democrats want him to resign. WE want him to stick it out and serve as a veritable SIGN POST for the public to know where the Democrats stand on all the issues ~

This dude, by himself, is worth a billion dollars in campaign financing.

Really, I never imagined I'd ever see a Constitutional majority in the House ~ where we had 3/4 of the votes and could almost rule by decree ~ but here it is. The time is now. The iron is hot. Time to cast the die!

[Yaelle]

Weiners behavior was more disgusting and more embarrassing for Congress than having a mistress. It is less understandable. If he had a local mistress that he saw while Huma was gallivanting around the world with Hillary, it would be a moral failing but more “normal.”. Some would even have sympathy for Weiner as a beard for Huma.

Weiner comes off as a pervy loser now, not a lonely husband who fell in love with another woman than his wife.

[Liz]

All politicians have a fatal flaw----they are madly in love with themselves and they need constant validation. That this pervert would actually take a pic of himself stark naked holding his private part shows Weiner seems to have a particularly virulent case of self-love. He actually had no compunction displaying this perverted behavior.

Apparently, what we see as sexual misbehavior, is politicians' sick way of attaining the ego gratification they desperately need.

I am now more believing of Clinton when he said "he did not have sexual relations" with Lewinsky. He really believed that...... b/c in his warped mind, he was not getting a BJ---having a woman on her knees in an act of obeisance was his massive ego getting validated.

Weiner is in the same place. Weiner AND Clinton's sexploits were a way to feed their massive egos.

This type veers toward politics to get the status they think they are entitled to, as well as public adulation and approval. (Anything they can steal with earmarks, and the like, is a plus.)