Mr. Wow Blog
Why Weiner Should Stay
1:39 pm | June 11, 2011

Author: Mr. Wow | Category: Culture Point of View | Comments: 89

Reflecting on the savage joy we feel when the high and mighty fall, Mr. wOw wonders: don’t we have better avenues for our outrage?

“In every action ask thyself, How does this affect me?  Shall I regret it?”

Good advice from Marcus Aurelius. Alas, Anthony Weiner is not up on his classic Romans. (Okay –that’s my one and only wise-ass remark referencing the Congressman’s name and current situation.)

I’ve waited a bit to weigh in on this. Perhaps because I knew my thoughts wouldn’t be much appreciated. Or because I wanted to see if some sense of humanity would enter the discussion.

The media glee that has attached itself to the fall of Mr. Weiner took me back many years, perhaps to the first time I ever wondered if anybody had a heart. It was when Richard Nixon resigned. I wasn’t nearly as interested in politics as I am today, but I knew the news. I was aware that Nixon had needlessly extended a needless war … that he had an infamous “enemies” list … that he had “masterminded” a ridiculous break-in at the Watergate Hotel … and that he lied about it. Most of all, I knew he was utterly charmless. He had to go.

Still, I felt something, as I read and read and read all the happy people cheering his departure. I felt more when he became ill and it looked kind of serious. That he might even die. I could not find a single person who would say, “I feel rather bad for him.”

The media happiness at his unhappiness and disgrace left me feeling hollow and stupid. Shouldn’t there be some trace of empathy, I asked? Apparently not. What was wrong with me that I even had a soupcon of sympathy? So said my friends.

Over the years I’ve seen it over and over again. In politics, or in show biz. The savage joy we revel in when the high and mighty fall off those high places. We all know the names — Kennedy and Clinton and Hart and Tiger. On and on. Even a poor girl like Britney. What fun to mock her as she shaved her head and went mad.

But there is something else, too. Panic. The panic of lying, being caught in a lie and not being strong enough to admit it, and move on. I’ve been there. I know that feeling. Nothing  is worse. You’ve done wrong, you know it. Maybe in your crazy head you thought you’d get away with it. But now it has come to bite you in the ass. Be a man and admit it?  No, no, no. Lie and hope for the best. As if a lie could ever be “the best” of any situation. It never is. You are always caught. And it is so much worse in every way.

So maybe it is because in my life I’ve been a panicked liar at times — and hurt the one I love the most — that I can say I hope Anthony Weiner sticks to his guns and stays on. Let his constituents — who appear to like him very much — vote him out when the time comes, if that’s what they end up wanting. Let his pregnant wife deal with her sense of betrayal on her own terms — not yours! (Are you his wife? Did you receive his naughty pictures? I didn’t think so.)

I’m not perfect and neither are you and certainly the people calling for him to quit are not perfect. By any means.

I wondered, back in the day, as Nixon fell from the highest position in the world, what would it take to satisfy those who hated him, those who were literally cheering? I felt it could only be death. He’d have to kill himself. Then, there would be the hypocrisy of “regret.”

I felt that about Clinton and Kennedy and Tiger. And I feel it about Mr. Weiner. Every word uttered and written is splotched with blood waiting to be spilled.

Don’t we have better avenues for outrage? He showed absurdly poor judgment and displayed his penis on the Internet. (If he does quit politics, he has other options, career-wise.)

I’m considerably more upset that American soldiers continue to die in Iraq and Afghanistan. And that the annual cost of those wars is $1.29 trillion.

Aren’t you?

Let’s leave Mr. Weiner’s penis to heaven. And his wife to her own decisions.

Comments:
  • KarenR

    Low hanging fruit is the easiest to pick.

    2:06 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Jessie Bowdoin

    When people that have careers that place them in the public view they should stop and engage their brains before they open their mouths or other activities that can be picked up by the media in all its various forms. It never ceases to amaze me  the activities that these people do & think that they can get away with them. And life keeps rolling along folks.

    2:20 pm | June 11, 2011
  • mary burdt

    The only person who should feel outraged by Weiner’s weiner being in the wrong place is his wife. She is the one who should decide, with no help from us, if he will remain in her life.

    Let his New York constituents vote their views at the ballot box. He is a politician, by trade, no more, no less. Let’s get back to what is vital to us all…the economy, getting our soldiers home, and our citizens back to work. When all these things are accomplished, maybe then, and only then, should we spend any more time on this situation. Absolute nonsense. His behavior was reckless but, in truth, have his actions affected anyone you know? I thought not.

    2:22 pm | June 11, 2011
  • J G

    Hi Mr. Wow,
    I agree that we are famous for building our celebrities up and then watching them fall. I have actually wondered why we do this. I wasn’t laughing at Britney, and I am not laughing at Charlie Sheen either.

    I truly felt for Britney, and I’m actually worried about Mr. Sheen.

    Empathy is a magical gift, and so is forgiveness.

    I do feel tremendous empathy for him and his wife.

    It’s the lying and placing blame on others that tell me his true character, however. I don’t believe that you would have tried to lie your way out of the mess he is in. I believe that you would have fessed up and asked for forgiveness and understanding.

    One of the mottos that I have tried to instill in my daughter is “it’s not the problem itself, it’s how you handle yourself that will matter in the end” You get the idea. This post isn’t as wonderful as I wanted it to be.

    Words matter and lying means I can’t trust that person…….

    2:27 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear JG…

      You mean a lie about a penis online is the same as  a lie that costs Americans billions of dollars and thousands of lives. 

      If I could believe that politicians really cared for us…let them sext and post their pictures all they want.   Nobody has to read or look who doesn’t want to.

      Unfortunately, Mr. W’s lie dragged in the hideous Andrew Brietbart.  THAT was the crusher.   But, as I’ve said–panic.  People will do anything, no matter how stuipd.

      10:35 am | June 12, 2011
      • J G

        Dear Mr. Wow,
        All of your points are well taken. My point was that I don’t believe that when caught in a compromising position, (deer in the headlights comes to mind) we would all lie.

        I don’t think I would because I blush horribly, stutter and just yesterday had to tell my boss the real reason I said I couldn’t come to work on a day she asked me to. (I didn’t want to, but I would for her) I was so embarrassed, but told her that I would rather be embarrassed then to lie to her.

        I’m willing to bet that you (at this stage of your life) also would choose to simply tell the truth. It is just so much easier.

        I’m rambling. My main point is that when one is caught in a lie, I at least lose trust for the person. Don’t you? As for politicians, sadly, I stopped trusting all of them. Edwards was the last straw for me.

        Happy Sunday to you.

        11:02 am | June 12, 2011
        • Mr. Wow

          DEar JG…you are correct.  I am past the lying.

            But, no…if, on a rare occasion, I catch a lie, I simply learn my lesson—don’t trust completely.  Be aware.  But I could not (and have not) turned my back or forsaken all trust in those who have lied to me, for their own complex reasons.  Of course these are people who mean a lot to me. 

          By the way, you did the right thing, and I’m sure your blush was charming.

          You think you ramble?  Look at the stufff I post! 

          Happy Sunday to you, too. 

          11:18 am | June 12, 2011
        • Baby Snooks

          There is a well-known maxim in law that sums up the problem with liars. Once a liar, always a liar. An odd maxim for a profession where lying seems to be the name of the game. Effective rhetoric is really effective lying. Or as we saw with Bill Clinton, effective twisting of the truth. Which in the end is still a lie.

          “I did not have sex with that woman.”  True. But his cigar did. He not only had sex with that woman but had kinky sex with that woman.

          Not all of us live our lives in a sewer. Not all of us beleivee those who do make good leaders. You may not have known when you wrote this, Mr. Wow, but Wiener was flashing his weiner to a teenaged girl knowing she was a teenaged girl. Hopefully the US Attorney will take care of the debate and send him and his weiner off to prison. Savage joy? Not at all. Total and complete disgust.

          7:12 pm | June 12, 2011
  • J G

    PS
    I was just a kid when Nixon was in office, so I don’t remember feeling anything other then confused as to why I was going to school in the dark. He skipped daylight savings time as I recall, because of the cost of oil??

    2:31 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Maggie W

    We’ve been to this rodeo before.   Americans have a knack for electing and then venerating the morally compromised.  Clinton left office with a 60% approval rating.  Vitter was elected in a land slide last year.  Newt is back again with a long list of tawdry deeds but has a big fan base. 

     Since Thomas Jefferson, it’s all a part of the great American political land scape.  Power men turn into pigs.  With all of that power come confidence and recklessness especially when they are in the national spotlight like Weiner, a media darling.  With that power comes a sense of entitlement ,and soon self restraint goes underground.   That is an invitation to a self-destructing situation.   We see it time and again. This week it is Weiner.  Next week some other congressman will be chasing an intern around the coat room.  Weiner should ride it out if that is what his constituents want. 

    I am far more concerned about clean cut wonder boy Paul Ryan, who insists on screwing Americans and making certain the insurance companies make even more obscene amounts of money.   

    2:32 pm | June 11, 2011
  • rick gould

    And yet, when a public figure is honest or not concerned about appearing contrite for personal behaviour, the media and particularly, the American public, crucify them… especially if they are women. Ingrid Bergman comes to mind. Elizabeth Taylor. Cher.

    The ones I have a hard time with are the ones espouse squeaky clean morals and then you find out they are just as swinish as any of the others… Newt Gingrich for instance?

    3:36 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Rick…

      Not to make this a celebrity thread, but Cher has never behaved in a manner to be crucified or to apologize.  She doesn”t drink, take drugs, steal husbands or commit adultery.  She has a very sexual image, based mostly on the way she dresses.  She likes younger men. 

      As for Bergman, she said, “I don’t regret the things I’ve done, only the things I haven’t done!” Ingrid walked the walk. And was banned from Hollywood for ten years.     La Liz?  She benefited from every scandal.   

      10:50 am | June 12, 2011
      • Paul Smith

        Well, so far. But we haven’t read Mr. Allman’s recollections yet.

        10:09 pm | June 12, 2011
        • Mr. Wow

          Dear Paul…

          Mr. Allman’s recollections would be just that–his recollections.

            Remember this, about recollecting–, during her lifetime, Marilyn Monroe’s public “private life” was almost pristine.  She dated and then married Joe DiMaggio.  She dated (the newly divorced) Arthur Miller and then married him. 

          There were never-confirmed rumors of an affair with Yves Montand.  She divorced Miller and was then a single woman.  Then she died.

          Only after her death did all the “recollecting” begin.   While she lived, MM’s image was was  nun-like  compared to Liz and Lana and Ava. 

          2:54 pm | June 15, 2011
  • Chris Glass`

    NPR has a short segment on this behavior Friday and it was pointed out that Mr. Weiner was not the first person in office to face public censure. One caller suggested that his sexting was part of the cultural times that we live in. I don’t remember if it was the same caller or a different one that said he bet that some of the congressional children have done the same. He wondered how many of these incidents would come back to haunt them years down the road. No matter what is said these actions are in extremely poor taste for anyone family, friend or congressman. I was more disturbed by his lying and blaming others than anything.

    3:37 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Lisa Cornell

    I understand what you are saying Mr Wow, because for the longest time I felt as you do. I would be sickened by the glee others expressed, or worse yet, feel I didn’t belong to the human race, when they demanded ‘off with his/her head”. I do not revel in anyone’s misery but when someone is the architect of their own misfortune and they are not adult enough to take ownership of their mess, my willingness to cut them slack goes out the window. That said, anyone who takes joy in someone’s failings is a mighty flawed character. I just think I don’t need to choose between empathy or condemnation. I think Weinergate has gone on too long and he needs to take ownership for his lying. It is the lying that is a breach of the public trust. The rest of it, is between Weiner and his wife.

    3:53 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Lisa…But you know what, I think even if he’d admitted it all instantly–an act almost totally against human nature, when caught so suddenly–he’d be in the same position.  The same women would have (gleefully) come on out, released the texts and the more graphic pix. 

      Nancy Pelosi, who should be ashamed of her political life, would still be demanding his resignation.

      Like all people in a panic, he had a great fantasy that the lie would make it go away. 

      But if lying is all it took to get rid of our politicians….Hmmmmm….no politicians.  THat might work. 

      10:28 am | June 12, 2011
  • Mr. Wow

    Well, he’s resigned.  I suppose this will end it.  Kind of.  Except for the fun of re-hashing it all weekend by very perfect people.

    Geez…and as we speak, some fool–famous or not–is texting and sexting and putting pictures online that are certain to come back in a bad way.  And then they’ll try to lie their way out of it.

    These things would be cautionary tales if caution was ever included as an option. 

    There’s always CNN for Mr. Wiener.  After all a prostitute’s  john named Eliott Spitzer has a job there now. 

    4:19 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Mr. Wow

    Wrong!   I see he is  just “seeking a leave.”  With his Democratic friends urging him to resign. 

    I urge him to remain.

    Just…turn off the damn computer.  Whatever happened to a little imagination and locking the bathroom door?

    4:25 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Lisa Cornell

      I suspect he will resign shortly. I have to admit that I died laughing when I read the following headline ” Weiner: I’ll stick it out”.
      To me this is a classic.

      6:08 pm | June 11, 2011
      • Mr. Wow

        DEar Lisa…yes, quite  amusing.  Hope neither you nor anybody you love makes a mistake that makes news that produces such amusing headlines. 

        THere will only be classic grief and humiliation.  And you really won’t understabnd why everybody else thinks its so funny.

        ON the other hand, with a name like his, headline workers have a very easy time of it.

        10:19 am | June 12, 2011
  • Rho

    He resigned?  I did not hear that as yet.  I wrote in two other threads that I know him.  He is a good Congressman for my district,  He should definitely not resign.  All I heard is that he is going to get treatment.

    4:30 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Maizie James

    Mr. wOw,

    Loved your article! Thank you for saying what needed to be said.

    I cringe reading about the moral/sexual improprieties of politicians and other celebrities, particularly in this age of advanced technology and instant media coverage – personal indiscretions, which falls into the hands of journalist pimps, eager to fill the lust of a public panting for blood of the victims; not unlike those Roman citizens who filled the gladiator arenas during days of Marcus Aurelius.

    My objections is based on the fact that I too am fallible when it comes to making stupid moral choices which often hurts those closest to me. I learned early on to have a compassionate heart because … “there but for the grace of God [might] go I”.

    Although I blame the media for lowered standards, which in early decades meant avoiding covering delicate escapades of politicians, I also blame celebrity exhibitionists who call attention to themselves, feeding the media pariahs with fuel to assure flaming headlines : Paris Hilton, Donald Trump, Palin, Elton John, Charlie Sheen, et.al.

    Yes. There are more important topics we need to focus on and leave this Weiner mess to the Weiners and his constituents.

    BTW: Like you, my empathy for Nixon was often scrutinized by friends who wondered why I felt sorrow for him. Over the years, I read many biographies of Nixon trying to figure out why my sympathy for him remained an enigma. It occurred to me that I somehow related to Nixon’s probable paranoia and feelings of rejection for never being accepted in the ‘good ole’ boy’, high- brow elitist social circle of the likes of the Kennedy’s. I think Nixon was unhappy, miserable, and emotionally disturbed; and he never quite go over whatever the humiliation that traumatized him during his childhood and coming of age.

    I felt sorrow for Nixon because fighting inner demons of ones youth is an awesome challenge; a livelong battle that is never ending. I say this because I know it first-hand.

    Again, thank you for your insightful message about empathy.

    4:32 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Maizie…thank you.  I seem to be standing pretty much alone on this one.  But that’s okay, I expected it. 

      What a boring world if we all agreed!

      And I know I am foolish to hope sex scandals will be ignored, or at least not played up like those involved are mass murderers. (I also wish mass murderers weren’t played up like they were movie stars, giving them the fame they crave.)

      I’ve made some awful decisions in my life.  I paid for them.  Worse, so did those I love.  But I wasn’t cast out. 

      10:08 am | June 12, 2011
  • Andy C

    Oh Mr. Wow –I agree that the media is jumping up and down with a sense of glee and that it’s ugly; it always is.  Important matters are set aside while we ponder Mr. Weiner’s naked torso.  However, though he at first claimed that none of these people were under age, how would he know?  Do you know my age?  And, in fact, the latest is that he’s accused of “sexting” (one of those cutsie terms) with a 15 year old.  I can’t dredge up any pity for a man stupid enough to put himself in this position.  He had a probable bright future and blew it.  The thng that bothers me the most is that even if he resigns, he retains all those percs that none of them are so entitled to. 

    He should go so that we may get on to important matters. 

    4:55 pm | June 11, 2011
    • KarenR

      If he left they’d just find something or someone else in order to avoid the harder work.

      7:47 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Andy….I understand (I try to understand) all who declare “no pity” in a case like this.  And then I pray these people never make a terrible error, disgrace themselves and their families. I pray they will receive the pity and forgiveness they withhold from strangers.

      I did. 

      9:56 am | June 12, 2011
  • Chris Glass`

    I don’t think that anybody with common sense is taking glee in this mess. If anything I feel for his family because they too will feel the sting of his actions. I hope he gets the help he obviously needs.

    5:14 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear  Chris…then you have missed the barrage of daily headlines here in NYC, in WW3 size type. 

      9:49 am | June 12, 2011
      • Chris Glass`

        I know that the media is hyping and making hay with all that has happened but I stand by my comment that reasonable people aren’t. I’d bet that those who are of the ilk that purse their lips and sneer while pointing the finger at others for their own shortcomings. Many behaviors are a sign of problems, mental physical or emotional and should be treated as such.

        6:10 pm | June 12, 2011
  • Bonnie O

    Mr. Wow –

    I also had not heard that the Congressman had resigned.  However, it does appear that even if he has or has not resigned, his Congressional Seat will soon be dropped from the NY delegation due to the population shift of peoples according to the last Census.    New York will loose one or two seats.  Easy enough for New York to simply select Weiner’s District as one to go …. no fuss and no angst among others in the delegation.

    Yet, Mr. Wow you do make an interesting point about the constant barrage of ridicule and worst being directed at Mr. Weiner.  Bill O’Reilly did a segment on his show Thurs or Fri about this very issue.  He, in fact, suggested that the criticism is some quarters was so ugly that even the death of Mr. Weiner would not satisfy some of those hysterics.  The fact that Mr. Weiner lied to the press does explain some of the vigor of the Press in pinpointing every sordid detail.

    Mr. Weiner has a psychological problem for which I hope he seeks treatment.  I also hope that he has resigned.  He is less than honorable and does not deserve a place in our Congress…. where it is hoped that folks who are admirable, accomplished, learned and honorable would serve not only their constitutents but the nation as well. 

    6:39 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Bonnie…

      Unfortunately it is my opiion that most politicians are not “honorable” and don’t deserve the foolish “you are perfect trust” placed upon them. 

      His mistake here was the panicky lie, and the inability to stop lying (or ineptly evading) for two days.    But as certain sexual urges are a part of human nature, so is a lie, when caught.

      Let him be voted out, when the time comes.  If that’s  what they want.

      9:37 am | June 12, 2011
  • Richard Bassett


    Mr. WoW,
    What people do behind their bedroom door is none of my business (unless it is going to dictate my future actions) but DON’T PUT IT ON THE INTERNET! I know that this is all after the fact now, but the reality comes from a form of integrity that Weiner lives with. If he is a fine unblemished professional congressman then I see no reason to change that situation unless he feels the need to. But it has nothing to do with us, the press, his peers, his constituents, his friends, his enemies or his family. It all comes down to his conscious belief of his own sense of integrity. That is not a small topic of self or professional therapy to live with. It isn’t so much what he did (the behavior), but why he did it. His thoughts evoked an emotion and due to that emotion, he acted out (the behavior). I know that I am telling you basic CBT but in this case…it really applies. How is he thinking? Has anything changed in this thinking? Did something so internally (in this thoughts and beliefs) happen so drastically, that this outrageous behavior was released? There is a difference between taking a pencil at Staples because the checkout line is so long and posting naked pictures of himself for the world to see, and destroying his fidelity, putting himself is harm’s way (with minors and such) into such dizzying heights? Usually those who take such chances are living on the edge (of something emotional) and he needs some self-exploration. No matter what the outcome, at the end of the day, can he sleep with a clear conscious, can he sleep in peace?

    7:25 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Andy C

    When I was young, what Mr. Weiner did was known as “indecent exposure” and was punishable by a trip, at least overnight, to jail.  Then a trip to court.  If he’s sick, get help — but stay off of the internet and out of our Congress.  My personal belief?  These people get so filled with their own importance that they start to feel invincible.  Why someone who is bright would not understand that eventually you get caught–no matter what.

    8:38 pm | June 11, 2011
    • KarenR

      I’ve never heard “indecent exposure” used except with regard to live in-the-flesh appearances (as opposed to photos like in Weiner’s case).

      Isn’t porn still the #1 content on the internet, anyway??

      10:16 pm | June 11, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Andy….but millions of people do this everyday now.  THey are not politicians or people in high places.  They are just men (and women) who are finding sexual satisfaction and thrills by sending racy messages and photos.  Lives are being ruined–or at least very much upset– that we’ll never know about because the husbnad/wife/parent finds out what’s been going on on the Internet. 

      I think everybody who engages is these reckless activities needs “help.”   But I don’t think they should lose their jobs. 

      And so far, all the women who received pics and tweets from Mr. W. seem to have been willing recipients.   I hope they are in therapy too. 

      9:47 am | June 12, 2011
  • elaine s

    It was so predictable that Weiner would go into some treatment facility.  That is the pattern.  He is no doubt hoping the public and press will get off his back now, as he takes on the air of someone who needs “treatment”.  And, so, we are all to forgive and forget, for whom among us is perfect?  Not one, however, who among us is an elected official with such poor judgement that we photographed our genitals and sent them out willy nilly to our “followers”?  Who, among us, accompanied such graphics with dirty, sex talk? 

    Those who think he should resign are not calling for the death penalty, so I think they are entitled to their opinion, Mr. Wow.   They are simply saying they don’t think someone with such poor judgement belongs in public office.  More than likely, it will be up to the voters in his district to decide come reelection time, or perhaps they will redraw the districts and eliminate his office altogether. 

    I don’t feel sorry for Weiner.  I think he was so lucky to have the opportunity he had.  Much luckier than most.  If he blew it, he only has himself to blame.

    9:02 pm | June 11, 2011
  • madhatter_80

    Well I find his actions to be very immature.  If I lived in his district I would seriously wonder if he was mature enough to make decisions on my behalf.  But I am not one of his constituents so I will leave it up to them. 

    9:22 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Andy C

    Elaine S. ~ You said it, and you said it so well….I do agree.

    9:50 pm | June 11, 2011
    • elaine s

      thanks

      9:53 pm | June 11, 2011
  • KarenR

    Mr. Wow,

    How about a riff on film representations of sex and violence as seem through the eyes of the MPAA (sex BAD, violence and bloody gore GOOD!)?

    10:13 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Richard Bassett

    ….Only in America.

    10:37 pm | June 11, 2011
  • Jody

    I believe this stuff has been going on since the beginning of time. I believe a lot of things come in to play here, one of which is a man’s feeling of self-entitlement because of his position and his need for stress release. I also believe Republicans, Democrats, Liberals, etc. alike would be shocked if they knew ALL of the stories from their affiliated parties. Everyone knows it’s the tools of today (the internet) that enable us to get this information quickly, if at all. Can you imagine what it would have been like to see Thomas Jefferson’s personal life through a paparazzi’s lens?

    But, being the Sagittarius that I am, I can see both sides of any issue. So, I also believe that if The People elect you to an office, you not only have the job, but the moral obligation, of completing that task delicately handed to you by your constituents. If you have time to take pictures of your genitals and send them to other people while sitting in the office bestowed upon you by The People, then you have some explaining to do! AND… we DON’T live in the 1700’s anymore. So, you CAN’T get away with the same stuff Jefferson did. AND… YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT! Duh!

    My biggest beef with this: Integrity is what you do even when no one is watching. So, what kind of integrity does this man, or anyone else conducting this sort of behavior have? I was taught, act as if your parents are in the room. What the heck? As adults we have the ability to REASON and choose right from wrong. When our Senators, Congressmen, and even Presidents conduct this type of behavior, it makes the rest of us nervous because they seem to have a loss of ability to REASON. If they can’t do something so basic as figure out sending nude pics is a bad idea…. How the H-E-double hockey sticks can they REASON on law-making, bill passing, state legislating, and EVERYTHING else they are supposed to be doing… instead of admiring their private parts? Certainly, Mr. Weiner could have opened his email and read letters from his constituents and responded to them appropriately instead. In fact, I’m certain there are a bzillion other things Mr. Weiner could have been doing in the chair in his office his constituents provided for him. GO TO WORK!!!

    That’s my humble opinion. Whether he leaves his job or not…. I DON’T CARE… I don’t feel sorry for him. He dug his own grave. He behaved as an idiot. Too bad. Next time use your head…. the other one! You create your own experience.

    12:46 am | June 12, 2011
  • Katharine Gray

    I certainly don’t  think Weiner deserves to die for his mistakes and I don’t care if he resigns or not.  I’m not really enjoying any aspect of this and thought when the matter first surfaced that he did the deed, was lying about it (any first grader knew he was lying watching his initial press interviews) but that it would probably go away and that he would get away with the lie.  That was before we knew this was not a one time thing but a long time habit of his. Had he stuck to his denials without blaming others (specifically Breibart) for hacking his account he probably would have been able to ride it out until some other story hit the media.  Denying it, while a lie, is understandable although not admirable.  Trashing someone else’s reputation while lying to save your own is reprehensible.  

    A history lesson for Mr. Wow…there was never any evidence that Nixon *masterminded* the Watergate break in but there was evidence he obstructed justice by covering it up.  Obstructing justice is a crime in and of itself of course (unless you are obstructing justice to cover up sexual dalliances in which case it is * just lying about sex and everyone does it*) and I believe Nixon was justifiably disbarred and would have been prosecuted but for Ford’s pardon.   But, I think the comparison between Nixon and Weiner loses validity because Nixon did resign (and he should have).  Weiner will not.  And I don’t care if he does or not as he is not my congressman.  If he were my president, I would have a different opinion.

    While I don’t want Weiner to die (or even resign), I don’t have a lot of empathy for him.  I disagree that he can find another job unless he joins Elliot Spitzer on CNN.  I don’t think he has a law degree and even if he does he hasn’t used it and his name would be a huge detriment to a law firm ( all of which are either not hiring or limiting hiring severely) .  He might be able to get a lobbying job but I don’t know any company or trade organization or special interest group who is going to be proud of Weiner advocating their interests before Congress especially in its current configuration.  Reid is disgusted by him so he has no clout in the Senate.  The Republicans hold the house and he has no sway there.   So, without his congressional pay the man has litttle to fall back on except writing a mea culpa book and Huma.   Assuming he still has Huma.  After Matthews (and others) have blamed her for controlling the guy’s desire to talk dirty and show dirty pictures on the net…I’m wondering how long he will have Huma.  

    Yes we all make mistakes.  For the mere mortals among us, those mistakes have real consequences.  You pay the traffic fine.  You get fired.  You might even go to jail.  Your marriage falls apart because you are a shit.   Your reputation is besmirched and you don’t get invited to the best parties.  

    As for the comparisons between Weiner, Elizabeth Taylor, Ingrid Bergman, and Cher(?)…WTF?  Yes, Ingrid and Elizabeth had adulterous affairs but they didn’t post photos of their hoohahs on line. or even in Photoplay!   And they didn’t go trolling for people to have dirty talk with.   I don’t  know what Cher did that was even scandalous except expose some skin at the Oscars in a tacky Bob Mackie costume.   And why the comparison between screwed up, drugged up stars like Charlie Sheen and Britney and a sitting member of Congress?  Does anyone seriously want Charlie Sheen to vote in Congress? 

    And therein lies the flaw in Mr. Wow’s argument.  To expand on his Roman allusion:  Caesar’s wife ought to be above suspicion and so should Caesar. 
      

    1:08 am | June 12, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Katherine…But doesn’t that simply mean Caesar (and his wfe) should not be caught?  Because most of those Caesars and their spouses were a corrupt, bloodthirsty bunch. 

      Nobody can be above suspicion.  If one believes in Jesus, maybe him. 

      THere is always a flaw in Mr. Wow’s logic.  He is emotional and speaks (writes) off the top of his head. 

      Oh, I didn’t make any comparisons to Bergman, Taylor or Cher. Or Charlie.  I do agree re Cher, however. Not much scandalous there. 

      11:05 am | June 12, 2011
    • J G

      I can never understand people who can’t find compassion and empathy when someone is down and out.

      It seems so “holier then thou” but then again, when my favorite tennis player is winning, I start routing for the other player because I can’t stand to see anyone hurting.

      Anyway, Katherine, empathy is a gift that we are given. Why don’t you have ANY empathy for someone so horribly embarrassed by his own actions? Have you never made an embarrassing blunder?

      11:14 am | June 12, 2011
  • Paul Smith

    Democrats are in no position to be distracted by trifles. Obama is being steamrolled by the economy.  The nerdy Screech lookalike from Congress should not have the leisure (or taxpayers dollars)  to be waxed, buffed, or erect.

    9:07 am | June 12, 2011
  • rick gould

    We had somewhat the same situation out here in Portland, OR when freshly elected Mayor Sam Adams was revealed to have had an affair with a young intern (not his) when the guy was barely 18…and maybe not even 18.

    Man, it set off a firestorm. Adams was openly gay but there were rumors for at least a year before he was elected. But this is what got me: In best Bill Clinton tradition, he adamantly lied about it, wrote long letters to several publications about being persecuted for being gay, accused his accusor of smearing him, that he was just “mentoring” the young man, ad nauseum.

    Then AFTER the election, the young man comes forward and confirms the affair. And gives interviews posing with his dog. And the “himbo” poses for a centerfold.

    THEN Adams finally admits he was putting the “men” in mentoring the twink.

    People were equally divided. I personally found Adams consistent lying disturbing. But the ongoing mess really hurt Adams work performance, I think. And it will be interesting to see if he will get re elected.

    10:44 am | June 12, 2011
  • omasan

    Mr. Wow: Thank you for your article. I agree with most of what you have to say. As a result of his behavior, I DO question Weiner’s judgment and his ability to make wise decisions. That being said, I find the reaction of both the public and the media to be SO much more disturbing. I question our society’s lack of empathy, our want/our need to throw stones, our outrage at Weiner’s “immoral” or “sick” behavior. Haven’t we all made bad decisions and judgment calls? Haven’t we all lied? The hypocrisy of our response is to me what is so sickening about the whole situation. It all goes back to your opening question: Don’t we have better avenues for our outrage?

    11:15 am | June 12, 2011
    • J G

      Beautifully said, Omasan.

      11:17 am | June 12, 2011
  • Mr. Wow

    To all of you…thank you for your civilized, thoughtful responses here.  I am so happy to “know” you all.

    I always learn something. 

    (I’m figuring by tomorrow there will be fresh outrage on some other subject, so I just wanted to express my appreciation.)

    11:22 am | June 12, 2011
  • Elizabeth Bennett

    At last, someone is making sense! I see no reason why Rep Weiner should resign over missteps in his personal life. It is not as though he was abusing his office. He was abusing his marriage, maybe his computer, but not his office. If we live in a democratic republic, and I hope we still do, only the voters in his district should be able to decide whether he is to stay in office. Only his wife should be able to decide whether she is better off with him or without him.

    Of course, I would also hope that someone sits him down and instructs him on the perils of using a personal computer for things that are personal.

    But the rest of us should butt out of it. In the end, this is a married man with a wayward eye, not so uncommon. Even in Congress.

    12:49 pm | June 12, 2011
  • Daniel Sugar

    I agree with you – let he who is without kidneys cast the first stone.

    P.S. Politicians used to want to date strippers – now they want to be strippers. This is not progress.

    3:53 pm | June 12, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Daniel…really, you are funny!

      4:12 pm | June 12, 2011
  • Daniel Sugar

    Thanks!

    4:16 pm | June 12, 2011
  • Andy C

    Re your resonse to Maizie:  But you are not an elected official.

    6:41 pm | June 12, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Andy…no, but I am a human being in whom intelligent, cautious behavior was (reasonably) expected toward the person I love most. 

      I failed.  I suffered.  And so did my love.  But I wasn’t asked to resign. 

      7:12 am | June 13, 2011
  • HauntedLady

    It’s a relief to see that someone else had some empathy for Nixon. I’ve always thought he was a tortured soul, as so well manifested by Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon. (But, Langella had me feeling empathy for Dracula so …) As for Weiner, like you, I think we have better things to be outraged about. It’s sad, and I believe there is something wrong with people who behave this way. I also believe that lack of empathy shows poor character as much as the actions of the miscreant. Other political leaders who indulged in sexual peccadilloes were able to function well on the job, as have so many leaders in business and industry. The big difference now is that it’s easier for everyone to know.

    7:57 pm | June 12, 2011
  • Baby Snooks

    I think what amazes me most is the “sympathy” for Nixon.  One of those who I commented about how “hell must have just added a log” when he died. 

    12:21 am | June 13, 2011
  • elaine s

    As this saga unfolds, what I find most interesting is trying to comprehend what goes through Weiner’s mind that allows him to dig his heels in and refuse to resign, when he has little to no support in Congress to stay.

    Most people, in the same situation, would be so ashamed that they would resign, especially when the big guns in Congress say he should resign, or even, that he must resign.  But, this guy isn’t like most people.  Most people would not take pictures of their genitals and Twitter them out to their followers.  

    The point is that he thinks he is above the law.  The rules don’t apply to him.  He thinks so highly of himself that he thinks he can and should be allowed to get away with anything he wants to get away with. 

    That is what we should be debating, Mr. Wow.  Do we want someone who thinks that way in Congress?  Not that what we think will make a damn bit of difference to him!

    9:24 am | June 13, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Elaine…

      We already have lots of people in Congress, the Senate the White House, who think very highly of themselves and think they can indeed get away with anything.  The “anything” isn’t usually nude pics on the Internet.  Just minor things like taxes, and Social Security and endless wars. 

      As for Mr. Wiener being “above the law” so far he hasn’t broken any laws.  We’ll see what the coming days bring, however.

      At the moment he is guilty of extreme stupidity, panic and some hefty exhibitionism.

      Elliot Spitzer was “ashamed” enough (not!–just sorry he got caught) to resign after he did break the law by frequenting prostitutes.  But he was shamed right into a job at CNN, where he blithely covers scandals such as Mr. Weiner’s. 

      So…maybe if Mr. Weiner resigns there’ll be  a place for him at MSNBC?

      11:58 am | June 13, 2011
  • Miss Lee

    I am also sympathetic to the congressman.  I have “played” on an adult sex site and have sent & received explicit emails.  I am not without sin but was smart enough not to show my face, use my real name or general purpose email address.  It was long ago and I have passed through the “change of life” and no longer look or act the same and, being a nobody, no one cares enough to search for me.  I don’t judge the congressman as being anything but stupid.  He should have know that these things are not easy to hide if someone really wants to expose you. Also he was quite foolish if he thought that all of this playmates would keep something so juicy to themselves.  Having said that, I think he should resign not because in actions are offensive to me but because he is now a distraction and, for all our sakes, Democrats need to win in 2012.  The continuing circus surrounding him has to stop and we have to start to focus on the issues.  He should take one for the team. 

    11:19 am | June 13, 2011
  • Kathy

    If you were interviewing someone for a job, and he said,  “You need to know that I enjoy taking photographs of my genitals and sending them to young women on the internet,’  just how quickly would you get him out the door?  The fact is, this is creepy and if we wouldn’t want to have a passing acquaintance with someone who does this, why the heck would we want them to represent us in Congress?  Quit defending this guy, and let him slip into oblivion.

    11:44 am | June 13, 2011
  • Andy C

    Kathy — I certainly agree.  I understand Mr. Wow sympathizing, and I wouldn’t want my life under the microscope of public scrutiny especially as depicted by the media.  However, I won’t run for public office, nor. as far as we know, has Mr. Wow.  When one does accept public office, they would have have to be worse than a fool to think that anything questionable, and certainly displaying your genitals on the world wide internet is questionable especially when one of the pictures has a sign with an arrow pointing up saying “Me” and to add to it, you put your name on it. 

    He should resign.  He shows such a lack of integrity and, well, just sense.  I too think he needs to take one for the team, if not for any sense of wrong-doing.  Sorry Mr. Wow, there are a lot of unsupervised children out there who can access anyone’s Facebook page or Twitter — while they need parental supervision, they don’t need to view Mr. Weiner again and again and again.

    12:00 pm | June 13, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Andy…

       Don’t be sorry.  I understand those who want him gone.  I don’t disrespect their shock and outrage, anyway.  On the other hand (why is everything in this story a double or triple entendre?)  I guess that means you wanted Clinton to resign, for his reckless Oval Office blowjobs?  Maybe you did.  I’m glad he didn’t, though I had my weak moments. 

      As for children and computers.  Please.  How would they find Mr. Weiner’s penis?  Only by typing in “Mr. Weiner’s penis.”  And it is a pixalated penis. Otherwise, they are just shots of a kinda skinny guy in his underwear or draping a towel this way and that.  If children wish to “see” something, there are better objects of desire and curiosity than Mr. Weiner.  Complain to TMZ or the Huffington Post or the NY Post who are reproducing these pictures.  Kids read the papers.  And who could  ignore the headlines? 

      Parents who worry about what their children see online should make sure the one and only computer is where everybody can see it and use it. 

      And while they are at it, cancel the cable subscription. 

      All that said—he is an idiot.  But that doesn’t make him a bad person or even a bad congressman.

      3:52 pm | June 13, 2011
  • Mr. Wow

    “If I were him, I’d resign.”   President Obama on Congressman Weiner.

    This from President Obama.  REALLY?  Gee, if I were President Obama I’d end two wars that are costing us trillions.  And young American lives.   If I were President Obama I would have released my long form birth certificate three years ago, rather than being  bullied into it by a pig like Donald Trump.   If I was president Obama I don’t think I would have in weighed so absurdly on the Henry Gates episode. 

    If I were President Obama I think I’d act like I’d won the election.   Bleh!  What a ridiculous statement.

    Wow.  The more they pile it on, the more sympathetic I am.   Unless you are involved with an underage person, stand tall, Mr. Weiner.  But don’t stand in front of any more little cameras. Please.  Enough.  By the time your coming baby  is old enough to read, this will be an ancient tale.  Maybe there won’t even be an Internet!  (Back to caves and landlines might be quite nice.)

    Good grief—am I going to have to vote for a Mormon?

    7:39 pm | June 13, 2011
  • Belinda Joy

    Mr. Wow, I love reading your perspective on this.

    IMO, I think it is always easier to have compassion for people when things happen to them, as opposed to them doing things that result in the response they receive. I know I didn’t feel sympathy for Nixon because (and that was when I was much younger and allowed my father to think for me) I was told of what a flawed man he was and how his actions disgraced the office of the President.

    Tiger, Spears, Lohan, Vitter, Charlie Sheen, Clinton and yes, now Weiner, they all brought the public scrutiny on themselves by their actions. So it is hard to have any modicum of sympathy for them. Again, I’m speaking for myself.

    This drama concerning Weiner is upsetting for me because I REALLY LIKED ANTHONY WEINER! I can’t stress that enough. I honestly believed down the road he would be our first Jewish American President, I really did. All of what he had to say was spot on and logical. And I respect people that speak from a place of logic. So I am angry with him for blowing his chance at truly making a more profound change in politics. He has gone from being respected for his opinions and beliefs to being mocked and laughed at. A walking punch line. I resent him for doing things that made people think of him in a negative light. And I resent him because every other word out of his mouth has always been “I’m a straight shooter….you can always trust me to tell you the truth…” and yet he lied.

    However, I agree with you, he shouldn’t leave office.

    For the politicians that are hypocrites and run on a platform of “family values” and “the sanctity of marriage” those are the politicians when caught up in scandals like this that I say need to step down. And I say that only because it calls into question their true intent. I don’t expect politicians to live by some high moral compass that is superior to mine. We are all human. My issues is with the politicians that are closet Gays by day and vote against bills and laws to improve and add fairness to the lives of Gay and Lesbian Americans – yet by night they’re trolling the Gay bars. Or politicians that vote against bills that would uphold equal opportunity laws for Blacks and other minorities by day – but come night they are on Craig’s list trying to hook up with Black women.

    This is such a sticky one Mr. Wow. As far as I am concerned Bill Clinton set the bar really low when it comes to a politician and infidelity. I mean, he had affairs BEFORE he was voted into office and it didn’t stop him from being elected. And then in office (as proof we have Monica’s cum stained dress) he had oral sex with a young intern….in the Oval Office! When you compare it to Weiner sending risque photos of himself to strangers online, which seems worse?

    Nope, I say he should be allowed to stay in office.

    12:25 pm | June 14, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      My dear Belinda…

      It is so good to hear from you again.  I am totally understanding of those (in the public) who want him to go, those who are shocked or outraged.  I am not insensitve to  general morality–or what people wish to believe is general morality. 

      I am less patient with the press, which feeds and fuels an incredible hypocrisy. 

      Now that President Obama was chimed in, I feel fairly certain Mr. Weiner will fold.  If he doesn’t, he’s one hell of a determined man, and then I’ll forget his internet pics and listen to what he has to say with an even keener  appreciation.  I, too, felt he had what it takes to become our first Jewish president.    Interesting!

      9:42 pm | June 14, 2011
  • elaine s

    Mr. Wow:  Just because there are some other people in Congress who think the rules of life don’t apply to them, doesn’t mean the perverted actions of Mr. Weiner should not resign from his job.  The difference between him and some other miscreants who have gotten away with their misdeeds without losing their jobs is that what he did is REALLY CREEPY.  He is no better than a common flasher. 

    Having been caught, he isn’t normal enough to slink away in shame, as he should.  Even President Obama’s saying that if it were he, he would resign (which you used as a springboard to state your grievances against the President, which are irrelevant to this discussion) isn’t enough to get through to Weiner that he ought to resign.

    I predict the guy will end up resigning.  He has very little support.  I hope his wife realizes he has become a political liability to her and dumps him forthwith.

    6:19 pm | June 14, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Elaine…

      YOU hope his pregnant wife dumps him?

      Well that means as much as my opinion that he shouldn’t resign. 

      Nobody “slinks away in shame” anymore and in the world of celebrity, few have, ever—remember Errol Flynn’s statutory rape trial  back in the 1940’s?  He was  a bigger star after he was acquited.  (tho she was underage.)

      Of course Weiner he did was creepy.  Who denies that? 

      Also, Elaine, President Obama–whom I voted for and will again–gave an opinion on this matter.  He put himself into the pot.  It’s not irrelevant. 

      All this said, today in Afgahnistan or Irag a soldier has died or been horribly injured.  Shall we continue to be outraged by Mr. Weiner’s penis? 

      9:24 pm | June 14, 2011
      • Belinda Joy

        Mr. Wow,

        Did you catch what Barney Frank had to say yesterday? (I watched him on MSNBC, although it may have been broadcast on other cable stations).  Anyway, he was (of course) asked if he believed Weiner should have to go?  And in his “Barney Frank” way of expressing himself, he said what is at the heart of why I believe you and I think he should stay…

        He said that years ago he too was embroiled in a sex scandal and that he could appreciate the embarassment that Weiner is feeling and the manner in which the public and press responds to acts such as this. But that he was still in office and serving to the best of his ability. (Paraphrasing of course).  But that is the gist of it, isn’t it? That sometimes….not always…but sometimes a person’s dedication to politics and their honest and deep desire to serve, diminishes all the sexual stuff.

        One of my very favorite politicians in life was Ted Kennedy. Ted championed on behalf of the poor and middle class in a manner that to date is unrivaled! And yet to the very end, up to his death, when people speak of Ted they still bring up Chappaquiddick. Yet we remember him most for all the good he did and we respect him for it. As screwed up as I personally think Anthony Weiner is (in terms of his desire to show off his body to strangers) I truly believe he has something to offer in terms of politics.

        10:38 am | June 15, 2011
        • Mr. Wow

          Dear Belinda…

          I did see Barney Frank!  And I was glad he made that point.  I am not partial to cringing at sex scandals.  But I realize other people are not as sanguine.  (Or as depraved, as my critics might say.)  But I can separate creepy sexual stuff–so long as it does not include rape or minors–from the ideals of a person who truly wants to serve.  Ted Kennedy is a fine example.  He drank and whored, but he championed every good cause and he paid mightily for his sins. 

          If Weiner resigns I hope he will not give up on politics. 

          2:12 pm | June 15, 2011
  • ann penn

    Ah… I so totally agree with Mr. Wow on this one, especially about the lies by politicians that got us into wars that are destroying committed young people in the military, having who knows what effects on their families, and our economy.

    I’m more concerned about those lying members of Congress who were elected on promises to fix the economy and create jobs and instead are messing with OUR private lives – trying to eliminate access to birth control and abortion services, both legal, while de-funding food and medical care for indigent children (of course they don’t vote…)

    Congressman W’s acts were extremely stupid. My sympathies to his wife. Any illegalities (dealing with minors, etc.) should be left to the proper authorities, IMO.

    I do remember when Jerry Springer (also a newlywed) paid a prostitute with a personal check; he resigned as Cincinnati’s mayor. But he was re-elected to the city’s Council (from which the mayor was selected – not directly elected) in the next election. He did let the voter’s decide.

    11:39 am | June 15, 2011
  • Mr. Wow

    Dear Ann Penn…

    Thanks.  I love politicans who want “smaller goverment” and essentially don’t wish to tend to the sick and elderly, no matter what they have put into the system all their lives.  Forget about indigent children–do they matter at all? 

    I say, fine–don’t tend to us, but then get the hell out of our bedrooms and our bodies.  Don’t tell us who we can or cannot marry.  Don’t force a woman to have a baby if she doesn’t want to. 

    Sometimes I think I am going to end up as one of these anti-goverment radicals, living in the wild someplace.  (Well, a wild with with 500 cable channels and access to Sephora, for my mineral makeup. Maybe I’ll be a suburban radical.)

    I am 58. I see winter and discontent from my front porch. 

    2:32 pm | June 15, 2011
  • elaine s

    Imagine, for a moment, what would happen if a woman in Congress sent out nude pictures of herself to her Twitter followers.  Imagine that she engaged in suggestive conversations with 6 men to whom she sent these photos.  

    First would come all the jokes!  Men would kid that it was wonderful, especially if she was decent looking.  Then, it would stop being funny.  People would start to ask what kind of sick puppy this woman was.  It wouldn’t take long for the concensus of opinion to be that she should resign from Congress and find out what led her to do something so twisted.

    Go ahead, Mr. Wow.  Tell me I am wrong!

    5:35 pm | June 15, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Elaine..

      No, you are not wrong.  And I would defend any woman who found herself in Weiner-land.

      I am a man, but I am not a pig.

      6:46 pm | June 15, 2011
  • elaine s

    If you say so.

    7:35 pm | June 15, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

         Dear Elaine. I do say so.   But you are free to disagree.  Clearly you do.

      6:19 am | June 16, 2011
  • eleanore wells

    Weiner should go because I don’t want him making important decisions that affect me. If he’d just cheated, that’s pretty straightforward. Tweeting pictures of his “stuff”…from the Congressional gym…and then aggressively asserting really bad stories to cover-up says to me that his decision-making processes are seriously, seriously off.

    -The Spinsterlicious Life

    9:05 pm | June 15, 2011
  • Richard Bassett

    Oh, lighten up. It is just a bunch of fun on a boring day. Tomorrow shall come soon enough!

    10:14 pm | June 15, 2011
  • Jody

    At this point I’m sick of hearing and reading about this. I realize there are a million different opinions about what should or should not happen to this man. It doesn’t change my mind.

    We have teenagers who are being put on sexual offenders lists, being sued in our courts for sexual harassment, and have to do everything from community service to jail time for the same thing that Weiner did. The only difference… they were passing this stuff to each other… sometimes unsolicited…. sometimes solicited. Minors behaving badly. Good thing they have role models….. oh wait….. never mind. They are taught it’s okay to behave that way by people like Mr. Weiner, who wants to keep his job regardless of the fact that he wasn’t doing said job at the time he was sharing himself. Maybe he should take a page from the Kardashian’s and do a sex tape next. That will REALLY launch his career.

    Okay…. let’s use his shame to bring light to stories like these teens who are being wrongfully raked through laws that shouldn’t pertain to them, necessarily. Has he tried to turn this into something that helps the public?… his constituents?…. Isn’t that what a “good politician” would do? Admit it…. apologize for it…. do the make up…. and use it to create awareness to a REAL issue. What’s he doing???

    Come on! This is CLEARLY not okay. What have we come to? I believe in this country and what it stands for. He needs to “pay” for what he did. Period. I don’t care how cool he thinks he is, or how cool anyone else thinks he is. He needs to do the make up work. When you take a job like that…. a Congressman…. you KNOW you are expected to behave in a manner that is “Presidential”. Based on what I’ve seen of him now, I know 10 year olds that behave more Presidential than he does. And, I believe they show more ability to reason…. bad idea vs. good idea.

    Give me a break here! BOUNDARIES people…. BOUNDARIES! If he were a 9-5er in a corporate office and was caught…. he would have had to turn in his resignation or be fired on the spot. Why does his title make him any different? GIVE ME A BREAK! I can’t believe we are even debating this. It’s ludicrous! HE NEEDS TO DO THE MAKE UP! It takes great narcissism to behave as he did. Glad he’s not my Congressman. Pity he is representing anyone at all with that sort of behavior. Humility and gratitude are excellent attributes to have when in office.

    Are we really that far away from knowing what’s right and what’s wrong? Really???

    That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! 😛

    12:51 am | June 16, 2011
    • Andy C

      Jody – You tell ’em! 

      7:17 am | June 16, 2011
    • Mr. Wow

      Dear Jody…
      Mr. Weiner resigns today (Thursday) at 2 pm. 
      You expect a politician have “humility and gratitude?”    Not since 1776.  And not even then. 

      Minors behaving badly.  And where are their parents?  Are they parents who allow their children to find role models in athletes, actors and…politicians?  Teach your children that you (the parent) is human and they (the child) is human.  And that athletes, actors and politicians are human.  All humans are prone to fail “morally” now and then.  When one does fail, one pays.  As Mr. Weiner did, and is doing at 2 pm.

      I’d teach my child compassion, too.
       
       

      1:07 pm | June 16, 2011
      • Jody

        Dear Mr. Wow,

        Mr. Weiner is resigning apparently. But, I don’t feel this is a mute point. This gives us all an opportunity to see ourselves through this picture of what has happened and the debates about it. It’s a learning opportunity for all of us.

        Indeed… call me crazy (I’ll own it here)…. I DO expect politicians to have humility and gratitude, among many other attributes. Maybe that’s what’s wrong… you only get what you expect. So I say… LET’S RAISE THE BAR!

        I can tell you with the utmost of confidence that my teenagers are incredibly compassionate, empathetic, and understanding. But, that’s because I raised them that way. After doing 11 years of self-awareness work, it is impossible for me to not live that life.

        I can discern between my compassion for a person, and what I believe they should do in order to make up for their transgressions. I may disagree with Mr. Weiner, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have empathy for him.

        When one of my kids gets in trouble and I am talking with them about what they need to do in order to make up for what they did wrong, I may be angry, but I still have compassion and empathy for them. Compassion and empathy do not change what needs to be done. Compassion and empathy doesn’t mean you should dismiss the transgression. Compassion and empathy doesn’t mean you should allow the transgressor to continue their behavior, or not do the make up, or not take responsibility for what they did. That’s what upset people here, Mr. Wow. Mr. Weiner blamed others for his own transgressions. He lied. He dodged. He stalled. Until he truly takes responsibility, truly sees what he did wrong ( I’m not convinced he does… yet), truly apologizes, and truly does the make up for it (like bringing attention to this problem publicly in a way that will help others)…. people are not going to believe he gets it. That’s a problem. You see, as long as your spending time defending yourself, blaming others, and pushing to keep your job… you are unable to look at what you’ve done, own it, and take the responsibility for it. Once you sit down and shut up, you can begin to listen to other people’s perspectives, and you are learning. Otherwise, anything anyone says falls on deaf ears and nothing is gained or learned here.

        So, have all the compassion in the world if you want to for this man. But, that doesn’t mean he gets a pass. And, if you want to dig deep… allowing him to continue his work is dis-compassionate in my opinion. Because now we know this man needs help and has a compass that is askew and we are not allowing him or helping him look at it. It would be like allowing a drug addict to simply no longer take the drugs they want so much without rehabilitation or going for some rehab while still working and expecting them to deal with that heavy load while also expecting them to maintain their current abilities in their job performance. CAN’T HAPPEN. Mr. Weiner NEEDS a leave of absence right now to get himself back to… well…. himself. He needs to concentrate on himself, not the great people of New York. That’s just my perspective…. compassionately.

        2:21 pm | June 16, 2011
        • Mr. Wow

          Dear Jody…

          All excellent points, beautifully stated!
          Still, I wish that he (or a woman, who found hersekf in such a…pickle) could have held on.  That’s just me.  We seem to have morphed into a culture that is both without a moral compass–indeed, the loss of the compass is celebrated.  But then we jump up and down and demand people resign and be ruined.  Rape, murder and Bernie Maddoff is one thing.  This is something else.  I simply find the clarion call for all  who transgress on sexual matters to fall on their swords to be hypocritical.  Especially when those calls come from the press or other politicians.
          That said, you made a powerful stand with your point of view. 

          3:00 pm | June 16, 2011
          • Jody

            Thank you, Mr. Wow. And, yes, it does seem our world is very hypocritical. I remember a story where a a peaceful man told the crowds gathering, “Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.” I’m not religious, so it’s not a perfect quote, but you get the idea. People who revel in other people’s pain and heckle at them are obviously missing something in their lives as well.

            If I can be so bold as to dig even deeper… I have learned that we each get to choose which glasses we want to put on in order to see the world. So, if I am always saying, “This world sucks!”, or “Politicians are hypocritical”, then I am making it so. I’m part of the problem because I “see” it that way, therefore it must be. And, I can convince myself to the point of being able to convince others. However, if I choose to try on a different pair of glasses and walk around saying things like, “No matter if you like a President or not, there is no doubt that whomever serves in this office loves this country beyond the measure of words.”, then that makes it so. By the way, I truly believe that. I was not a W fan, but I have no doubt in my mind that he loves this country more than life itself. I have a lot of respect for that. Marines and Navy run through my family. My father was a Marine. Both of my Grandfathers fought in WWII. I have a great Uncle who was killed on the USS Indianapolis after delivering the atomic bomb, sunk by a Japanese sub. So… I get it. I am a Patriot. And, I believe we The People can make this country anything we want. We’ve already proven it many times over.

            I guess my intention here is to show that we get to make up the rules. We don’t have to follow them… like sheep… as we easily fall in to… and that means we can change perspectives…. which therefore changes lives. We can change our politicians and there ideals. It IS possible. But, we have to want it.

            Short story: In St. Louis, one of our news stations does a report called, “Pay It Forward”. Fox pairs with American Equity Mortgage to show their appreciation to someone who brings something to others and is acknowledged and nominated unknowingly. Today, a retiree who works part-time in a parking garage at a local hospital was nominated because he smiles… yes smiles… at people as he directs them where to park as they come in for their medical issues. He smiled today on the news, as he received $500 for making peoples’ days and easing their minds with nothing more than the tip of a hat and his smile.

            Have an excellent weekend, Mr. Wow. And I look forward to more debates on here with you in the future. 🙂

            12:47 pm | June 17, 2011
  • David Bolton

    According to CNN, he’s resigning.

    I still believe that if Weiner had been proactive and decisive from the beginning and said: “I’m stepping down now to solve this problem,” instead of being forced into a corner, he’d still have a political future ahead of him. Now, not so much.

    10:02 am | June 16, 2011
  • Rho

    I am very upset about this,  He is a good man who made many mistakes.  I wish him well.  G-D speed.

    3:06 pm | June 16, 2011
  • Mr. Wow

    As for those who heckled and booed and insulted him as he resigned—may you all live in interesting times, as the Chinese proverb goes.

    3:20 pm | June 16, 2011
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