Says John Hinderaker:
I completely fail to understand why any Republican would call for Weiner's resignation. Are you kidding? I want him in Congress forever, if possible! I want him representing his party on every other cable news show, as he has done for the last several years. I want people to snicker every time they see a "D" behind a Congressman's name. Anthony Weiner is the gift that keeps on giving, the twit that keeps on tweeting!
Yet the Democrats — it seems — would like the Republicans to do the work of ousting their masturbating boy.
Here's Rush Limbaugh yesterday:
How about this headline: "Pelosi Wants a Weiner Probe.".. Okay, now, she was quick on the draw here, folks. ... Pelosi and the Democrats scared to death. "Oh, my God, this guy's poison! Get him out of here. Get him to the Ethics Committee."... Pelosi knows that the House is now in Republican hands. Therefore the Ethics Committee, at the end of the day, has a Republican majority....
The liberals are throwing Weiner under the bus and they're asking him to resign and a number of things, or could it be -- I just throw this out there as a possibility; I know it's gonna sound lame to some of you and it's gonna sound like a stretch but -- maybe Pelosi and the Democrats are hoping they send Weiner up there to the Ethics Committee and the Republicans go bonkers with it and start overreaching and turn Weiner into a victim of these rascally Republicans. She's doing this as a way of creating sympathy for the poor guy because these mean-spirited Republicans won't let him speak.
Now, I don't think this theory has any credence 'cause I don't think the Republicans have it in 'em to act that way. I don't think that they would overreach. But I do know that when it comes to the Democrats, everything is not what it appears to be on the surface. So I'm not totally convinced that simply demanding that the Ethics Committee take care of Weiner is, in fact, Pelosi and the Democrats wanting to wash their hands of Weiner.
Wash their hands of Weiner... Pelosi Wants a Weiner Probe... Rush loves to dabble in the deniable dirty talk. But don't you think he's right that the Democrats would like to find a way to lure Republicans into the ones who end up looking bad?
Those terrible Puritans, who want to end sex for everybody.
Posts
73 comments:
"Representative Weiner, does a complete lack of morality insulate you from blackmail threats possibly resulting from multiple internet/phone sexual relationships, because you do not care about being completely amoral and unfaithful to your wife?"
Rush notwithstanding, the House Ethics Committee is and has been evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Otherwise Maxine Waters would have been history in January. The even split also accounts for the committee's glacial speed in resolving ethics matters.
But don't you think he's right that the Democrats would like to find a way to lure Republicans into the ones who end up looking bad? Those terrible Puritans, who want to end sex for everybody.
Right, that's certainly how Andrew Sullivan is trying to spin it. I guess it sort of worked with Clinton, so why not give it a try?
I have no problem with weiner and his wiener being the face and pecker of the democratic party (ugly face and small pecker)--let him stay in office--Hindraker is right.
Ultimately, it's up to his Constituents, just as it was with Vitter. I, being sensible, would want him gone.
But of course, as both sides of my family came to the USA in the 1630s, I'm something of a Puritan myself.
Hinderaker is back this morning with:
Weiner's Democratic colleagues are going to want to cut their losses. They want to see Weiner leave. They want to return the discussion to talking about Republicans killing granny and seeking the restoration of Jim Crow.
The "Republicans are ruining my sex life" theme is one of the building blocks of leftist ideology. You hear it endlessly in hipster communities. If only those awful Republicans would stop believing in God, cease having any morals and allow unfettered baby killing, liberals say, then everybody could really get off good and proper.
Let's examine Senior Policy Adviser Huma Weiner's vagina.
She grew up in Saudi Arabia since age 2. Her mother is Pakistani, her father was Indian/Iranian.
Were her genitals ritually mutilated? Where are the feminists and the anti-FGM crowd when you need them?
John Henry
Idle navel gazing combined with imaginary 3-D chess, that's what I think of when people start postulating over who "wants" what to "look" which way as a guide to a scandal. The setup above essentially says that if Weiner resigns, the Dems win. Think about that. Stupid.
wv: infilla
Where I had a damned good cheesesteak.
I can see it now--every time weiner rises to speak the chair recognizes the "honorable--but small" member from NY--hilarity ensures
Although, I must say, Limbaugh's rant seems to be based on the assumption that Republicans have something better to offer than Democrats.
I haven't seen much proof of that.
In recent years the Ethics Committee seemed to be a relatively low-hype bunch. They investigate, then they put out some sort of report, w/o endless public hearings.
Or, maybe they do have endless hearings but, since there's little coverage, I've missed them. Soon enough I'll know if this is true, because, this time I"m sure every Weiner detail will be thoroughly reported.
"Those terrible Puritans, who want to end sex for everybody."
Liberals will let the government control the way they eat, their transportation, their money, their health care, their work place, their children and the list goes on. But as long as they can have sex anywhere they want, with anyone they want, any way they want at any time they want they think they are free.
But as long as they can have sex anywhere they want, with anyone they want, any way they want at any time they want they think they are free.
You apparently have missed the real world effects of feminist ideology and law.
In reality, liberals want to regulate every aspect of sexuality.
Hell, if we're just playing political games...Delay, delay. Drag this probe into the 2012 elections.
Congress breaks for the summer recess, so nothing even starts until fall. Make it late fall. Break for holidays. Ask for documents. Rest. Ask for more documents. Rest more. Bring it to a head during the GOP primaries. Probably can't drag it into the fall elections, but as close as possible.
I mean, if this is how they want to play.
I think it was Charles Krauthammer who pointed out that, going back to Nixon, it is one's own party who eventually leads the offending party to the light. If Weiner is going to go, it won't be the Republicans who will toss him, it will be the Democrats. However, Weiner doesn't appear to be one who listens to anyone (except Lewinski wanna-bes.)
If Weiner didn't break the law, I see no reason to resign unless his constituents call for it.
He doesn't work for the Democrats at large. He works for the people of his district.
He's not my representative and I see no reason to have a national conversation other than for entertainment purposes.
Not that Weiner is Bill Clinton, but remember what happened when the Republicans went all out on going after Clinton in 1999 (or whenever that was).....Democrats rallied him.
It's a natural reaction when you have an outside enemy. So yes, Republicans should stay quiet. If Weinie stays, then in fall of 2012 Republicans can gently bring his name up while campaigning.
I've said from day one, Weiner wouldn't resign. The Democrats can hot dog all they want, but in the end the Republicans will want everyone to watch the sausage being made.
I see foot long Fridays in the future.
Ultimately, it's up to his Constituents, just as it was with Vitter.
I wonder how Vitter went about finding his diapers? Send staffers out to find the largest size possible? Depends probably wouldn't have given him the same rush. Anyways I think that would have to be a lot more emabrassing than sexting your junk.
Anyways I think that would have to be a lot more emabrassing than sexting your junk.
I can't imagine anything what would embarrass you, garbage.
In your rational world paying off Democratic candidates so that they'll kick back golden benefits, wages and retirement packages doesn't embarrass you a bit.
You've embraced sleaze bag corruption as a great moral cause.
Chuck66 said...
Not that Weiner is Bill Clinton, but remember what happened when the Republicans went all out on going after Clinton in 1999 (or whenever that was).....Democrats rallied him.
Chuck, factor in that unlike Clinton, Weiner isn't well liked by his peers. They think he doesn't play well with others, hogs the mike, and doesn't chip in his fair share to the DCCC. Adding to those faults, now a weiner question will be asked of every (D) every press interaction. They want the pain to go away. Nancy is trying to buy some time, thus your average (D) can say,
"The matter has been referred to the Ethics Committee for action, I have no further comment"
Sullivan is incapable of exercising judgement, so it makes sense he doesn't see it as important.
I think it would be better for America generally if people this incompetent were not in congress. But his presence alone doesn't change the equation much. The only role he'll ever have again is preaching to the choir, so I don't think he matters much at all. Barney Franks' corruption doesn't bother leftists, so why would Weiner's lack of judgement?
All you Weiner apoogists (and the decent people, too) might want to check out Patterico's site right now. It's a "tease", but a REAL BIG one.
You have to love the NY Post. A couple of headlines:
WEINER ON WIFE SUPPORT
WEINER LIKELY TO ENDURE A ROUGH SEX PROBE
She's doing this as a way of creating sympathy for the poor guy because these mean-spirited Republicans won't let him speak.
Riiiiiiiiiighttttt.
Aplogists, apoogists, whatever. I kinda like "apoogist".
To be honest, unless it's proven that Weiner committed some sort of crime, then I don't think he should have to resign.
the twit that keeps on tweeting!
But not the twit of the year
EM, the way I understand it, he probably didn't commit a crime. He is just creepy.
You even could go so far to say that if he did break a law, it means we have too many laws.
This assumes that he wasn't going after underaged girls. Not sure what the law is for exposing yourself in an email.
"However, Weiner doesn't appear to be one who listens to anyone"
He'll listen this time. Democrats decide whether he is re-elected by controlling serious primary opponents (or not). Second these same Democrats can give him the soft landing he needs. Their support means he can end up running MoveOn or a similar organization, or get a gig on MSNBC.
They might decide to keep him, because he can be that firebrand willing to look like an ass to non-leftists so no one else has to. He can make political arguments which would be political suicide to future campaigns requiring broad support.
But Democrats will likely decide his presence unacceptably increases the chances Reps can successfully tar other Dems with his actions. And if they do he'll resign.
Our professor and Rush are people who tend to overanalyze. My experience is that when analyzing individual or group motivation it's often quite simple and frequently involves one or more of the seven deadly sins. Shakespeare was a genius and understood this fundamental.
If we had a real ethics committee- Maxine Waters would be gone, Barney Frank would be gone, Charlie Rangle would be gone.
etc...
We have unethical people ruling our lives.
We have unethical people ruling our lives.
To paraphrase Jeremy, Duh.
But nothing prevents idiots who live elsewhere -- it's always elsewhere -- from electing cretins to Congress. Of course, no one has ever done that where I live. Only morally pure and the virtuous have ever represented me.
Be like me! Vote For Virtue!
Shouldn't the ethics committee be composed of citizens? Make it like jury duty.
"I want Anthony Weiner to be the face of the Democratic Party."
Calling Democrats "Weiner-faces" henceforth, is probably not conducive to productive debate, but it would be fun for awhile!
I completely fail to understand why any Republican would call for Weiner's resignation. Are you kidding? I want him in Congress forever, if possible!
I fail to understand what he fails to understand. What I think he actually fails to understand is that shame has any affect on these people. What's worse? This little surreptitious episode with Der Weinerr's weener or a senator that used to be a high-ranking member of the KKK? The latter was in Congress for as long as humans can effectively make "forever" a reality and it mach nicht with the electorate.
To paraphrase Jeremy, Duh.
Don't you feel like you need a scalding hot shower with steel wire brushes now?
"Not that Weiner is Bill Clinton, but remember what happened when the Republicans went all out on going after Clinton in 1999 (or whenever that was).....Democrats rallied him."
Clinton was president and did it with an intern. Much more serious than Weinergate and he should have resigned over it.
The Weiner that can't cut the mustard as a Representative could angle to get appointed to a Czar job as head of the White House Tweets on Global Warming Strategy. His duty could be to return the atmosphere to its pre 1967 borders.
"Scott M said...
What I think he actually fails to understand is that shame has any affect on these people. "
You have to segregate your targets. Leftists don't care. Many independents and moderates do. And so do right leaners who occasionally vote for Dem candidates.
Agree with those agreeing with Hinderaker. Republicans are making the usual partisan noises, Demos do the same.
By all means, keep The Weiner in Congress, especially when the demos start trying to cast the proposed budget cuts as "a war on women", and everyone can then ask, "What's The Weiner think?".
The Demos know this, but they live by something similar to the Code of the Mafia. No Demo ever calls on another to resign, no matter what the offense, so the pressure has to be more sotto voce.
PS As far as Willie is concerned, he had a defensive media to cover for him, no Internet (really), and talk radio just a-borning in his favor.
He also had the illusion of peace and prosperity.
Which fools many who should know better to this very day.
If the Republican controlled Ethics Committee has any brains they will go all John 8 on Weiner.
Can you imagine the Democrats' chagrin if Republicans say "that was nasty but we think you've been punished already"?
Can you imagine...
It would be nice, but you cannot expect the same treatment down the road. These people don't have any guiding principles. They're the same ones that insisted on intermixed seating at the SOTUA after getting their collective (double entendre alert) asses handed to them in 2010. What's good for goose, to them, isn't good for the gander.
They want to return the discussion to talking about Republicans killing granny and seeking the restoration of Jim Crow.
These things are considered an item of religious faith amongst the left.
He could walk out the door tomorrow and it will do nothing to hide the fact that the GOP/teabaggers have no one who can beat President Obama in 2012.
This is a waste of everybody's time.
It has zero to do with the presidential re-election, Jeremy.
Do you believe he was right or wrong to lie to the public? In the context of this discussion, I really don't give a damn about any other member of the government at any other time. Was what Anthony Weiner did after this story broke acceptable behavior for a sitting member of Congress?
"Pelosi knows that the House is now in Republican hands. Therefore the Ethics Committee, at the end of the day, has a Republican majority."
The entire premise of this post is incorrect. Can't we at least get some fact-based discussion going?
The House Ethics committee is made up equally of 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans.
This even split has limited the power of the Ethics Committee by giving both political parties an veto over the actions of the committee.
Pelosi knows this. The Ethics Committee is where these sorts of scandals go to die. By referring it there, she gave Weiner 2 years to sort things out.
Scott M -"It has zero to do with the presidential re-election, Jeremy. Do you believe he was right or wrong to lie to the public?"
Yes, I do believe he lied, and I also believe he should resign.
But to say this has nothing to do with 2012 is ridiculous.
Whenever a political situation like this rears its ugly head, for either party, it certainly has a ripple effect on other elections.
Why would you think someone who has been touted as a potential Democratic Mayor of New York city being caught in something like this wouldn't have an adverse effect on future Democratic campaigning, and fund raising, etc.?
Jeremy said...
He could walk out the door tomorrow and it will do nothing to hide the fact that the GOP/teabaggers have no one who can beat President Obama in 2012.
The Weiner puts the lie to the Demo's propaganda that they are the party that cares about women
PS With the economy tanking, the Republicans have plenty of people capable of beating Little Zero.
Hell, my dog, Sherlock, could do it.
Nevada - "Pelosi knows this. The Ethics Committee is where these sorts of scandals go to die. By referring it there, she gave Weiner 2 years to sort things out."
Does the name Ensign ring a bell?
I think it has a direct result on the NY mayoral outlook, to be sure, but the effects of this scandal on the presidential contest next year will be negligible. Anthony Weiner just wasn't a likeable enough man, even in his own circles, for his absence to make that big of a deal.
Fact is Democrats are scared to death about this Weiner scandal hanging over their heads in 2012. They want him to resign NOW.
BTW for brevity can we just call him Tony Dick?
I like "Der Weiner" for the irony.
edutcher - I guess we'll see, but I agree with those who think this Weiner situation will have no real effect on 2012.
Anybody who follows politics knows this kind of ridiculously boorish behavior happens about once a month or so.
Alex - "Fact is Democrats are scared to death about this Weiner scandal hanging over their heads in 2012. They want him to resign NOW."
You actually think a man who doesn't even head up any major committees will be some kind of major problem for the President a year from now?
I would have to assume President Obama and the Democrats are a tad more concerned with the economy, jobs and of course, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This will be a faded memory within 30 days.
G Joubert - I haven't run across any "underage girls" being part of this.
Have a link?
House Ethics Rule #1 states: A Member of the Board shall conduct him or herself at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the Board and the Office of Congressional Ethics.
Seems fairly straightforward.
windbag - "Seems fairly straightforward."
The names Vitter, Craig or Ensign ring a bell?
All seemed "fairly straightforward."
True?
If there are underage girls involved, then yes, let's have a proper investigation with proper charges.
Hey, I think the man's a total lech, but I at least want to check the laws and rules out first.
Should he resign of his own free will? Probably.
It seems the pattern Weiner used was to wait until any female posted something complimentary to his page, feed, etc., at which point he'd reply and try to hustle them along into sex-talk. The women who were quoted all noted that he was the aggressor, he wanted to escalate, etc. They were the ones who thought he was being overly risky. Does anyone think Weiner checked the "ID's" of any of those ladies? I don't. If he was "sexting" with an underage girl, he is done. Whether he knew her real age or not, his career in politics is over.
at 9:53 To paraphrase Jeremy, Duh.
then at 11:00
He could walk out the door tomorrow and it will do nothing to hide the fact that the GOP/teabaggers have no one who can beat President Obama in 2012.
This is a waste of everybody's time
Its like those State Farm commercials, just mention his name and he appears.
But the ethics committee is by design, an even split between Democrats and Republicans, with the Chair being from the majority party, yes?
I've had to rethink this, but I think Hindraker is right. Let Weiner stay and stain the Democrats with their own junk. He is their barking dog afterall, no?
Its like those State Farm commercials, just mention his name and he appears
Thats because Jeremy isn't a real person, he's someone's sockpuppet that gets trotted out so they can be an ass without consequence.
Like a good neighbor? I don't think so.
Like a good neighbor? I don't think so.
More race-baiting. Shame on you Madison man.
Alex,
More race-baiting. Shame on you Madison man.
I'm just a sailor, so I may have missed something.
How the hell is MM's comment race-baiting?
Shortly after the portion of his monologue quoted above, Limbaugh suggested that the Republicans could foil the Dems by standing down from the Ethics Cmte and allowing the Dems on the Committee to "clean their own house" so to speak, deciding amongst themselves the appropriate measure of punishment, causing any gamesmanship intended by the referral to the Cmte to backfire on the Dems.
That is exceedingly wise counsel. Thus, the Reps will undoubtedly ignore it and let their most self-righteously asinine voices carry the story forward, to an "own-goal" by them and a successful turnabout by the Dems.
if dems like pelosi are urging the GOP at ethics committee to investigate weiner, do it--BUT do so at glacial pace, then declare him not guilty in the end.
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