WEINER MUST STAY -+- Josh Marshall: "I don't want Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) to resign."

[kpete]

Josh Marshall seconds it: Anthony Weiner must stay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/happy-hour-roundup/2011/03/03/AGXJ1eTH_blog.html


Anthony Weiner, Anti-Hero
Josh Marshall | June 13, 2011, 3:00PM


For years I've made it a habit not to say people should resign their offices or not resign their offices. Not because it's a line I don't want to cross but because really at a basic level I don't care. It's just not on my menu of my concerns. But at this point, I think I need to make a confession: I don't want Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) to resign.

...............

But c'mon. At heart it's still a BS story. I see a Member of Congress who's totally embarrassed himself. But as I tried to make clear to staff last week it's hardly a federal case. And his own constituents seem clear that they don't want him to resign. So somehow the apparently unprecedented simultaneous demands for his resignation from the Minority Leader (Pelosi), the head of the DNC (Wasserman-Schultz) and the head of the House campaign committee (Israel) just strikes me as a degree of pomposity and over-serious high dudgeon that has somehow managed the improbable effect of making his dogged desire to hold on to his office in the face of seemingly daily humiliation look better to me than their stern-minded and 'oh please!' inducing calls for him to cough it up.

So I'm not pro-Weiner but I'm definitely increasingly anti-resignation caller.

And I say this with full realization that today or tomorrow or a month from now something dramatically new may emerge that forces me to change my take on this and even feel a bit chagrined about sticking my neck out. But I'm not a time traveler. And based on what I know now, that's what I think.


the rest:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/06/anthony_weiner_anti-hero.php#more?ref=fpblg

[sabrina 1]

1. Good for him.

Some sanity amid all the faux outrage.

[Sportsguy]

2. Not Sure How I Feel About This

But more and more, I think he should stay.

[BeFree]

3. It is a BS story

Of little or no consequence. But it sure has riled up the mud-wallowers, eh?

I like the way Weiner has stood up against his attackers. He is showing real fortitude.

[Sportsguy]

5. A Spine?

Hmm, I like that.:)

[BeFree]

7. Spine is right

One of the few who are displaying it.

Anyway, the guy was just having some innocent fun. Not out to break laws or hurt anyone.
It's just a BS story. However.. everyone knows who he is now. He is really famous.

[originalpckelly]

4. Then again, Josh Marshall didn't get unsolicited dick pics.

[BeFree]

8. What if he had?

What if you got dick pics?

[originalpckelly]

9. If I got the dick pics, I would not mind.

Then again, I'm a dickonnoisseur. :P

[BeFree]

13. So.. what's the problem?

Are you against Weiner because you were not on his list?

[originalpckelly]

15. No, it's just that I know that there are more sensitive people out there.

And I think this is basically like the internet version of flashing someone.

It's not all that bad, if truly accidental, but he meant to send it to someone who did not ask for it. It's sexual harassment of your customer.

[BeFree]

18. Sexual harrassment of a customer??

What does this: "customer" mean?

Aren't you blowing this way out of proportion? Pun intended.

[sabrina 1]

17. Nor did anyone else.

One went to the college student who was surprised since, as she said, they was anything illicet about their communications. She has now stated that she believes the pic was meant for another woman and has no problems with it. Her problems were with the stalkers from the right.

[hlthe2b]

6. I can't help thinking if he goes, that it will become open season on Dems...

I mean, why not? If Breitbart and his gang of despicable stalkers are successful taking down (arguably) the most outspoken progressive in the House--after already managing to defeat Grayson, how damned energized will they be? There are consequences to this whole debacle that far outweigh one man's stupidity and crassness.

I go back and forth as to what is best-- for Weiner and most importantly, the people he serves.... But the political witch hunt behind this "sex scandal" with NO sexual contact involved is incredibly disturbing to me. Yes, his behavior is deplorable, but does it really rise to the level of destroying the man and removing the choice of elected representative from the people of his district?

[kath]

10. for some reason, I just thought of Paul Wellstone.

{shudder}

[originalpckelly]

14. Why?

Comparing a pervy Representative to a Senator who died unexpectedly in a crash? How did that come to be?

[bahrbearian]

25. Both were out spoken progressives and they had to be taken out.

[Nye Bevan]

28. So Weiner really lucked out. Being hypnotized into tweeting a picture of your erect cock

sure beats being a passenger in a small plane that is forced to crash by a gamma wave generator.

[frylock]

32. so was it an inside job?

was weiner in on it?

[BeFree]

19. That is a wise thought.

The last time I saw Paul on TV he was about to put the hammer down on big companies who were off-shoring profits while doing federal business. He had his enemies. Much the same as Tony.

[TheWraith]

11. Every innocent congressman who sent unwanted pictures of his junk to college girls is at risk.

Oh, wait.

[hlthe2b]

20. Do you honestly think the RW is above manufacturing a scandal?

or finding some small issue that they can blow up with lies, innuendo, and the constant echo chamber? Really?

[TheWraith]

21. Strawman argument. This wasn't manufactured, Weiner DID what he's accused of.

That's completely beyond question. Trying to turn it into him being "stalked" or "persecuted" is just trying to shift the responsibility off of him for the fact that he actively made an effort to show off his genitals to strangers on the internet.

[sabrina 1]

23. He's 'accused' of having cyber sex, not even real sex.

Since when did we become the party of family values?

[hlthe2b]

24. No, the subject is the fate of OTHER prominent Dems...

and the repercussions from Weiner giving the RW their victory. It is not about defending Weiner and his wrongs, but it is a NEW precedent. No matter how reprehensible Weiner's acts (and they are), a congressman drummed out who did not actually consummate a sexual act, nor commit a crime, nor commit an inappropriate interaction with a child, nor misappropriate funds-- that is a new standard and may be just the start of where this goes. Rethugs will never acquiesce to this new standard, but knowing the Dems will, gives them great license.

[karynnj]

29. They certainly can - and they can make them up out of nothing

as they did with the birther and swiftboat issues.

However, that is NOT what happened here. Weiner did what he was accused of and Democrats for 10 days, based on his lies, argued that this was made up too.

Unfortunately, the right is using this to claim that Breibart is vindicated - and they are not saying he is vindicated JUST on this. The fact is that he has lied outrageously on the other things.

For a non-political example of what they are hoping, consider the National Enquirer. When the original NE Edwards story was posted, many - including me - simply dismissed it as the NE. More recently, when the NE has reported other things and people have objected to the source, the response has been that it was right on JRE. This ignores how often other stories were wrong.

I seriously resent linking the Weiner media coverage with the birther and swiftboat coverage. There is a HUGE difference. Weiner is quilty and brought this on himself.

[truth2power]

22. I said it on another thread. Breitbart is a bully. If Dems give in to his tactics

as many seem to be doing, he'll up the ante. Why some can't see that throwing Weiner overboard is doing Breitbart's work for him is beyond me.

[rurallib]

30. season on Dems opened with ACORN and especially Shirley Sherrod

[marions ghost]

31. ++++ totally agree

you put it exactly as I think.

He needs to eliminate this behavior if he can (I think he finds it negative himself). BUT to destroy a career over it?--yes, the witch hunt aspect is grotesque.

[LadyHawkAZ]

12. Ah, sanity- always a refreshing sight. +1

[suffragette]

16. K&R

[NorthCarolina]

26. K&R

[Stuart G]

27. K and R

[TBF]

33. If I heard them all declaring that crooked Thomas should step down I might be more sympathetic,

but given that there seems to be two sets of rules for bad actions, I'm supporting Weiner staying in office.