Today there will be more Weiner revelations and tomorrow

[cali]

and the day after that. There's just too much information out there for this to go away. There will be more women who come forward. There will be more transcripts. There will be more apologies from Weiner.

And for what? Does anyone really think he'll be allowed to go on TV to blast repuke policies or argue for liberal ones? Not bloody likely that he'll get the chance. He has virtually no support among dem pols in the Congress or at the state level. Odds are he'll be redistricted out.

In the best of all worlds, this wouldn't be the way things go. (of course in the best of all worlds, he wouldn't have conducted himself in such a reckless way) but this is not the best of all worlds.

Yes, some politicians survive scandals. Others don't. That's true for both republicans and democrats. There are a myriad of reasons as to why.

This may drag on but Weiner doesn't survive it.

And no, I don't see it as a crushing loss in the greater scheme of things. Weiner was an effective spokesman but not a power within the House itself. Nor is he the most liberal legislator. And in the end, Weiner is largely responsible for the mess.

And one thing that bothers me that hasn't been discussed much is this: How did he find all this time to fuck around? He clearly spent hours and hours engaging in his hobby. Couldn't he have found some work to do?

[aquart]

1. Not built for the long haul, eh?

I lived through Bill Clinton's impeachment and years of soap message board hysteria. Your freak out is just not impressive. But if the towel you are so quickly throwing in is dark green, I could use it.

[cali]

2. Clinton was President. The fate of the dems in Congress was closely tied to him.

The same is not true of Weiner.

[aquart]

3. So it doesn't matter if he stays, does it?

Since he doesn't affect the fate of Congress?

Was there anyone who wasn't begging Clinton to resign?

Seriously, is the towel green? Throw it my way.

[cali]

13. sure there were lots of people in Congress who weren't begging Clinton to resign. duh.

and no, it's not that important whether he stays or goes. If he stays he'll be a quiet little backbencher. I don't think the continuation of this is particularly good for dems, but it's not catastrophic either.


I now return you to your little green towel, sweetums.

[WinkyDink]

38. Resign? No Dem was asking the PRESIDENT OF THE UNTIED STATES to resign!

Even Lieberman favored only censure!

[WinkyDink]

39. You are making this personal because?

[JI7]

4. what is going to bring him down ?

so far there is nothing illegal. his constituents support him. his wife wants him to stay in congress.

as for how he found all this time to fuck around , he did it all on the internet . he could be doing other things at the same time. his wife is away a lot so it would be easy for him to do it without her finding out about it. maybe she knew and is ok with him having internet sex.

[MikeW]

19. if the ethics com finds out he used government equipment

Becuase if a fed employee had done that they'd be out the door the same day.

[B Calm]

5. He didn't fuck around! Resign for flirting. . . come on.

[cali]

6. whatever you want to call it- and most people wouldn't call

"I will choke you with my c**k until you cum", flirting- it was was incredibly stupid and reckless. And he compounded it by the lying.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cali]

9. this has jackshit to do with being "prissy". I don't have any problem

with people expressing themselves sexually however they wish- just not recklessly when they're an elected official to people they don't really know. It's the stupidity.

Seriously, get a grip, honeypie.

[torius]

8. Good grief.

You're quoting from his private, two-way conversation between him and a consenting adult woman who was totally into it. I don't judge your sexual fantasies and you'd better not judge mine.

Do you know who's sick? People who obsess over others' private exchanges. People who cyberstalk. Are you going to go into every chat room and tell everyone in it they're bad people? How many community centers have you saved today?

[B Calm]

10. BINGO!

Welcome to DU. Excellent first post.

[LiberalLoner]

15. +1, welcome, great post! :) n/t

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[divvy]

12. I agree ..... Let the Republicans police sexual activity... why help them?

[KittyWampus]

55. It isn't private. Otherwise we wouldn't know about it. Weiner was too stupid to ensure his own

privacy.

[LiberalLoner]

14. No, you're right. I wouldn't call that flirting, I would call that "really damn good flirting."

And not that it really matters, but you got his words slightly wrong. He talked about choking her with his c*ck first and then pounding her until she came.
Pretty standard flirting/naughty talk, from my experience. :shrug:

[marions ghost]

53. I'm on his side

but this wasn't flirting. It was exhibiting. He got off on the shameful aspect of it.

[leveymg]

16. Indict Clarence Thomas

[madrchsod]

18. no sex involved...well i take that back

he screwed our democracy but no one gives a shit about that

[DCBob]

17. Even if he does somehow survive this mess, his words will now seem shallow and pale..

when "blasting the repuke policies". It will hard to take this guy seriously anymore.

[William769]

20. Unrec.

:thumbsdown:

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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[DCBob]

22. Actually an intelligent Freeper (if there is such a thing) would prefer Weiner to survive all this..

so the scandal can go on and on and on.... then rehashed just prior to the elections in 2012.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

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[DCBob]

27. Rethugs pride themselves in their perversions, lies and hypocrisy.. we strive for a higher standard.

and least some of us do.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

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[DCBob]

29. Huh?? WTF are you talking about .. you are seriously confused.

I suggest you rethink your post and try again.

[divvy]

30. Now you have me confused. We were discussing YOUR higher standards

Were we not? It seems the common thing among those who want Weiner to resign on DU is their "impeccably high moral standards". You cited your this yourself.

So, lets take a look at this "higher moral standard". What does it really accomplish? Nothing in fact. Loose a good progressive vote like his, and much worse will happen. Your "moral standards" do greater harm.

Sexual morality is a republican plank. Most progressive democrats tend to leave the realm of sexual morality up to the individual.

[DCBob]

31. Not mine.. the Party's standard... you seem to want to lower to the Republican standard..

which is awfully low.

[divvy]

34. False Equivalency Bob ...... You are NOT the party

Let me tell you how it all came to be:

Plato wrote a book called "The Republic". In it he outlined his beliefs that governance is best accomplished with a very small ruling class. Plato also believed that this limited government should spend its time legislating the morality of its people.

Aristotle came along and discovered the stupidity of Plato's logic. Aristotle correctly reasoned that the best way to govern was through a large middle class. That way both the rich and the poor would be saved from the tyranny of the other by this middle. Aristotle also correctly reasoned that it was the morality of commerce, and not that of the individual, that should be legislated.

So today, the republicans are still about the legislation of morality, and the deregulation of commerce.

Democrats (excluding you evidently) still believe that whenever possible, the morality of the individual should be left up to them, and that it is the morality of capitalism should be regulated.

[DCBob]

37. Never said I was.. you are still confused.

[divvy]

40. Can you say something besides "I am confused"?

Say what you mean Bob. Be clear.

[DCBob]

43. then stop writing non-sense... gotta go. you are a waste of bandwidth.

[divvy]

44. waste of bandwidth?

Hi Bob,

Let us review your most recent comments in their entirety.

1) Huh?? WTF are you talking about .. you are seriously confused.
2) Never said I was.. you are still confused.
3) then stop writing non-sense... gotta go. you are a waste of bandwidth.

Drum roll please …….

4) Actually an intelligent Freeper (if there is such a thing) would prefer Weiner to survive all this..

<end quotes>

So, it does appear that I must study diligently for this rigorous test. But, answer one question for me first please.

Are you calling me a Freeper? If so, then I believe that is against the rules Bob.

[TheKentuckian]

41. We have standards that no Republican is likely to ever come close to

Just not your standards or Tim Kaine's and only God knows what "Impeachment is off the table" Pelosi has but they seem rather fucked up and irresponsible to her oath.

As far as I can discern not only am I disinterested in such "standards" but actually vehemently oppose them.
Don't expect some of us to support a crotch sniffing, holier than thou, arrogant moralizer party it is anti-self determination and encourages groupthink control of individual behavior.

Your "standards" sicken me and offend my sensibilities.

[cali]

23. I don'[t shoot anyone and I don't buy my ideas wholesale

and no, you can't read this in freeperville. duh.

[divvy]

25. sorry, but I must disagree ... your hatred of Weiner is very much alive there

[Name removed]

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[RedCloud]

26. Weinergate allows more Vitter et alia stories to resurface = Democrat victory!

We don't care if Weiner showed his wiener as long as he does his work. OTOH those evangelicals who are holier than thou will not vote for a party of sinners. And quite frankly they never will for the party that helps the poor until they are morally shamed like Weiner is now.

[robcon]

32. Ridiculous hypothesis. Weiner's tale is all about Weiner, not Vitter.

I haven't read a word about Vitter lately, except on DU.

[DCBob]

33. No shit... this deflection to Vitter makes zero sense.

dumb.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted sub-thread

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[divvy]

50. I think it is a GREAT idea to deflect discussion to Vitter

When that story plays out, then lets switch to Gingrich, Sanford, and Thomas.

[sabrina 1]

36. Like Clinton. Rape allegations, abuse allegations and on and on

it went, and he not only survived it, he thrived and left office as one of the most popular presidents ever.

Sometimes you have to fight. Weiner may decide like so many others have, Dorgan eg, that the atmosphere in DC is so poisonous, it is not worth giving up any more of his life to it. And the more public figures are hounded and witch hunted like this, the fewer good people we will have willing to run for office.

I have just put up an OP showing his Congressional Voting Record and ratings. This is all I care about frankly. If he wants to stay, he will have lots of support helping him to do so. IF not, he will have no problem finding a way to still serve the people he cares about and make a living also I am sure.

But when I look at his record, I can only say I don't care one iota about this tempest in a teapot stirred up by some of the most vile, sick people in this country right now.

[WinkyDink]

42. Weiner isn't exacly the healthiest sort (or is he lying about needing rehab?). BTW: AW has ZERO

charisma and bonhomie, which carried Bill Clinton a long way.

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

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[divvy]

47. Really Cali, Don't you feel it is best to keep a progressive vote?

In all honesty, I feel that we need all the votes we can get in the house. The Republicans seem to intend us great harm; every vote we have is important. I really hate to see us loose any. Are we feeding the beltway media by inspiring our own to attack our own? If so, then seems like a bad strategy to me.

Lets let his constituents decide. I strongly feel that leading a crusade to force him (or any other Democrat) to resign is a mistake.

[marions ghost]

54. ditto

:thumbsup:

[uncle ray]

48. how about that Clarence Thomas? lifetime appointment. the hits will keep coming.

but let's not go after the guy who actually committed crimes.

[Gin]

49. TMZ has some pics of him in the gym.....he has to go

[divvy]

51. Why are Puritan sexuality values so important?

Our nation is so anal about nudity and sex. Italy even elected a porn star to be their prime minister.

It is a private matter that affects his family. Let his constituents decide. Beyond that, who really cares? Some married people even encourage their spouses to have sex with other people. Are they "sinners" unfit for public office too?

[divvy]

52. Lets look at the supposed "high moral standards" discussed here.

What good do they really do? They only make the one who espouses them appear better than the next. I can see Tony doing LOTS of good over the long term. He really does support our values with a much needed vote.

So, what if we find out that he has actually masturbated in his life? Do we arrest him? One thing we should be firm about is to allow consenting adults to enjoy their sexuality as they wish. Cali, what about homosexuality? What do you think will happen if we begin to let outside religious / political forces control and dominate our personal lives?

This "moral values" stuff is republican crap. Lets let THEM champion their OWN causes.

So, from where I sit, every voice that calls for Mr. Weiner to resign is a voice that is calling for Boehner to have more power and control. Why would ANY democrat want that?

[divvy]

56. Hi Cali, There is a nice thread here with lots of rec's

Hi Cali, there is a nice thread here with lots of rec's.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php