There's pervasive perversity in people. We made it this far by wanting to have sex a lot with lots of people.

Now we want to be cultured and kings and our weiners keep getting in the way.

Which is why Strauss-Kahn couldn't help but anal-rape the chambermaid. He's only human, after all.

Seriously, Weiner deserves to have his career ruined over this. I really, really like the guy, but you have no right to expect the trust and support of your constituency if you can't keep yourself from betraying and humiliating your own fucking family. Every politician who does something this stupid deserves the same.

And where the fuck is Cena Mark? He's missing a prime opportunity to gloat.

Betraying his family like his mom and dad? You know he's single, right? I really don't understand how his indiscretion somehow becomes politically unethical, it wasn't an unsolicited picture as far as I can tell...

WTF wtf_japan? I'm challenging you to make a stronger case that public officials in a democracy should be held to a higher standard than the citizens they represent. Emailing, texting, etc, erotic pictures of oneself to another, like it or not, is a contemporary courting behavior. How do you think online dating works?

t augias: Single? His wife would disagree with you, and so would he.

The problem is not that he sent a picture of his penis to someone who may or may not have been interested in seeing said penis. If he was single, he could tweet his meat as often as and to whomever he pleases for all I care. The problem is that he betrayed his wife.

I don't feel I'm holding him to a higher standard than his constituency because I feel that most Americans probably feel a greater commitment to members of their immediate family than to political ideals or the welfare of their fellow countrymen. His behavior indicates that he is not a man of principle when it comes to even the most basic of responsibilities--and for someone who has elevated their political profile by candidly maintaining the moral high ground and publicly shaming opponents, that is simply unacceptable.

If he'll sell his own wife down the river for some college poon, then he can definitely be bought. I can think of few things more insidious than a progressive who can be bought.

(point to schlong) tag please.

In a healthy, mature relationship, something like this should not be an issue because he would actually be able to, you know, have an honest, open dialogue about his desire to tweet photos of his bulge to strangers on the internet, and (again assuming the relationship was healthy) a satisfactory middle ground could be reached.

I'm not saying this guy isn't a dick, to be perfectly clear.

my first instinct was to take pity on the guy considering his many levels of awesomeness, but if he's trying to get in some college honey's pants, at his age, at his position, with his potential, then fuck him let him burn and find a new senator to fill his boots, godfearing republican or dickless democrat either one.

wtf japan: back during Clinton's term, the Republican idiots I work with used to say, "if Clinton can't be faithful to his own wife, how can he be faithful to the public?" These same Republican idiots were GWBush's biggest fans, and cheered him as he sent thousands of soldiers to their deaths on a lie (while remaining faithful to his wife as far as we know).

We elect men to be serve the public, and commitment to the public good has to be measured on its own merits. It can't be inferred from marital fidelity or lack thereof.

I'm sorry, but I suppose I'm a rigorist when it comes to this sort of thing. I believe it's possible to be a good doctor or a good tailor whether or not you are a dick to your immediate family, but I don't think the same applies to politicians. At least not progressives, who claim to be committed to the public good.

I think it's reasonable to assume that someone who would fuck over their own wife behind closed doors would also fuck over a bunch of people they've never met before. If you think about it, Clinton managed to do both of those things at the same time. If he could have kept his dick out of Lewinsky, we arguably wouldn't have had eight years of Bush. The election was so close that Gore would likely have won if Clinton hadn't alienated a large portion of his constituency.

If you don't idealistically believe that personal moral integrity is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition of one's suitability to the role of lawmaker, then I don't know why you're a progressive.

Are you challenging my credentials because I can demonstrate that marital fidelity does not correlate with public good? Don't blame me because facts don't support your thesis. And Clinton lost support from liberals not because of Monica Lewinsky but because of policies that swung way too far to the right (oh the things we can see in retrospect now).

MLK Jr cheated on his wife. So did Strom Thurmond. Functionally interchangeable?

MLK wasn't a lawmaker or a politician. Thurmond was. So... no?

Seems like you're undermining your own point with the Clinton revelation. Though I honestly believe him poking Lewinski had way more to do with the loss of support than something of actual political import. You're more idealistic than I am if you believe otherwise.

I'm not saying that upholding your familial responsibilities indicates anything about your suitability for office. I'm just saying it's a necessary condition, with the caveat that one could hypothetically *neglect* (not betray) one's family due to one's commitment to the common good and still be a good politician. However--and pay attention now--fucking your own family over is probably a bad sign. It works one way, not both.

If I'm being unclear, here's an analogy: I have steady hands. Most people would agree that steady hands are a necessary condition of one's being a good surgeon. That doesn't mean I would make a good surgeon. On the other (steady) hand, I know of a very good surgeon who has a nearly flawless record of successful operations. He's been getting on in the years, though, and I witness his palsy cause him to spill an entire cup of water on himself in the waiting room. Would it be prudent for me to allow him to operate on me anyway, or should I treat his surgical record and his inability to hold his fucking hands still long enough to take a sip of water as entirely separate concerns?

Okay, we'll do apples and apples. The Phelps clan seem to have sexual fidelity down to a science; by your standards that makes them better liberal standard-bearers than MLK Jr. Likewise, GWBush was faithful to Laura (as far as we know), which makes him a better liberal standard-bearer than FDR.

I guess I don't see why you think that failings in one's private life make a person incapable of recognizing socially beneficial legislation and supporting it. Just for shits and giggles I will even argue that failings make adulterers MORE capable of doing so, in that their personal failings keep them acutely aware of human imperfection, and they are less likely to get all smug Galty about mooches, cheats, lesbians, and so on. (I don't actually buy that argument, but I'll argue it for shits and giggles if you like.)

And now look at the current state of politics thanks to phoney moralizing and idiotic thinking like that.

wtf_japan, a republican at heart.

That's Guay.

I haven't yet. Waiting for the moment I become powerful and influential.

Apparently he had a handful of weak moments.

Looks closer to two hands.

Reading from the Guardian...

"Was there anything predatory about your behaviour?" asks another journalist. Sounds like they are expecting Chris Hansen to come out from behind the curtain.

"Do you have to support a lovechild," is another crazy question shouted out. Hmm, I'm guessing some "journalists" have got into the room. This is in danger of getting nasty. Weiner is looking around nervously.

"In the X-rated photos, were you fully erect?" is the last question, as Weiner decides to leave the stage. Probably the right move.

Was that someone Anthony Weiner? I mean, I agree it doesn't have much to do with his duties, but if a congressman actually sends lewd photos of himself to people over the internet, he doesn't really have anyone to blame but himself if he gets in trouble.

Dude basically did the equivalent of CC'ing everyone after hitting the reply button. I guess not everyone on Horseshack's 'friend' list is his friend? Who could have guessed?

oops, 2nd link:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/06/anthony_wei ner_strongly_defend.html

As long as Sarah Palin rewrites history, we'll never stop laughing.

I dunno, Cena. Personally, I don't care about these sorts of scandals. I think it's an issue between him and his wife. UNLESS the leader/candidate has invited me into it by standing on a "family values" platform. If you claim family values to get into office, then pull this sort of shit, you deserve everything you get.
So yeah...I'm always going to be tougher on the Repubs in this.

Sometimes while daydreaming I like to pretend I am Hitler's right hand man and I tell him to go easy on the Jews and not invade Russia.

That's my shameful secret.

How many of us admit to our families that we post on PoETV?

It is amazing how stupidly they fail to put 2 and 2 together to get 4. You don't have to be a technical genius to know how this kind of communication would come back to you.

Spitzer was worse. Felony whoremongering in a guy who was doing some good and could have been president some day.