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Subscribe to RSSHe may be politically toxic to his fellow congressional Democrats as well as the butt of endless all-too-easy-to-make puns on late-night comedy shows, but there’s one group of people who seem fairly ready to let Rep. Anthony Weiner keep his job for now.
His constituents.
Only 33 percent of Weiner’s constituents think that the embattled New York Democrat should resign, according to a new NY1-Marist poll of registered voters in the ninth New York congressional district.
Fifty-six percent of respondents said that Weiner should not step down amid the roiling scandal over his admission of inappropriate online relationships with women. An additional 12 percent were unsure.
But although only a third of Weiner’s polled constituents said that their congressman should throw in the towel, many are unsure if they will vote for him in the future. Weiner has long been expected to run for mayor of New York City.
Asked if they would support him again, 30 percent said they will definitely vote for him again, 31 percent said they would definitely not support him, and 38 percent were undecided.
Weiner was re-elected to a seventh term in the House in 2010 by a margin of over 20 points, although that race was closer than previous elections. (There is a possibility that his existing congressional district could be eliminated in the redistricting process.)
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He NEEDS to GO NOW!
He has breached the public trust & is NO longer a vigorous voice for the Democratic party!
Our one time pit-bull has been downgraded to little more than fodder for late night comedians & rabid right wingers!
Calm down Feisty,
I'm quite sure he can do a superlative job in congress. Maybe he can take calendar photos of his fellow Democrats. They could then apply the proceeds of the calendar sales to pay down the enormous debt they have incurred. (I just know it would be a top seller) LOL
How ironic.... it was Bill Clinton who actually officiated at Weiner's wedding to Huma! That liberal poster should include Bill too...!
Oh No, this may be the first and only time I agree with Feisty. However I'm sure Bev won't let me down and will somehow rationalize how you can accept responsibility without accepting consequences for your actions. It is time we stop making excuses for these bums just because they have a R or D after their name.
Weiner's weiner: 2012's Kerry "I voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it."
If the Dems don't give this SCHMUCK the boot it will haunt them forever. Hey, I like that idea, hang in there Cyber-perv Anthony.
Right Joe in Albany,
This issue will be used in attack ads featuring Weiner, and aired heavily in the bible belt ststes, as well as his home state of New York.
Great Copy. Thanks Weiner.
If they truly feel that way, then fine. They deserve the representation he'll be able to give them. He is toast as far as getting anything done while he is in office.
He is just an albatross around the dems necks. And I actually agree you on one thing feisty. He is just fodder for comdians and right wingers and it is nobodys fault but his own.
Think about it.... Vitter is still in the senate because his constituents still voted him in.
We only get the representation we deserve when we elect idiots like this. I personally cannot see how his constituents can think he can still do an effective job. A 47 year old man who devotes that much time to acting like a 13 year old boy does not get my vote. All of these idiots like Weiner and Vitter on both sides of the aisle need to go.
Fiesty - I think you are a very far left socialist and rarely agree with your posts. However, I do agree with you about Weiner. He stays - he hurts the Dems badly.
I tend to vote republican and I relish the details that will come out of an ethics trial, but for the sake of the Dem party, he must go.
Steve from Denver
I tend to vote republican and I relish the details that will come out of an ethics trial, but for the sake of the Dem party, he must go.
No Steve, he must go not for the party, but because of the public trust, if he stayed the party will go on, no one person is bigger than the party, right, but most liberals like my self (Chicago Democrat) feel he must go because he lied, if he said at first that he did it and it was him, OK i can maybe stomach that, but the lies he told, that is what i can't get past, then again if his constituents want him to stay that's on them, no matter how crazy they may seem to all of us, republicans and Democrat who live out side his district.
What about the republican senator who was offering BJs in the airport mens room ...he was allowed to retire with his full 14K plus a month and full medical benefits for him and his wife .The senate continued to be just as "dysfunctional" as usual.... even when he stayed !
At least Clinton dipped his cigar with a woman!
Unlike the creppy family values freaks who prefer to stroll on the down low!
"At least Clinton dipped his cigar with a woman!"
Feisty!
You homophobe!
I'm shocked!
And here I didn't think that was possible bag boy!
You obviously don't know me VERY well! lol
Only pointing out the hypocrisy - nothing more... nothing less!
How come the liberals here are insisting that Rep Weiner go, when many (I assume from comments) of the same people supported President Clinton? It would seem that if you supported President Clinton, who actually lied about having sex with Monica Lewinsky (or at least some version of sex), you would be in Rep Weiner's corner to the bitter end. President Clinton lied to the nation on network television, about physical sex. Rep Weiner lied on network television about pictures...... How does one elevate lying about pictures by an elected member of the House of Representatives, to a greater fault than the President of the United States lying about an actual physical act? If as has been said on a number of postings that the public trust has been betrayed, then what does that say about President Clinton, is his betrayal less than that of a member of the House of Representatives?
Before anyone starts to froth at the mouth, it's my opinion that the only opinions that matter are the opinions of his constituents. From a purely Republican perspective I hope he stays, in my mind, his lies are significantly less than the lies of President Clinton, and if you (Dems) can accept, and embrace Bill Clinton (who by the way is an extremely likeably person), then you should drop the "resign now for the good of the party" theme, and embrace him as you did (then) President Clinton.
Red, you often talk of hypocricy, isn't your discussion above just an example of partisan hypocricy? You appear to support President Clinton, but can't support Rep Weiner because of "public trust" issue........because of a lie about (sort of) sex. Please, explain the difference between the two situations to me, apparently I can't follow your logic.
I never looked at Clinton the same way after the Lewensky affair. I lost respect for him and never saw him speak but what his behavior didn't get in the way of my thinking. I feel the same way about Weiner. And when I learned about what a notorious womanizer JFK was, I lost esteem for him as well.
Fiesty,
Had to ask my wife what down low meant. Still laughing at that one.
Wife says you have to watch "Special Victims Unit" to know that slang.
from fiesty...
That we know of... Clinton should have gotten a motel room.
...Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer weiner.....
But can you whistle?
LOL
I hope this man Weiner do not step down. This man did not have sexual intercourse with any of these women. The day Internet imaginary sex become a crime we are all in serious trouble. So he sent lewd pictures of his body parts what sin has this man committed, what crime. So he lied to his family, friends and colleagues is this a crime or justification for him to resign, no way. It make me wonder are Kaine, Schwartz and others really democrats or are they working for their republican counter-parts. They are awfully quick to ask Weiner to resign. Reid and Pelois need to get over being angry with Weiner and get on with the people business. This man should not step down. Chris Mathews acts all holy than thou, give me a break the only real holier than thou person died for our sins. If, Weiner wants to talk dirty sex over the Internet that's his business who cares. The greatest sinners on earth are the ones that go to church every Sunday and claim to be Christians. They are sitting in the White House on both sides of the table democrats and republican the biggest liars of all.
bonnie - sounds like you think anything sexual in nature is ok if it is over the internet. Care to expound for us on child porn?
Bonnie...
You must be from New York, Connecticut, Vermont, or California.
The man is an embarassment and a lousy example of a human being who deserves not to publicly serve this nation. How nice that American youth can see that a man can be that much of a creep to his wife and liar to the public and get a giggly pat on the back as he walks back into Congress.
So as far as you're concerned, if every member of the House and Senate took naked photos of themselves and sent them around on the internet, you'd have no problem with them all staying on the job.
As these folks keep taking more and more of my money away and waste it while promoting one stupid way to spend it after another...the least they can do is try not to humiliate themselves or this once proud nation.
Regarding this Anthony Weiner stuff....frankly, I feel the same sense of profound disappointment that I felt when it became apparent that President Clinton had lied to the people of the country. I thought that Anthony Weiner was becoming a rising star in the ranks of the Democratic Party. I enjoyed listening to him on the talk shows and I thought he had a great spunky spirit that added spice to the debate......and I'm saddened at the direction that his political career has taken.
One thing that I've learned over the years about people who seem to exhibit the trait of being a pathological liar, is that they themselves rarely change......only our perception of them changes. Anthony is still basically the same person that he was yesterday and two months ago and and two years ago. The traits that I have admired in him, like his firebrand style of debate and his quick biting wit....are still there......but now that MY perception of him has changed, it will take some time for me to be able to listen to him without some sort of double entendre going off in my head.
Maybe it's because I've never sought out arousal while sitting in front of my computer that I seriously don't understand what could have motivated the congressman to do something like this.....I guess I'm of the school of thought that shuns the idea of cybersexing because it's so much more fulfilling to have the real thing.....so this entire sophomoric masturbatory episode does definitely make me question his judgment. If I were living in his district and had the opportunity to vote for the man, I probably couldn't do it.....but that doesn't mean I'd vote for the Republican instead....I would hope that I had a better alternative.
So I basically do hope that Congressman Weiner resigns before he becomes a liability to the Democratic Party in general. God knows that Bill Clinton's indiscretions gave us 8 years of Bush Jr.......and that was an absolute unmitigated disaster.
Spike...
Thanks for your reasoning. While I'm on the "other side of the aisle" from you politically, I agree that this wierdo's problem is pathological and a person like this cannot ever be trusted...on anything.
And I've seen this guy on the news many, many times....what you term "wit" I have viewed as arrogance and gutter nastiness. Weiner is insulting in debate. In addition, in his time in office he has accomplished very little, as it seems his main output was self promotion...keeping his grinning little mug in the news while accomplishing little...to better promote himself for his real target, becoming the mayor of New York.
I disagree with your sentiment that his failing to resign is simply a detriment "to the Democrat party". It is a detriment to us all. Whether an (R) or a (D) is next to a politician's name should not matter at all. I could not care less which party he belongs too...there's way too much of that going on in politics already. If one's opinion on a matter like this weiner-pixel-twitter mess has to end on what political party you or I generally support, we are all the losers.
Thanks for your response, Tony.
I guess I should've phrased that differently. Weiner is a liability to the Democrats only in the sense that it now gives the Republicans something to chew on.....an asset, if you will, to attempt to cripple the Democrat's docket from moving forward.
This entire warped logic of taking a politician's personal failings and attempting to tie it into the political philosophy of the political party that particular politician happens to be associated with.....just drives me nuts.
The rationale seems to go like this: Anthony Wiener supports most of the items of the Democratic Party Platform and agenda......Anthony Weiner is embroiled in a scandal......therefore, any idea or notion or support for a particular proposal that Anthony Weiner was in favor of, is now tarnished.
So, instead of debating ideas, we are now arguing over schoolyard muckraking.....but, that's politics, I suppose.
I do find your dichotomous characterization of wit and arrogance quite interesting though. Arrogance seems to be a word that has been gaining popularity lately to describe someone that you disagree with. Simply believing that you are correct about a specific issue, does not make you arrogant. It could mean that you are simply informed. Any person who rises to any level of any type of authoritative position, has put himself into a role where they could easily be described as arrogant simply by doing their job and expressing their opinion.
Anyway.....thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tony.
Bonnie, I agree with you. I feel it is Weiner's business, although I think he behaved like a junior high kid. I am more angry with the person who leeked this .......and has publically humiliated his wife. What happened to contacting the person first......see if they will adjust their behavior. If not .....then take it to the next level of exposure. A whole family and a whole career should not be ruined over this. I do disagree with you that the greatest sinners on earth are the ones going to church every Sunday and claiming to be christians. Those christians who go to church every Sunday KNOW they are terrible sinners. That is why they go. Those who do not go are in denial. I am a sinner who goes to church every Sunday. I am faithful to my husband in every sense of the word for these past 35 years. STill I am a sinner.
Pamie
Pam,
You'e more offended by the person that "leaked" this than Rep Weiner's actions? I might remind you that had Rep Weiner simply not sent the messages, then nothing would have been leaked, and his wife would not have been humiliated. By the way, if anyone humiliated his wife, it was Rep Weiner, no one else. Personal responsibility for one's actions, that's all it takes, and Rep Weiner should be begging his wife for forgivenesss, not blaming this upon the actions of one of his "sexting partners". One of them, or more than one of them, have given information that was damaging to him to a person that would use it. I have no doubt that money changed hands, but, again, Rep Weiner had the ability to avoid the situation entirely by simply keeping his pants buttoned, and his fingers off the send button on his Blackberry.
Your statement about "a whole family and a career should not be ruined over this" is interesting. How would you react if your husband was following Rep Weiner's path, and someone (one of his paramour's) managed to make that public? I grant you that your issue is probably less public, mine is as well, but does that make it less of Rep Weiner's responsibility, or does he have a greater responsibility to behave well, given that he is in the public eye? Perhaps in a more mundane setting, such as you or I, the contact would have been personal, not in the political arena, all things (apparently) are open to the public eye, and in this case, Rep Weiner is completely visible to the public.
I wish you and your husband well, 35 years is quite an accomplishment. I'm up to 26 now, and hope to continue (if my wife let's me).
Living - I would be so disappointed if I found out that my husband was doing that or contacting women on line. I think the betrayal is the same as if he was fooling around with someone here in town. I wouldn't do it to him, so I trust that he wouldn't do it to me. But, then we come from a different generation.
Pam, People like you are what is wrong with our society today. We have dropped our standards of what is acceptable behavior so low. I think Breitbart is sleazy, but guess what Weiner gave him the bullet to fire. Weiner is the one who embarrassed his family. To use your logic this behavior is OK as long as you don't get exposed. Pardon the double entrendre.
Weiner is a seated U.S. congressman. His actions do not set a moral example for our young people. He is an idiot who has damaged his party. The fact that he will not perform the political sepiku. Take the plunge, and get the hell out of office, just shows that he has no honor either.
Now it will be up to his state's voters to do the honorable thing for him and toss him out on the street.
I didn't see the Party of No going after Vitter after he admitted his relationship with prostitutes.The people of La voter him back into office..How long did it take before Ensign?The Party didn't go after him like The Hooter's Fox Network has gone after Weiner.
Same can be said about Dick Morris, a Fox contributor.
really, if perjury is what you all are saying, well you almost can't blame him. it was something he did with his personal life that didn't extend or get in the way in which he performed his job. i mean, is that your business? it's not mine. again, if clinton perjred because he was trying to protect his personal life, can you blame him? yes, i've heard the conservatives say, "but he LIED." it didn't matter he lied to keep us out of his personal life, he lied. wow, how week was that. and gingrich was doing more than having minor trysts with an intern. he was full on cheating getting ready to ditch the poor 1st or 2nd wife.
perjury to keep out of his extramarital sex life or sexting where there is no contact at all seems so minor next to a poitical party that stands on morality and family values like a senator trolling minnesota airport bathrooms for males, or boehnner covering up a sex scandal of a male colleague with male pages, or bribing a mistress with mom and pop's money, which was brokered by colburn, getting a lobbyist job for said mistress' husband, getting a job for said mistress' son; a governor lying about hiking the appalachian trail, but really left the country leaving his state without an executive / commander-in-chief; a senator on the top of a madame's list.
as horrible as it sounds, being unfaithful is not a felony, it's not even a misdemeanor. but robbing from the poor and giving it away to people who don't really need it??? we lib's don't stand on a soap box and say we are morrally superior, but the conservatives do, then do worse than you or i or granny can ever do in 10 lifetimes. conservatives deny the paradox that is human nature, we liberals are mindful of its negatives, yet embrace it anyway.
I disagree with you, but not completely. As weird as some of these people have been (and it always seems to find new lows) we can't stand for someone who makes policy to lie to your face.
I would not have like the "act" under any circumstances, but if he simply said, "yes I did it. It's my private life so what?" i would have agreed with him and respected him for putting it out there.
Not only did he lie but he falsely accused some "hacker". I believe that a public servant who stands in front of a camera to make a statement should be considered "under oath" for all intensive purposes.
Stand up and tell the truth! Lying makes you unfit to make policy for the country. If only his constituents matter, then serve in a capacity that only effects them. There are local elections as well.
And yes before you ask I am just as outraged when the bozo's do it on the republican side. Unfit is Unfit.
Bill CT, There is a big difference between having a fling with a prostitute, which millions of men have had for many, many years, (Prostitution is the worlds oldest profession, and still going strong.) and what Weiner did. Taking pictures of your privates and sending them over the internet is perverted and stupid, especially when you don't know how old the girl on the receiving message is. It is estimated that over 50% of married men have had a sexual encounter with someone other than his wife, and about 40% of wives have had an affair but I doubt millions of adults have sent pictures of their privates over the internet.
This will probably start a frenzy of tweeting /snark
Good.
If we were the people we used to be I would say He should resign. However we are not the people we used to be. We are a very religiously decadent people. We tend to rationalize and even virtueize our own debaucheries while gladly demonizing the same in those with whom we disagree politically. Like so many of his political counterparts, past and present, his actions were stupid to the point of a peculiar mentality, but a mentality that seems to afflict, I believe, the majority of the citizenry in this country today. Todays American expression is much like combat between a wire brush and a carbon hardened mill bastard. The Congressman has a beautiful wife and apparently they are expecting a baby. Maybe they will work this out and stay together or maybe they will work it out and part. I do hope for their best. The worst will just contribute to the already odd national disease.
Mac - That is a really sad commentary on the morals, ethics, civilitity, and politics of our country. I hate to think we have sunk that low - that we think it is the norm to automatically go to the lowest common denominator of our people. Weiner's behavior was sick and perverted. Perhaps he needs psychotherapy to get on track, but I can't support a sick mind in Congress and I'm a Democrat and hate to see a legislator who is so much in support of the middle class and social programs step down, but for the sake of his wife, unborn child, family, the Democratic party I think he should resign. I see that as the only way this scandal will die down. And shame on the media for making so much of this. It only injures his family more.
As despicable as his texting activities are, the thing that got him in trouble and is the reason why he should resign is that he lied about it and tried to divert the issue to an unknown hacker and the media. Shades of Bill Clinton, but at least he did not further degrade his office by "having" the text receivers in the closet of his official office!! I too feel very sad for his wife and what has to be a major revisit of the reason why she ever decided to marry this guy! She deserves better commitment in her marraige (especially during the period while she is getting pregnant), and the people of New York definitely deserve better representation than Weiner! Weiner needs to grow up, be a man for change and resign, and focus on fixing his family and his horrific personal issues!
Don´t know much about morality
Don´t know much biology
Don´t know much about the Internet
Don´t know if she was blond or brunette
But I do know my district loves my
And I know that if you love me by and by
What a wonderful world this would be
To quote Eric Cantor regarding Mark Sanford--it's up to the voters to decide. While I am very disappointed and disgusted with Representative Weiner's behavior, he is not my representative and to date he has broken no laws. What I dislike is the hypocrisy coming from both sides of the aisle and much of the media. Republicans see this as an opportunity to change to subject from their vote to "kill medicare" to Weiner's dirty pictures yet they aided Senator Ensign in his efforts to pay off his mistress's family and cover up the scandal; they still accept money from David Vitter who did break the law with prostitutes. Democrats are saying what seems politically correct and are worried about 2012. What also disgusts me is the hypocrisy from the media--where was all the coverage of the Ensign scandal? There was no mention of it on the MSM and little on cable except the evening MSNBC lineup; there was no blow by blow, hourly account of Ensign or of Coburn's involvement to pay off the mistress. What Ensign did was far more scandalous than some unwise sexting and dirty pictures on the internet. While I do not excuse Representative Weiner for his behavior, I do not believe in two sets of standards depending on an R or D after the name.
To be honest, I am more concerned about how much money the legislators get from lobbyists to write legislation to favor special interests and not the American people than I am about this over-hyped and over-covered story.
You ROCK Jody... Did you grow up in Spencer?
Thanks, Lyn, and no, didn't grow up in Spencer.
David Vitter was a client of a prostitution service. He won a second term in the November 2 general election. I guess if he can get away with it!
What a statement about the morality of the voting public in New York. It really speaks to to the state of this country and why we are in the mess we are in. Please NY, you can do better!
A good politician rarely makes for a decent human being... lies and distortion are what get most of them elected in the 1st place. Where is the surprise... if the people he represents wants him, they should have him. They know who they voted for and could care less who he jerks off to over the phone!
He is a typical politician - A different set of rules to go by, the poster boy of all that is wrong with politics and it goes on and on...
Here is something else to worry about as a nation - he's constituents say he can stay!! WOWSER that's sick!!
It doesn't matter if there is a (D) or an (R) by your name that's just WRONG!!
We have Zero Tolerance in schools against weapons so they suspend a six year old for having a plastic gun. I suggest we have Zero Tolerance for indecency in congress. One size fits all. They resign and forfeit their pension.
Fiesty___ Irregardless of your positions on other subjects, you have this one right. The sad part is that his New York voters see nothing wrong with his actions as long as he continues to bring home the liberal bacon, everything is okay! Well, they deserve him I guess! Just like Bill Clinton, it was the lying that got him in problem ... not the irresponsible act!!! Very sad that people cannot recognize or accept that fact and put some credibility in who they choose to have represent them.
Asfor the rest of the comments in reponse to your post, joking aside... The comments are of no value and aren't even funny given the sad state of the US Congress! Hopefully, he will just a wart on the Democratic Party that can be justificably removed!
I always thought that the lilttle Weiner was always a big Pecker head. I was right!
Barbara Walters doesn't have a problem with Weiner, and she's seen more in politics than most of us. By the way, the Democrats cannot force Weiner out (the GOP really should read the Constitution). Sure they can take away his parking space, down size his office and make life miserable. But the House has rules (something about due process), so it has to play out it. And hey, the GOP is running the House, it's their ethics committee. I'll admit that Weiner doesn't pass the "ick" test, but he's miles ahead of the "flat earthers" like Santorum, that don't pass the intelligence test.