Social Question

chyna's avatar

Should Anthony Weiner step down from running for mayor of New York City?

Asked by chyna (51601points) July 24th, 2013

Anthony Weiner, who is running for mayor of New York City has been caught many times “sexting” nude pictures of himself to younger women. The women are over 18 years of age as far as I can tell. Here is one story on the subject. Mr. Weiner is married if that matters.
Do you think his sexploits should matter in his running for mayor? It is reported that he refuses to step down.

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141 Answers

elbanditoroso's avatar

Who cares about his texting? I would rather have him texting other people than screwing them. Or telling people what they can do with their bodies. Or taking away my access to medical care. Or any of a thousand other things.

This is a totally media-based made up scandal. I am far more disgusted at the leeches and parasites feeding on Weiner than I am with anything he may have done two years ago.

jonsblond's avatar

Taking pictures of your schlong is pretty juvenile, imo. Why can’t he man up and get a blue dress dirty? joke

Tired of hearing about Weiner’s weiner. One of the many reasons I’m glad I don’t live in New York.

SadieMartinPaul's avatar

Naw. New Yorkers are tougher than that. Most people seem either unconcerned with or amused by his texting.

josie's avatar

Why?
He is doing what politicians do best.
Bullshitting you and me and his wife, calling his willfully deceitful and immature actions “a mistake”, and reassuring anybody who will listen that he has “moved on”, implying that we should as well.
And he is successful at convincing people that his depravity really has nothing to do with his bona fides as a wannabe political executive.
He knows precisely who the suckers are!
He was made for the job!

SuperMouse's avatar

Not necessarily, let the good people of New York decide his fate.

LuckyGuy's avatar

Yes! He is now officially the punch line of half the jokes on social networking sites.
His behavior shows a lack of judgment and control. What’s next?

Is he really the best the Democrats have to offer? Come on! Surely they can find someone else competent, capable, who has a modicum of common sense.

I’m pretty liberal but I wouldn’t vote for him. That wanker would be an embarrassment.

filmfann's avatar

Today’s headline in USA Today: Pressure Builds on Weiner!

I hate when that happens

bkcunningham's avatar

Pressure builds on Weiner. LMAO Weiner

SuperMouse's avatar

@filmfann before he presses the pressure relief valve perhaps he should grab a measuring tape then visit this thread.

I am still not condoning that thread, but it does seem right up Weiner’s alley!

zenvelo's avatar

Let the voters decide on Carlos Danger!

By the way, here’s how to get your own sext alias. Mine is Pascual Evil.

talljasperman's avatar

I thought he took a picture of himself wearing his underwear, not nude. The models of calvin klein do that 100 times a day does that disqualify a them from running for office.

chyna's avatar

@talljasperman He is reported to have sent nude pictures of his penis, too.

glacial's avatar

I don’t give a crap about the sex lives of politicians. I don’t think infidelity is even an indicator that the person will not do a good job at governing.

HOWEVER. Even though I liked Weiner a lot before any of this happened, I don’t think it’s forgivable for him to have lied to the press and his electorate about the tweets during the first scandal, and I think it is simply outrageous that he lied about his “conversion and redemption” or whatever once he started running for mayor. I mean come on!! He began running on the fact that he had “learned from his mistakes” while he was still sexting outside of his marriage! Even if I could get past the lies, I have to conclude that he’s just not in control of his behaviour. And that’s one of the worst qualities a politician could have.

janbb's avatar

Yes – I am tired of his narcissistic hypocrisy. He had said he had stopped and it has been revealed that he is still doing it. Sorry – that’s just not right in my book.

ETpro's avatar

After the latest revelations that it was all still going on this year, long after his “I made some mistakes, I apologize and have learned from them.” speech, it’s time to put a fork in him. He’s done. Of course, it’s ultimately up to the voters of New York. If I were voting, I’d not vote for Anthony Weiner because I would have a near certainty he would do something as soon as he’s securely in office that would heap shame on his office and the city. Bill Thompson and Christine Quinn both seem very credible, capable and most of all sane people. I’d look them both over carefully, and decide which I think would be the best for the job.

A Marist Poll is due out shortly and it will show the swing produced by these latest revelations. I suspect it will show Quinn pulling ahead of Weiner. If that comes to pass, you’ll see supporters and contributors jumping off the sinking ship.

Rarebear's avatar

Everybody in New York knows about the sexting. If they want to elect him as mayor, it’s their choice. It’s not like it’s any secret.

I agree with @glacial Him taking pictures of his erect penis through underpants was stupid, but lying to the press about it was the real deal breaker in my book.

It should be noted that Elliot Spitzer is running for Comptroller (sic) of NYC as well.

johnpowell's avatar

The Appalachian Trail guy got reelected. People are stupid. And the election is 48 days away. It is a little late to replace him.

And I should add that he is a skinny guy with a gigantic cock. Freakishly large.

JLeslie's avatar

I wish he would, but New Yorkers will decide by vote who they want. When are they voting? Is it late in the game for a change? It might kill it for the democrats if they get someone new now. Or, I guess some might argue Wiener will kill it. We’ll see.

Texting to me is worse than an affair. My problem with it is putting things in black and white so to speak when you are a public official seems like such a huge lack of judgement. We worry about teens doing stupid things like this, he should know better. I don’t really care about the lie. It makes him look dumb, but I haven’t found a man yet who tells the truth about something like that unless the evidence piles up so high and something in is life is really threatened whether it be work or a relationship. And, men don’t perceive the threat as fast as others might when they are the ones doing the deed. It is common for men to deny and their gf or wife to accept that answer for at least a while, so lying is just normal behavior for many of them. Some women do it too of course. Also, I don’t mean all men, I am talking about the ones who do this sort of thing, lying about it is second nature.

However, he might be a great politican and great at his job. It is possible.

If Mayor Marion Barry can be reelected anything can happen. What a mess he was.

GoldieAV16's avatar

Politicians are a lot like any other celebrity: Jaded, delusional and with outsized egos. That creates the perfect storm for reckless behavior, and why we see it time and time again.

Oddly enough, those are also the qualities that can make for an excellent politician, athlete, or actor.

I hope he does not drop out, and I hope he wins. I am willing to forgive the man for having his sexual appetite because I don’t care. What goes on in his private life (and yes, I still think that even public figures have one – even if it’s conducted in public, lol) is his and Huma’s business.

On the other hand, I find the women who were complicit and even encouraging at the time, but are now shopping the photos around to the highest bidder, to be reprehensible, despicable worms. If there is such a thing as Karma and she really is a bitch, I hope she finds them.

Pachy's avatar

I think he will wind up stepping down. Should he? I’m inclined to say yes because, having lied and continuing to lie about his sexting, I don’t think he has a chance to be elected.

ETpro's avatar

Well the aforementioned poll from Marist is in, and it’s official, Weiner’s lead is gone. It’s now 25% favoring City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and just 16% who still want a weiner. Can I say “I told you so.” up above without seeming overly proud.

augustlan's avatar

If it was just about his private sex life, I wouldn’t care a bit. But he showed incredibly poor judgment in continuing the behavior while publicly proclaiming that it was all in the past. What an idiot.

filmfann's avatar

Should Anthony Weiner step down from running for mayor of New York City?

You are asking if Weiner should pull out of the race?

jca's avatar

I think he should because like @ETpro said, he is now losing in the polls. He was doing well before this latest scandal thing came out the other day. I would normally say that it’s nobody’s business but he was in magazines and papers saying he was done with it, while he continued to do it. If you’re going to continue to do it, don’t go around saying you’re over it.

Patton's avatar

Americans are so fucking prudish. His wife probably knows. He probably has her permission. That kind of thing is very common among politicians. She probably fucked around too while traveling around with Hillary Clinton. Good for him. Good for her. It has nothing to do with their ability to do their jobs, and it’s stupid to care about it.

Buttonstc's avatar

Being at the helm of a city the size of New York is not a job for stupid people with poor judgement.

(Let’s not forget that its still a major target on any terrorist’s hit list.)

Weiner is stupid and has proven that his judgement cannot be trusted.

It’s not a matter of prudishness or not. It’s a matter of common sense. He doesn’t have any.

ETpro's avatar

@Patton I wish I could contest your assessment of the average American’s apparent IQ but I can’t. However, I will contest your assertion that Anthony Weiner is good at his job. He was known as a grandstander. He was all about making public appearances and preening before cameras. He left doing any sort of job outside of press conferences for less handsome souls to contend with.

jca's avatar

@ETpro: Please tell me you are not saying you think Anthony Weiner is handsome?

ETpro's avatar

@jca I’m saying I think Anthony Weiner thinks Anthony Weiner is handsome. Watch him when cameras approach. It’s written all over his body language. And just in case you need additional clues, the guy emails nude photos of himself to women he doesn’t even know.

jca's avatar

@ETpro: I don’t doubt he thinks he’s all that, just checking to see if you do, too, because of what you wrote above about “less handsome souls.”

Patton's avatar

@Buttonstc Engaging in consensual sexting shows bad judgment? Seems pretty prudish to me.

@ETpro I never said Anthony Weiner is good at his job. I said that his sexting has nothing to do with his ability to do his job.

chyna's avatar

@Patton It’s his lying about it and denying it but continuing with sexting that makes his ability to do a good job suspect.

Buttonstc's avatar

@Patton

There’s a compulsiveness to this that raises it above the average. This is the digital equivalent of a real life flasher.

Is that someone who should be in charge of a major city? I think the citizens will realize that and he won’t be elected.

Judgement does count for something and its obvious that he does not have sound judgement.

And it may have been consensual between him and the recipient but it definitely was not with the consent of his wife (who was under the impression that the time they were spending with a therapist was actually being taken seriously by him. Obviously not since this incident occurred but a few short months ago.)

However one may agree or disagree with their respective political views, there is no doubt of the competency of the last two to hold that office. Compared to them, Weiner is a child. A selfish child at that who is not capable of reigning in his juvenile need for exhibitionism and ego gratification. He needs to get his priorities in order.

ETpro's avatar

@jca Look at my avatar. guy’s more attractive to women, I would guess, than I am. Now whether he will be when he gets to my age is another thing. But he’s got chiseled features, keeps himself in great shape working out in the gym, and knows how to dress for success. There are a whole slew of uglier politicians.

rojo's avatar

Like I read on line somewhere, “Weiner will not pull out”.

GoldieAV16's avatar

“This is the digital equivalent of a real life flasher.”

Not really. All of the women he exchanged photos with were willing participants. He didn’t just send out cock shots to all the voters in NY, or just any random woman. There was digital foreplay, and the women he sexted with expressed an interest. That makes it very different from a flasher, who intentionally targets unwilling victims for the shock value, which is more like an assault than it is sexual.

jca's avatar

To me, sexting others outside of a relationship and the resulting consequences concern only the people in the relationship. But to sext 6 to 10 others (as he currently admits to, which probably means “at least 10 if not more”) while going to therapy about it, and while planning a run for mayor of one of the largest cities in the country, which would be a comeback, is just not too smart and does not show the best judgement. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had to be thinking that with such a quantity of women he was corresponding with, there might be one or two loose cannons who would go to the press with it.

Jaxk's avatar

This thread has certainly been an education into the minds of democrats. What the hell is going on in the Democratic party? You’ve got Anthony’s Weiner making front page news, Client number nine running for Comptroller and the mayor of San Diego isn’t alowed to meet with a woman without a chaperone. I understand that the Democrats are not the party of famly values, that goes without saying but is there no behavior that Democrats find unacceptable?

I don’t have a problem with separating your private life from you public duty but if it’s on the front page of the NY Times, it’s not private. If your behavior is such that I wouldn’t let you into my house, I don’t want you in the mayor’s mansion either. He should get out of the race and give us all break.

janbb's avatar

@Jaxk Do you really see all of us Democrats speaking with one voice on this thread? If so, you’re not listening. And is really just Democrats who have sex scandals?

As I stated, I think he is a hubristic, lying ass and should step down.

JLeslie's avatar

@Jaxk That family values line is so offensive. We democrats sit back and laugh at the hypocrisy of so many Republican politicians trotting out and preaching family values and then getting caught red handed. Makes me sick. I know plenty of republicans who are divorced, unwed teenage mothers, men who barely pay attention to their children, I could go on and on.

Not to mention @janbb‘s point that there are very varied opinions on this thread. It’s what I like about democrats, they tend to not just go along with the party and line up in support of their candidate just because he is the democratic candidate. NYC, which is very liberal, voted for Republican Guiliani and Bloomberg in recent history. I realize Bloomberg is independent now, all I mean is when he first ran the residents of NY did not vote party lines.

GoldieAV16's avatar

” is there no behavior that Democrats find unacceptable?”

Of course there is. I find any non-consensual sex unacceptable. That includes, but is not limited to, sex with children, animals, the mentally incapacitated, rape.

I find sex between consenting adults to be not offensive. Is that really so hard to wrap your head around as to be an outrageous glimpse into the terrifying mind of a Democrat?

Jaxk's avatar

It seems I’m receiving more criticism that Weiner. That is an “outrageous glimpse into the terrifying mind of a Democrat”.

GoldieAV16's avatar

You got three perfectly reasonable responses to your attempt to throw flames, and now you want to complain about the “criticism.”

Puh-lea-a-a-a-ase. M ost O ppressed P arty E vuhhhh.

Jaxk's avatar

I have no need to throw flames, you’re already burning. I do enjoy the deflection though. It’s not Anthony that is to blame it’s those despictable bitches that shared the photos. It’s not the Dems that have a problem it’s the GOP that’s laughing at them, that are the problem. I look forward to the Roman Orgies in the Oval office. No wait, we’ve already done that.

jca's avatar

Sexting does not cross party lines?

glacial's avatar

” It’s not Anthony that is to blame it’s those despictable bitches that shared the photos.”

Well. Why am I not surprised to hear this viewpoint from the conservative side of the aisle?

Jaxk's avatar

@glacial

Actually that’s not my viewpoint, it’s @GoldieAV16‘s from above. In all honesty I embellished a little with the word ‘bitches’ but the sentiment was hers. A liberal’s liberal.

glacial's avatar

@Jaxk I had no idea you were speaking ironically. I disagree with the statement regardless of whose it is.

SuperMouse's avatar

@Jaxk seriously @GoldieAV16 said no such thing. You are either being facetious with your assertion that conservatives are as pure as the driven snow or you are incredibly naive. Either that or you are just being a jerk. I am going with jerk.

Jaxk's avatar

@SuperMouse

The exact quote, for those unwilling or unable to read it is:

“On the other hand, I find the women who were complicit and even encouraging at the time, but are now shopping the photos around to the highest bidder, to be reprehensible, despicable worms. If there is such a thing as Karma and she really is a bitch, I hope she finds them.”

As for being a jerk, you win no prize for originality, in that assertion. The GOP is not pure as the driven snow but only Democrats hold their transgressions up as a badge of honor. If you’re unfit to hold any job, you can always run for office as a Democrat.

SuperMouse's avatar

@Jaxk you are quite clearly spinning @GoldieAV16 statement but I would expect nothing less from a conservative since that is pretty much all your ilk have in your bag of tricks.

The jerk comment wasn’t about originality, it was about speaking the truth.

Jaxk's avatar

Apparently, you win no prize for comprehension either.

GoldieAV16's avatar

It’s ironical that the GOP, hawkers of small government, want a government large enough to get up inside every woman’s vagina, into the bedroom of every person, and overseeing all marital fidelity.

‘Cause that is going to be a really, really big government that can do all that.

And if you don’t want the government doing all that, aren’t you saying that it should remain private?

Jaxk's avatar

Maybe our problem is that we don’t understand the definition of ‘Private’. “Secluded from the sight, presence, or intrusion of others”. Once it is published on the Internet, it’s not really private anymore. Not to mention the headlines news. I have no problem what you do with your vagina but if you publish pictures, it’s not private.

ETpro's avatar

@Jaxk Oh you artful dodger. You’ve never met a debate point you couldn’t instantly twist into something else, have you? Such debates are like mobius loops, only one surface and it goes everywhere while getting nowhere.

Jaxk's avatar

Ah yes, the old critical analysis that has no point and concludes nothing. Quite astute.

GoldieAV16's avatar

@Jaxk, I’m still not following what you’re trying to say here.

Are you saying that consenting adults should not be allowed to share personal explicit content with one another?

Are you saying that when said material is shared, with a reasonable expectation that it will remain private, to publicly expose it is okay?

It is my contention that in doing so, and for money no less, the women were in the wrong. Do you disagree with that?

I still can’t believe you call them ‘bitches’ or imply that I called them that, but whatever…

SuperMouse's avatar

@Jaxk critical analysis? WTF?! The only person you are fooling by using words such as those is yourself.

Jaxk's avatar

@GoldieAV16

Share anything you want, hell I don’t care. But if you share don’t be surprised when it shows up in print. And especially if you’re a public figure, that sharing reflects on everyone and is judged by everyone. Nobody asked for these photos of Wiener and I expect a certain level of decorum from public officials. If Wiener thought this would not be exposed, he’s way too stupid to run for office. Hell, it was exposed the first time and he still didn’t learn. Wouldn’t that show a certain mental deficiency?

The women involved aren’t the problem. Weiner is the problem.

Dutchess_III's avatar

We need to chip in and send him this shirt

Everyone is right when they say it’s up to the New Yorkers. I wouldn’t vote for him. He has the decision making capabilities of an ant. What an idiot.

GoldieAV16's avatar

I don’t think that Anthony Weiner expressed surprise so much as dismay, which I think is an understandable response. He also hoped to sweep it all back under the rug, which is where it belonged, and he lied in an attempt to do so, which I think, given our prudish yet prurient culture, is also understandable.

If my housekeeper is caught stealing silver from someone else’s house, I’m going to fire her. If she’s caught sexting, I could not care less, even if she attempts to deny it. It won’t have any effect on her employment with me whatsoever, nor will it color my opinion of her. I don’t hold two different standards for sexual conduct – one for private citizens, and one for public figures. It’s sounding to me like you do. That may be where we differ.

Saying the women aren’t the problem because Weiner is dodging the question, because the two are not mutually exclusive – if you believe them both to be in the wrong.

I still don’t know where you stand on the women’s actions, because you don’t seem capable of answering very simple, very direct questions. I don’t know why that is. ::shrug::

Dutchess_III's avatar

@GoldieAV16 It shows a serious lack of ability to make a good judgement on his part. Being a housemaid is not comparable to being a public official.

GoldieAV16's avatar

My comment was to @Jakx, not to @Dutchess_III. Sorry if there was any confusion.

But I think people are people, and we should all be held to the same standard. I know not everyone believes that, and I respect the difference in opinion, and can agree to disagree.

Jaxk's avatar

I’m not aware of any solicitation from these women to get those photos. They didn’t ask for them. Nor am I aware of any promise to keep them private. So no, I find no fault with these ladies. Quite honestly even if they did say it was in confidence, I’d find no fault.

Frankly, I wouldn’t hire this guy in private industry either. Once you make a public spectacle of yourself, it reflects on any organization you belong to. But I will admit that I hold public officials to a higher standard. If I don’t like the activities of a company or company officials, I can refrain from doing business with them. Government however, I can’t. I expect better behavior even though I am perpetually disappointed.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Guys…remember when we had a freaking President of the United States of America doing the same damn thing, only this was pre-text days!

GoldieAV16's avatar

@Jaxk “They didn’t ask for them.” Yes, they actually did ask for them, and exchanged their own nude shots. You can read details of this scandal on Wikipedia, and also on The Dirty. Some of the accounts weren’t even real, but were set up by conservatives as underage girls, hoping to lure him into misconduct that would also be illegal, but they failed. Others were women looking for sexual fun with a public figure, and when the relationship fizzled decided to use what they had to ruin him. Hell hath no fury…

And yes, there is a reasonable expectation that when two consenting adults engage in sexual activity that it is private. I hope you aren’t serious when you suggest otherwise, that some sort of oath is necessary to ensure such.

That you find no fault with a woman who would betray a confidence to the highest bidder? Well, that’s up to you to embrace, but I’d find such a person dangerous to be around, as well as loathsome.

GoldieAV16's avatar

@Dutchess_III I remember more than one, and we only remember the ones who were caught. If I had to guess at percentages, I’d guess that more Presidents have practiced infidelity than have practiced fidelity. In fact I’d guess that the latter is extremely rare, maybe even nonexistent.

Jaxk's avatar

@GoldieAV16

Actually, I’m asserting that even with an oath it doesn’t assure privacy. The more people involved, the less likely it will remain secret. Once you introduce pictures, it borders on certainty that it will come out. Just like Monica’s blue dress.

GoldieAV16's avatar

You keep moving the goal posts. Now we’ve gone from an expectation of privacy to an assurance of privacy.

Nobody has that ever unless the only sex they engage in is self love.

I really do wonder why so many Americans insist on sex being dirty and secretive, but we just adore us some murder and mayhem. We are a weird brood. And we shouldn’t be surprised when the sickest among us oblige with a real life mass shooting. People seem more shocked and reactionary over Anthony Weiner’s sexting, demanding a response, than they did Sandy Hook, 20 kids and 6 adults slaughtered. Move along folks, nothing to be done about it…

I’ll leave you to your outrage. Peas out.

Dutchess_III's avatar

He’s married. He made a promise to his wife. He’s embarrassed the HELL out of his family. That’s what is so outrageous.

Jaxk's avatar

@GoldieAV16

So far, it’s not his fault it was the despicable women that published the photos. It’s not his fault because the Republicans lured him into this activity. Now it’s not his fault because Sandy Hook was worse.

You’re hard to pin down, I’ll give you that. But Democrats have always been good at shifting the blame and not taking responsibility for thier own actions.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Last line was completely uncalled for @Jaxk.

GoldieAV16's avatar

Nice try, @jaxk, except for that people can read my actual words:

“Politicians are a lot like any other celebrity: Jaded, delusional and with outsized egos. That creates the perfect storm for reckless behavior, and why we see it time and time again.”

I am not finding fault with what he did, because as I also said, “I am willing to forgive the man for having his sexual appetite because I don’t care. What goes on in his private life (and yes, I still think that even public figures have one – even if it’s conducted in public, lol) is his and Huma’s business.”

So you can try to portray me as laying blame for his behavior on others, when the truth of the matter is that I’ve made it abundantly clear that I find no fault in what he did, so I don’t have to blame anyone for it. I think it’s a private matter between the couple in the marriage.

I am starting to think that it’s not just Democrats that make you very uncomfortable but also sex. You are so anxious to find something wrong with his actions, you project onto others that same need. I’m sorry, but we don’t all share your puritanical sensibilities, so we’re not all out there looking for ways to excuse or justify our sexual appetites.

Jaxk's avatar

@Dutchess_III

Are you sure? I’m pretty sure I heard the calling.

Jaxk's avatar

@GoldieAV16

I guess we’re all entitled to our own role models. It’s no surprise that ours may differ.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Did the calling sound like Siamese elephants cojoined at the trunk? “Snorkah!”

Yes, I’m sure. I’m a Democrat and I think Weiner is an asshole!

GoldieAV16's avatar

@Jaxk I don’t have any role models that are people I don’t personally know, so yes, I would imagine that ours would differ. I do not believe in sports figures or celebrities or politicians (aside from those I know personally on a local level) as role models.

I vote for politicians not based on what I assume their morality to be, but based on what I think their policy making will be. And I am rarely disappointed in my choices, because most politicians know quite a bit more about policy making than I do, if for no other reason than that they have access to resources and staff that I am not privy to.

Jaxk's avatar

@Dutchess_III

I may have painted with too broad a brush but the elephant jokes were worth it.

Buttonstc's avatar

Anybody who is too stupid to use Snapchat (where all photos are destroyed within several seconds, never to be seen again) for his exhibitionism does not deserve to be in charge of the largest city in the USA.

NYC is host to tons of international leaders, diplomats, heads of major businesses etc. AND responsible for their SECURITY.

Can you imagine what would be going thru their heads knowing that a dimwit like that is in charge of things. Good grief.

You can be as critical of these women as you want, but the plain fact remains that if he had had the brains to use Snapchat, there would be no uncriminating pictures for them to share.

He is the laughingstock of the world, not just the US.

glacial's avatar

Just going to throw this out there… I don’t think terrorists give any consideration to who is mayor of a town they’re planning to hit. All they care about is how many people (regular civilians) will be affected. Aftermath is not their thing.

janbb's avatar

@glacial Yes, but there is something to be said for a mayor who is not dicking around while attacks are being planned and may be averted.

jca's avatar

@Jaxk: I repeat, sexting does not cross party lines?

Jaxk's avatar

@jca

I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make.

SuperMouse's avatar

@Jaxk I think she is trying to point out how ridiculous your assertion is that the choices Mr. Werner made would never have been made by a conservative politician.

jca's avatar

Just read that Weiner’s campaign manager quit.

Dutchess_III's avatar

^^^^ Weiner probably texted him a pic of his wiener.

I agree with @SuperMouse and @jca.

As a woman, I can’t even begin to imagine being turned on by a picture of someone’s dick, but that’s how men think.

Jaxk's avatar

@Dutchess_III

Now you’re painting with too broad a brush.

Jaxk's avatar

@jca & @SuperMouse

It’s not the actions that Wiener took, it’s the support he is getting from the Democrats. Conservatives would have disowned someone of his ilk rather than excuse him.

Dutchess_III's avatar

I stand corrected…SOME men. Lots of them, in my own experience. Had one over here last night. A casual friend of my husband’s. He just showed up. He was drunk and constantly making sexual innuendos like I was supposed to respond favorably. It was disgusting.

Dutchess_III's avatar

What support is that @Jaxk?

Jaxk's avatar

@Dutchess_III

Elain from the old Sienfeld show, had a line that I thought was very astute. ” a woman’s body is a work of art. A man’s body is more utilitarian, like a jeep.” I think that’s true and most men know their limitations. Not all but most. At least when they’re sober. When drunk, all bets are off.

As far as the support, there is some of it on this thread and Weiner is still competitive in the race even after this latest fiasco.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Doesn’t he stay competitive unless he chooses to drop out? After all, he didn’t break any man made laws, just offended and embarrassed the hell out of himself and his family, but that’s not illegal. That’s just being an asshole.

JLeslie's avatar

The thing is, if he is great at his job that would be what New Yorkers care most about, and one could argue that it should be his private business what he does in terms of sexting, even affairs, and we could criticize the press for putting it out in the public eye. I am not defending Weiner, I think he is an idiot for continuing to do this sort of thing, let along having done it in the first place, and as I said, I wish there was a different candidate running. The lack of judgement in knowing once in “print” or in cyborspace it is there forever baffles me. But, when I think about the Clinton fiasco, I honestly feel the public didn’t need to know that mess and he never should have been asked about his affair.

Imagine if we fired every man who cheated. A lot of people would have had dads and husbands lose their jobs.

Jaxk's avatar

@Dutchess_III

Not really. He’s still running about 25% in the polls. That means that one out of 4 support him. If we assume that he has no support from conservatives (I think that’s a safe bet) that means he’s still supported by about half the Democrats. That’s the support I’m talking about.

@JLeslie

This is not about cheating on your wife. It’s about judgement andf self control. Weiner obviously has neither. And just to address the Clinton argument, I would have been fired if I had sex in my office with an employee. No company I ever worked with would have tolerated that. If I had an affair, that would not have affected my job. Clinton had sex in the Oval office with an employee. It’s hard to ignore that.

janbb's avatar

Wiener isn’t the Democratic candidate yet; he is just running in the primary. Ther are several good candidates, one of whom will probably win the nomination. “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

Dutchess_III's avatar

I see. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it all works out.

JLeslie's avatar

@Jaxk I agree about the judgement part. I’ve said that all along. But, I will add I think men can show good jusgement at work and still be idiots when it comes to how they treat their wives and carry on in their sexual lives. Clinton worked and lived in the same place basically. He can’t easily go off to some hotel. He was limited in his possibilities for his sexual escapades. I think Clinton showed horrible judgement and a complete lack of self control. Good God stay faitheful for at leats the 8 years you are in the office. Ya know? Still, I think the media should have kept it hush like they did in the past.

@janbb I didn’t realize it is still the primaries, I’m not following it. So, then it isn’t too late. Hopefully they vote for someone else.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Yeah…like they kept JFK quiet!

JLeslie's avatar

@Dutchess_III I think the media kind of did, didn’t they? Problem was it was right there out there for the public to figure out anyway. It’s before my time, maybe I am wrong. I think of Marilyn Monroe singing happy birthday to him, and it was like holding up a sign. Oy.

Dutchess_III's avatar

They DID keep it quiet! Sorry….that came out sarcastic and it wasn’t meant to be. Yes, it was kind of obvious, I agree, but the media itself never said a word. Today it’d be plastered all over every newspaper and internet site.

Jaxk's avatar

It was a different world back when Kennedy was in office. We only had three networks for national news and they only had an hour to tell us what was happening. Newspapers were abundant but competition was fierce. they all reported the news rather making the news. And quite hinestly we liked our heros and we liked our country. Eisenhower was a war hero, Kennedy was a war hero. We loved those guys. Tearing them down would not be popular. Then we ushered in the Johnson, Nixon, and Carter eras. Unlikeable at best and the war wasn’t helping either. Criticism became the standard. Not that they didn’t deserve it. Reagan brought us back together somewhat, but we never lost the obsession for criticism. Clinton was able to bring back a little of the old Kennedy glamor with the help of a roaring economy but it didn’t last. Cable news, internet, and talk radio flooded us with scandels and criticism. Newspapers floundered and those left in business began making news to compete with other media. The 2000 recession left us with a floundering economy and and everyone needed someone to blame. 9/11 gave us a foe but didn’t help the floundering economy. So all forces targeted Bush for the problems. By this time we are no longer content to have heros nor are we especially enamored with the glamor. The news has learned that they can take down any political figure if they work at it and they are working at it. No heros, no pride in the country and a media that is hell bent on destruction. It is no wonder that we tear apart any misstep by a politician. And our current stash of politicians seems hell bent on helping us do it.

JLeslie's avatar

@Jaxk So, you agree the media attention on sex scandals is a negative thing. That’s how it sounded to me.

Jaxk's avatar

@JLeslie

Actually yes I do. The weiner situation is quite different. Even in Kennedy’s days pictures would have made a difference and I’m quite sure would not have been tolerated. Most other scandels were left to the gossip rags rather than mainstream media.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Sounds like he’s dropping out….

jonsblond's avatar

He’ll have lots of time to play with his weiner now.

Dutchess_III's avatar

He loves his own wiener more than he loves his family or his career. Go figure.

Buttonstc's avatar

Even tho his campaign mgr. quit, Weiner refuses to pull out ...ba ding boomp.

When the jokes start writing themselves, you’d think he’d have some common sense and recognize the handwriting on the wall.

But, then again, if he had any common sense he wouldn’t find himself in this pickle :)

chyna's avatar

@Buttonstc Lurve for your answer!

Buttonstc's avatar

Thanks.

But in a more serious note, I just watched a fairly lengthy discussion with Christine Quinn and NYC could certainly do a lot worse than to elect her as Mayor.

She was refreshingly candid and put verbs in her sentences when speaking about the types of policies and actions she would put in place if elected.

Even when he was a congressman, Weiner was pretty much a do nothing politician. All posturing and no substance.

rojo's avatar

@Buttonstc So, what you are saying is that Weiner could get it up but couldn’t do anything with it.

Is that basically correct?

GoldieAV16's avatar

I doubt there is a weiner joke that he hasn’t already heard, beginning in preschool. I’m pretty sure he’s inured to it by now. In fact, maybe he has taken all the hurtful teasing and transformed it into worshipful pride. It would explain a lot, lol!

GoldieAV16's avatar

“53% of NY Democrats say Weiner should drop out of Mayoral race, 7% say he didn’t reply to their last sext.” ~@TheDailyEdge

Buttonstc's avatar

@rojo

That would be one way to put it:)

chyna's avatar

So Weiner is reportedly 4th in the race. Why would he not step down? Why waste the money? Is he delusional and thinks he still has the chance to win or is it just his pride won’t allow him?

Dutchess_III's avatar

It’s ego, Chyna. Unfortunately, most successful people are posessed with a total inflated ego that sometimes….works.

filmfann's avatar

In the end, we must leave it to the voters. There are a lot of voters who are Pro-Weiner, and there are a lot of Weiner Supporters. We must allow him to run for office. After all, if the other candidates can’t lick Weiner after all this, maybe New York deserves a Weiner for Mayor.

Weiner

chyna's avatar

^tee hee, you said weiner.

filmfann's avatar

It doesn’t help that the media keeps accusing him of these awful text messages, which is to say the press has spent too much time fingering Weiner.

I need to find another question.

Buttonstc's avatar

Why waste the money, you ask?

Apparently there’s plenty of it donated by well meaning gullible folks.

Did you know that when this first surfaced a year ago, he spent over $40K to hire a private investigator to find out who hacked his Twitter acct.?

I guess he must’ve called OJ to find out who he hired to find the killer :)

ETpro's avatar

If I were him, I’d do my best to stay in. You only have to finish 2nd in a field of four to be in a runoff. Who knows what scandals may emerge about others in the race. As Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker aptly observed today, “Weiner’s stubbornness is likely based on two probabilities: First is that he can outlast the electorate’s attention span, which gnats regard with envy. A second pertains to Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s observation that our nation was defining deviancy down—normalizing the deviant to accommodate our moral decay.”

Having invested this much, and endured this much ridicule, why not tough it out? It’s up to the people of New York. And gnats don’t have a long attention span.

jca's avatar

One of my coworkers who lives in NYC pointed out that Anthony Weiner has donated money in his coffers and it’s his to spend as he likes, campaigning, so why not stay in the race? Not that I think he’ll win, but if he has nothing else to do (except his serial sexting) than why not use up that campaign money.

augustlan's avatar

Weiner, weiner, weiner.

JLeslie's avatar

That name was already tough, and now this. I remember when my cousin got married and chose to keep her maiden name. I thought to myself, a chance to easily change her surname and she decided to keep it.

jca's avatar

Weinergate!

rojo's avatar

@jca is that another word for Chastity Belt?

janbb's avatar

Oh I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Weiner!

Dutchess_III's avatar

But if I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner…THAT WOULD SURELY BE THE END OF ME!!!

Dutchess_III's avatar

We are SO juvenile! .... It sure is fun!

jca's avatar

If I were an Oscar Mayer weiner, everyone would want to eat me!

janbb's avatar

So I’m glad I’m not an Oscar Mayer weiner…..

Dutchess_III's avatar

How many folks here remember that commercial? :)

Buttonstc's avatar

“Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer weiner.
That is what I really want to be-ee-ee.
Cuz if I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner…
Everyone would be in love with me. ”

But that only works for wieners named Oscar. not Anthony :)

Did anyone else catch Kristin Chenoweth’s ode to Anthony on Leno last night? Hilarious. Maybe he can use it as his campaign theme song :)

Not sure if its up on YT yet but most likely somewhere on NBC website.

Read all about it
.
.
http://www.ibtimes.com/kristin-chenoweth-former-wicked-star-sings-anthony-weiner-parody-song-tonight-show-jay-leno-video

Buttonstc's avatar

I thought the link above had the song in addition to the comments.

Here’s one with the video of the actual song. It is too funny for words.
.
.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/entertainment/159101/kristen_chenoweths_dirty_anthony_weiner
.
.
I can’t wait to hear what he says to all the reporters asking for his reaction :)

augustlan's avatar

^^ Too funny!

Dutchess_III's avatar

Was it just me or was there another sound track that kept busting in and I couldn’t tell where it was coming from?

Nullo's avatar

He really ought to have changed his name before going into politics.

Buttonstc's avatar

@Nullo

You’ve got that one right, bro :)

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