Let’s Stop Dicking Around About Weiner

As I watch the coverage of Anthony Weiner’s bid for nomination as candidate for New York City Mayor I am frankly fed up with the politically correct nonsense that just about everyone is spewing. Let’s engage in some straight talk.

The Hypocrisy of Liberals

What do we hear about Anthony Weiner now from liberals? He was never all that much. He only introduced legislation that helped one of his constituents. To listen to the current chatter, you’d think they always thought of him as a total loser. Let’s take a trip in the way-back machine to 2009 when one of Weiner’s loudest current critics treated him like an intellectual genius on MSNBC’s “Hardball”.

Chris Matthews wasn’t alone in his admiration for Weiner back then. The fact is in 2009 to 2011 Weiner was the liberal media darling. He was outspoken, brash and more intellectually sharp than his fellow loudmouth Congressman Alan Grayson. Liberals like me delighted in Weiner taking on Joe Scarborough on “Morning Joe”. He was the go-to guy on health care reform for every political talk show. When his penis got the better of him in 2011 I wasn’t angry with him. I was horribly disappointed and mournful that a passionate articulate voice from the left had been silenced by his own foolishness. Many liberals felt the same way I did. But today they are fair-weather friends and hypocrites and honestly, that disgusts me far more than a bunch of dick-pics.

The Victimization of Women Part 1

Sydney Leathers is some kind of victim? Are we serious? She exchanged, let me repeat, exchanged lewd content with Weiner. Again, I have to point to the idiocy of Chris Matthews who asks “do women do this stuff on the Internet?” Yeah, Chris they do. Women can be every bit as horny and twisted as men and it’s wild to me that Ms. Leathers is seen as some sort of innocent victim by some in the media. She’s a female perv. End of story.

The Victimization of Women Part 2

Oh poor Huma Abedin, the put upon wife of Anthony Weiner. Sorry folks I’m not buying it. I’ve watched the face of the “good wife” as she stands by her sleaze bag husband (roll the tape of David Vitter please) and the face screams “get me out of here — my husband is a jerk”. Some wives like Jenny Sanford tell their cheating husbands to go to hell quite publicly. Huma has done neither of these. She took to the microphone to defend her husband and promote his candidacy for Mayor. And while she may be right that her recent press conference was her first, she has hardly been in the background in this campaign. She has been front and center trying to repair her husband’s reputation. Huma, in my opinion, is not much different from her mentor Hillary Clinton. Both of these women know they are married to kinky men and it’s a price they are willing to pay for the political spotlight. I’m not suggesting that Huma and Hillary don’t genuinely love their husbands. Marriages are complicated. But I don’t sign on to this notion that either woman is a victim. They both have made choices that I think make them far more calculating than their foolish impulsive husbands.

Let She Who is Without Sin Throw the First Stone

What I am about to say is going to get me in trouble with a lot of people so let me preface my comments with two facts. First, I believe gay people should be left the hell alone to live as they please and to marry who they love. Second, I have a real problem when traditional victims of oppression get all judgmental about other people. I cannot abide it when blacks and Jews don’t support each other because they should have a visceral understanding of the other person’s pain.

With that out of the way — where the hell does Anthony Weiner’s opponent Christine Quinn get off being high and mighty about him? Christine Quinn is the first openly gay City Council Speaker in the history of New York. Please let me remind Ms. Quinn that if we rewind only five or six years, she would not have a Popsicle’s chance in hell of running for Mayor of New York. The fact is a sizable silent minority of folks consider Ms. Quinn a deviant. She knows that or at least she should if she’s not stupid. So maybe the sexual practices of others should be off-limits to Ms. Quinn? Most sexual behavior is driven by deep-rooted urges. No one sends pictures of his penis over the Internet on a whim. No, I am not drawing a complete equivalency between being gay and being an exhibitionist but of all aspects of human behavior, I would think sexual behavior would be the one area that gay folks are most empathetic about.

To put it bluntly, we know we have reached a new civil rights plateau when gay folks go on TV and call the other guy a pervert.

The Last Bastion of Civil Rights

And that brings me to my final observation regarding Weiner’s own behavior. Just as gay has become the new black, I predict that pervert will become the new gay. Weiner’s latest tactic on the campaign trail is to say that if he can withstand the scrutiny and criticism he is currently undergoing, just think what a strong Mayor he will make. He is essentially saying “I was a pervert and if you don’t like that, don’t vote for me but I’m much more than that”. You have got to give him credit for chutzpah. The only thing really getting in his way right now are the clearly insincere apologies for his past (?) behavior. Once he declares his sexting a life style choice and tells folks that if his wife can live with it then everyone else should mind their own business, he will truly be liberated. He can emerge as the persecuted pervert, declare his position as another victimized minority and forge a new civil rights path.

All joking aside, we live in a strange country where Silvio Berlusconi’s “bunga-bunga” parties brought a smile to our faces but Anthony Weiner’s brand of kink gives us the willies. I’m annoyed Weiner resigned back in 2011 and I’m actually glad he’s sticking around this time. If you don’t want a kinky guy who behaves like an adolescent on the Internet as your Mayor then don’t vote for him. But please, stop all the politically correct posturing, revisionist history and hypocrisy.

Respectfully,
Rutherford

Image: Pixelated Twitter by XanderGC

The GOP Slate and the Week We Lost Our Weiner

The GOP Slate

OK, let’s be honest, the first GOP candidate debate on Fox about a month ago was a joke. It included at least one candidate, Gary Johnson, who we know will never be President of the United States (Gary who?) and it did not include some heavy hitters, namely Romney and Gingrich through no fault of Fox but just bad timing. So let’s ignore that debacle and turn our attention toward the real first GOP candidate debate carried on CNN last Monday. The debate itself was clumsy with “average Americans” asking the questions. We don’t need average Americans who have no TV presence asking questions. I would have preferred a panel of journalists but then let’s not forget, this is the Palin Era where journalists are to be bypassed. The opening statements were also gag-worthy as each candidate tried to one-up the other on how much successful intercourse they’d had: “I’m the father of three”, “I’m the mother of five and foster-mother of 630”. Finally there were the series of “this or that” questions designed to lighten the mood and make the candidates more human. I was fully prepared for the moderator, John King to ask Herman Cain “Tupac or Biggie?”

Here is my quick review of the roster:

Rick Santorum: One word — Google. Really. Can any man whose last name ranks first on Google as the definition of  “The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex” expect to one day be President of the United States? Gay activist Dan Savage’s evil bit of brilliance in launching a contest to concoct a gay-oriented definition for Rick’s last name permanently makes him a punchline. I will give Santorum credit, however for consistency. He is against abortion even in the case of rape and incest. As I’ve written before, this is the ONLY pro-life stance that has any integrity. As for Rick’s performance in the debate, nothing newsworthy. Just another “red-blooded American” appealing to the far right base.

Michele Bachmann: It looks like I must abandon my wait for Bachmann’s fall. The Congresswoman from Minnesota just keeps rising and her debate performance, while not brilliant, was hardly the dumb-ass display we might have expected from someone who thinks Lexington-Concord took place in New Hampshire and our founding fathers ended slavery. One could see in this performance a cheer leader for the Tea Party with a degree of gravitas missing from her most closely aligned associate, Sarah Palin. In this sexist world of ours, Palin is almost too pretty. You, and I mean you Rich Lowry, want to bed Palin. But while Bachmann is a reasonably attractive woman, when you look at her you think of a mother, not a lover and you see someone who truly wants to be relevant. You can imagine Bachmann bouncing back from gaffes by doing a bit of study to avoid them in the future. Her best moment was when she referred to Obama as “someone far more eloquent than I” and then hanged him on his own words. I cannot believe I’m saying this but we need to keep our eye on Bachmann.

Newt Gingrich: Fresh from his campaign staff quitting en masse, Newt used the debate to lecture America in his usual nonsensical professorial way. Most telling was his intro where he departed from the pattern of very personal introductions (see reference to successful procreation above) and chose instead to open with a policy statement. This makes sense since Newt Gingrich is a serial adulterer with no moral standing. Like Santorum, but for different reasons, Newt is now a punchline. Time to move on.

Mitt Romney: Making the first debate appearance of his campaign, Romney acquitted himself well. Most pundits gave the night to him with Bachmann a close second. I am probably in the minority on this but I think Romney has made a good distinction between what he did in Massachusetts and what Obama has done on a federal level with health care reform. To me the strongest part of his argument is that dealing with health care should not be a federal responsibility, but should rest with the States. This makes anything he did in Massachusetts his prerogative. I also got a kick out of his assertion that Obama never called him to consult on HCR. If only Obama had called Romney, “Obamacare” might have gone down better! Sadly though, Mitt still looks like Michael Scott from NBC’s “The Office”, that boss who wants so desperately to fit in with his underlings and fails miserably. Pundits have said, he reminds you of the dude who laid you off yesterday.

Tim Pawlenty: Yes there are those who want to give him the rap accolade T-Paw but I simply call him “Punk Ass Beeyotch” (the Notorious P.A.B.). Just a day earlier on Fox News he coined the devastating term “Obamneycare” forever tying Mitt Romney to Barack Obama. When given the opportunity to hammer home his assault with Romney standing next to him, Pawlenty showed us the kind of leadership we can expect in the White House — he punted. I think Romney is a bit taller than Tim and maybe could have kicked his ass. Maybe that was too intimidating? Imagine President Pawlenty talking smack about Ahmadinejad and then entering into negotiations with him where P.A.B. capitulates on everything. The truth is Tim is a wimpy soft-spoken man who does his best to fake tough and fails. The debate only confirmed what I already thought … Pawlenty is a non-starter.

Ron Paul: I’m sorry but despite his racist past, I cannot resist watching Ron Paul in a debate. Whether it’s telling the truth about the war on drugs or on our wars in general, Paul is always a refreshing breath of air. He is the only candidate who actually suggests concrete policy changes that are truly radical, that take us in a new direction. And of course, America being what it is, he will never get elected talking like that.

Herman Cain: Normally I’d launch into a racially charged diatribe about the only black candidate being placed at the far right of the assembled candidates, physically marginalized from the get-go but it does not matter where you place Cain on the stage, the man brings that “I know nothing about the issues” Palin appeal to the masses and it has earned him big points in most recent polls.  Essentially Cain’s performance could have been matched by any one of the folks who regularly comment on this blog. He is a “regular guy” successful business man who, like Palin, uses his ignorance of politics as a badge of honor. (Of course, with Palin it’s a bizarre sort of badge to wear since she has been in politics much of her adult life.) His approach is, what have career politicians done for you lately? He made some murky remarks about not wanting Muslims to serve in his administration but he seemed to step it back a bit to make a distinction about radical Muslims. (Of course, Newt took that opportunity to double down on the Islamaphobia.)  Like Bachmann, Cain seems to be willing to learn and he made attempts at specific policy prescriptions. I would not totally rule out a Cain VP slot.

In the batting cage were three people who could mix things up a bit. The will-she-won’t-she Sarah Palin is still undecided on a Presidential run and her recent SarahPAC funded vacation did nothing to clarify her intentions. I am still hoping she runs just to see her and Bachmann face off on stage! The punditocracy claims that Pawlenty’s stumble last Monday night opens the door for Texas Governor Rick Perry to enter the race. I find the idea of secessionist running for President highly amusing. And besides, look at the last President Texas gave us. Last but not least there is Jon Huntsman who will announce his run in the next few days. Huntsman is what many of my readers call a RINO. He does not pass the far right conservative litmus test. Even more interesting, he must walk that fine line of opposing Obama and defending his own employment under Obama as Chinese Ambassador. On the bright side, the dude speaks fluent Mandarin, so he isn’t a dumb-ass. On the less bright side, he opens his pre-campaign by reminding people that he was in the never-heard-of rock band Wizard while invoking images of “Easy Rider” and being stoned in the 60’s on your motor cycle. While cryptic, it sure is original. I will be watching Huntsman closely as the man who could possibly beat Obama.

The Week We Lost Our Weiner

If you see the progressives in your neighborhood dressed in black this week it is because they are in mourning. On June 16, after a three-week roller coaster ride of lies, revealing photos and high school worthy word-plays, New York Democratic Representative Anthony Weiner finally gave into mounting pressure and resigned. The circus atmosphere at his resignation speech was entirely consistent with a scandal devoid of any sense of dignity.

What emerges for me from Weinergate is one overriding thing: rank hypocrisy. Everywhere you looked during this scandal you saw a hypocrite:

The Media: The mainstream media said they desperately wanted to get to serious business and Weiner was a distraction but they kept leading their broadcasts with him. A prime suspect was Chris Matthews who declared some relief on Friday that Weiner had resigned so things like the debt ceiling could be discussed, but who with final editorial judgment over his show, decided to lead with Weiner on every show for almost two weeks.

The Democratic Party: From Nancy Pelosi to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Dem’s claimed they wanted Weiner to resign so he could “heal”. We all know that is plain and utter bullcrap. They don’t give one’s rat’s ass if Weiner heals. They want their anti-GOP talking points to take center stage again and not be overshadowed by one Congressman’s proclivity for exhibitionism.

The Republican Party: The party that gave us Larry Craig and David Vitter should do only one thing when a sex scandal emerges. STFU. Enough said.

The man himself: While it is true that Weiner never played the “family values” card like so many of his Republican counterparts, he was an outspoken advocate for moral causes, health care reform most notably. While no one is perfect, it does seem to me rank hypocrisy to talk about honesty and virtue in politics and then betray everyone around you with brazenly stupid behavior that you then try to lie to get out of.  The scandal makes a mockery out of one of Weiner’s finest moments when he talked about political courage.

What a terrible waste.

Respectfully,
Rutherford

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Did We Learn Nothing from Nixon?

Watergate was nothing, a petty burglary gone wrong. The scandal that ensued enshrined the now famous adage that the cover-up is worse than the crime. Despite Richard Nixon’s folly which led to the first resignation of a sitting President, countless politicians have ignored the moral of his story and have fallen into the same trap.

Today we saw one of the great champions of progressive causes self destruct before our eyes. Last week, news first surfaced that New York Democratic Representative Anthony Weiner had sent a lewd photo of himself to a female over Twitter. Weiner denied sending the photo, claiming his account had been hacked. Oddly though, he said that he couldn’t say “with certitude” whether or not the picture depicted him. This inability of Weiner to identify his own fully packed pair of underpants left a suspicious stink over the whole affair. My guess had been that Weiner sent the photo to someone as a gag and it got into the wrong hands.

Today, of course we learned the truth. Not only did the underpants belong to Weiner but he had Tweeted this photo to a young woman in Seattle. Again, ala Richard Nixon, the revelation of wrong-doing was really not the story. The story was the week of bold-faced lying that preceded today’s confessional press conference. Apparently, like Donald Trump’s fictional investigators looking for the truth behind Obama’s birth, Weiner had his own fictional security team dissecting the hacking of his account. Perhaps most grievous of all was that Weiner lent credibility to Andrew Breitbart who had said last week that Weiner’s online behavior was reputed to be beyond the pale.

Weiner says he will not resign. Whether he can get beyond this in the tradition of David Vitter or finally take the fall as John Ensign did weeks ago remains to be seen. What remains even more puzzling is why men from Nixon to Spitzer to Vitter to Craig to Ensign to Clinton to Edwards believe their lies will not be discovered eventually. Mistakes are human. We all make them. Mistakes in and of themselves might not ruin our credibility. The cover-ups always do.

Respectfully,
Rutherford

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