Oh Boy... Here We Go (Just Now): 'Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Anthony Weiner Should Resign'

[WillyT]

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/11/debbie-wasserman-schultz-anthony-weiner_n_875402.html

:beer:

:smoke:

:banghead:

:shrug:

[HipChick]

1. "Let's examine the private internet use of all DC politicians

I bet we will have a good time sorting out the wreckage."

[spanone]

2. that's it dems....circle the wagons then shoot the weiner

let's do all we can as democrats to satisfy the puritanical needs of our friends the republicans....who know nothing about sex scandals

[WillyT]

3. Pelosi Too...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also issued a statement urging the embattled lawmaker to step down and seek "help without the pressures of being a Member of Congress."

Same article.

[Little Star]

8. I wonder what made Pelosi change her mind. Late yesterday..

she was all about "let his constituents decide if he should go". She must know something the rest of us don't know yet.

[emilyg]

25. Probably the 17 year old girl.

[Liberal Veteran]

29. AFAIK, no one has suggested any inappropriate contact with the 17 yo.

I sent racy letters to my boyfriend when he was overseas, I also sent my underage niece a card and letter congratulating her on finishing high school.

Does it follow I had inappropriate contact with my niece?

[FBaggins]

31. If you had sent pornographic photos to someone OTHER than our GF too...

... I wouldn't want you to have ANY correspondence with my daughter.

[Liberal Veteran]

34. You'd be in complete agreement with my brother.

He would prefer I have no contact with his children because I am gay (and didn't bother to tell them I even existed until they were in their teens) because everyone knows that "teh gay is contagious".

Never mind that my brother slept with my 1st cousin's fiance and divorced his wife after 12 years and that I celebrated my 20th anniversary with my husband this year.

So who is in the wrong?

[FBaggins]

35. So you equate being gay with immoral behavior?

Sounds like just how the right wing characterizes "you people".

I celebrated my 20th anniversary with my husband this year.

Congratulations... but sorry... which is it? Are you a committed spouse who is no threat to my child... or a pervert who sends lewd pictures to several people he's never met when he's committed to someone else?

See how simple it is? The answer to that question makes the answer to your last one obvious. If it's the former you can "friend" my daughter (whether you're gay or straight). If it's the later than you can't (again regardless of orientation).

[Liberal Veteran]

39. I've known people who are in an open relationship.

Essentially, what you are saying is that cybersex with an adult female is somehow conflated with non-sexual related chat with a minor.

I don't buy that.

The example I gave you was to show you that just because the medium of communication was the same (letters in my case, internet in the case of Weiner), that it doesn't logically follow that one has anything to do with the other.

It's like saying if someone had phone sex, they can't talk to anyone else on the phone without it being sexual or suspect.

Do you understand that?

[FBaggins]

42. Actually yes, it's very much like that.

If someone has had phone sex with someone other than their spouse (while married)... part of regaining that trust is that they don't have private phone calls with anyone behind their spouse's back.

Yes again... if Weiner has shown a pattern of hitting on much younger women with lewd photos sent through social networking... then he should have no such contact with ANY potential victim. There is no evidence that he can separate a friendly relationship with one that could become sexual in nature. Something cause Pelosi to shift from saying that he could stay to saying that he should resign. What do you think it is?

Lastly, yeah... I'll "own" that prejudice too. If you're in a committed same-gender relationship I don't have any moral objection to you being around my kids. If, OTOH, you're in a "wide open" relationship (again, regardless of orientation) then I don't want you around my kids. Not because you might be a predator (though I now have no faith that Weiner isn't), but because that doesn't fit the moral example I want to set for my kids. Would you begrudge me that ability to parent?

[Liberal Veteran]

44. I wouldn't begrudge you that, but would you assume my every email and tweet was sexual?

And that really is the issue here.

That's at three times on this board within the last couple of hours, I've heard someone bring up the fact that he tweeted with a 17 year old when there is absolutely no reason to think it was related to his cybersexing with an adult female.

By bringing it up, it implies that something improper happened with the minor.

It's not logical and it's plays directly into the kind of thinking that the right would like to spin: He had cybersex with an adult using twitter (or whatever). He also tweeted with a minor. Therefore, we should suspect he was trying to have cybersex with a minor.

That's just wrongheaded thinking and beneath us as rational human beings.

[FBaggins]

45. Yes. IF you had done this I would assume...

...that no area of your life is necessarily free from your sexual impulses. You would have crossed the line to what I would consider an unhealthy compulsion.

So I wouldn't assume that EVERY email was sexual... but I would assume that NO email relationship would be "safe" from that possibility.

I wouldn't let my daughter work in his office either... even though there is no evidence that he ever did anything improper with a coworker.

What I'm saying is that it looks like the moral circuit breaker in him is defective. I don't know whether it can be fixed or what other areas of his life are on the same circuit. But I know that he does creepy things and I know that he lies about it. So no.. I wouldn't trust him around people I care about. As you've said, we have no reason to believe that he's done some specific thing wrong... but I no longer have faith that he wouldn't.

This is what his behavior has wrought. Many people simply wont trust him.

[Liberal Veteran]

47. So Bill Clinton should have resigned as well?

You can't have it both ways without being morally inconsistent.

[FBaggins]

50. I don't know whether he should have resigned...

...but I certainly wouldn't let him near my daughters. :)

[emilyg]

37. Were these women his girlfriends? Thought he

was married.

[Liberal Veteran]

41. We don't know the boundaries he and his wife agreed upon.

I'm not so puritanical as to believe that everyone sees sexual fantasies the same way.

[FBaggins]

43. The question isn't whether you think everyone sees them the same way (or should)

it's whether you would refuse Pelosi the option of seeing it her way.

[Liberal Veteran]

46. Where was her sense of morality when Clinton was caught with Monica?

Was she standing up saying "Clinton should resign?"

No.

Her scruples seem very plastic and self-serving.

[Little Star]

4. Nancy Pelosi too..

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/11/pelosi-israel-tell-weiner-he-should-resign/

Pelosi, Wasserman Schultz, Israel tell Weiner he should resign
By: CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash


(CNN) - House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and DCCC chair Steve Israel have told Rep. Anthony Weiner he should resign.

Pelosi released the following statement Saturday:

“Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a Member of Congress.”

[krabigirl]

18. I wish pelosi, Feinstein, Reid and other corporate Dems would resign. Nt

[Botany]

5. I totally agree w/ DWS on this one.

Yes, there is a double standard but the longer this drags out the more it hurts democrats/progressives and the more it
helps republicans. Rep. Weiner has shown a shocking lack of thought in "twittering his weiner" and lying about it
time after time.

[RiverStone]

40. Yes --- in full agreement!

This needs to end ASAP and we need to get on to more compelling matters (see Wisconsin). Too bad to lose a fighter, but Weiner's arrogance did it to himself.

[underpants]

6. This is bad news for Weiner

she wouldn't be saying that if donors weren't telling her that

[sixmile]

7. If he stays, if he goes...

there must be at least ONE respectable non blackmailable Democrat in his district who can win his seat and govern effectively with integrity.

[Fla_Democrat]

9. What a buncha right wing hacks.

:eyes: :eyes:

Pelosi, Wasserman Schultz, Israel tell Weiner he should resign

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/11/pelosi-israel-tell-weiner-he-should-resign/







:smoke:

[Little Star]

10. What he did was a-ok. Those three are just pearl clutchers!

:sarcasm:

[kstewart33]

11. Texting one or more teenage girls?

Pelosi wanted him gone from day 1 of the scandal. Texting kids was the last straw IMHO, for her and Wasserman-Schultz.

The guy needs to find a new day job.

[hfojvt]

12. the mood at the precinct meeting was anti-Weiner

insofar as he was mentioned. One former State Rep (very progressive for a Kansan) made a derogatory joke about him to some laughter and one other guy, the former County Vice-Chair said that he was not donating to the DNC any more because of the Weiner issue.

[B Calm]

13. I'm sorry Debbie, but the longer this goes on, the more I support Weiner

Get a damn spine!

[EFerrari]

22. Rape, torture, election theft, sacking of the Treasury,

that they gave a pass to. A no-sex scandal, we can't have that.

What a crock.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NorthCarolina]

15. She's a conservative DLC New Dem, so why wouldn't she view this as a golden opportunity

to roust another one of those damned Liberals from Congress???

[FBaggins]

36. And Pelosi?

another DLCer?

[NorthCarolina]

49. I suspect that Pelosi

brokered the deal whereby he will take a brief "leave of absence from Congress" to attend "therapy", as opposed to calling for his outright resignation as DWS did. So to answer your question, I would say no.

[thewiseguy]

16. I think they know more than us at this point

Weiner probably was involved with some minors.

[Broderick]

17. Hate to say it

but something seems odd right now with everything, and certainly Pelosi doing a 180 is an eye opener. Guess we wait to find out if there is more.

[HipChick]

20. They are trying to prevent him from showing up Monday..

I hope he digs his heels in..

[DCBob]

21. That's what I am thinking too.

More dirt yet to be revealed.

[emilyg]

38. Probably so.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

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

[WillyT]

23. + 1,000,000,000... What You Said !!!

:yourock:

Couldn't agree more!

:hi:

[sasha031]

24. this is sad...

speechless..

[Guilded Lilly]

26. Total disappointment. Still shaking my head...

Weiner really careened downhill in my estimation of him when this all broke. One of my vocal, bold heroes of liberal politics and gutsy warring against despicable Republican conservatives fell into the gutter of really idiotic behavior. He now has fallen to the level or oh, say 70+% of all politicians. He is now as ugly/stupid/ etc as they are...with different details.

Whether he resigns or not...(and frankly I think he will be redistricted out of his job) this has now become THE item of topic in a Washington/Media world where the adults are incapable of actually addressing real problems that effect my life and the lives of everyone here, daily.

This is a *distraction* because NO ONE WILL TALK about the genuine problems. They WANT to talk about the sordid. And those who truly do want to talk about the problems get no air time.

The Republicans are never going to let this go, period, because the Republicans have no fucking ideas or agenda to solve any problems. They have no true moral ground to stand on, they just are allowed to get away with repugnant shit because they have no souls. THEY HAVE NOTHING but a driving obsession with making all the *numbers* look horrible for Obama. Period. It does not matter to them how many peoples' lives they destroy. THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT as long as Obama can have massive campaign problems. With few exceptions the media feeds on this drama.

It will make no difference in the politic wars whether Weiner steps down or not. The war will continue unabated.

The real question is, will his staying advance OUR fights? Sadly, and with great disappointment, I have serious doubts.

[TheKentuckian]

33. Fight back instead of mealmouthed rolling over.

I suggest brazen photo shops of Vitter in a diaper and let them explain it away.

Then lots of Ensign's shame ads. Make em refute and/or explain them.

Do reenactments of footsie in bathroom stalls.

Attack, attack, attack, and attack some more. Get down low and dirty and force them to wash the muck off, if they can.

You roll footage of their outright lies and call them liars without stuttering or equivocation. You do montages of their efforts, the lies told to pull them off, and their outcomes and call them traitors.

Get ugly and go for the eyes relentlessly.

[mitchtv]

27. why ? does she have a republican "friend" who wants the job

first Tim Kaine , now her, what a bunch of losers.

[MisterP]

28. he's being McKinneyed--though at least they didn't allow primary-jumping this time

[ProSense]

30. Why does

anyone think Weiner is going to buck the Democratic Party?

Remember Kuchinich's statement about defunding the Institute of Peace: Trillions for War and Now ZERO for Peace!

It was a Weiner amendment. He wrote an op-ed about it.

JASON CHAFFETZ AND ANTHONY WEINER: Small Budget Cuts Add Up

<...>

The USIP has a role to play in our modern world, but the level of taxpayer support that this private organization receives is excessive. Since 1985, taxpayers have forked over more than $720 million (inflation adjusted). That has included support for a gleaming new 150,000 square foot office building in the shadow of that other taxpayer-supported institution devoted to peace: the State Department.

President Obama has applauded recent pledges by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to eliminate billions in unnecessary defense spending, but these cuts feel like a tough sell when we're using taxpayer money to fund a private organization. Our defense and diplomatic establishment has helped promote stability for hundreds of years, and it should be the place we invest taxpayer dollars intended to further peace.

The USIP is a case study in how government waste thrives. The idea began during the Cold War as a modest proposal with $4 million in seed money. But the organization received government funding year after year essentially because it had been funded the year before—and because it had important allies. The late Sen. Ted Stevens air-dropped (via conference committee) $100 million for the USIP in 1985, despite the absence of any allocation in the spending bills already passed by the House and Senate that year.

In 2010, the USIP received $34 million in operating expenses from Congress, $17 million in transfers and reimbursements from the State Department and the Pentagon, and another $15 million from Congress for its new building. According to its own estimate, the institute expects about $54 million from taxpayers in 2011.

<...>

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

32. The same DWS who didn't support Liberal Dems for Congress in Florida to help

out her Repuke friends.

Nice.....

[wisteria]

48. Like her, disagree with her and this will keep me from giving money to the DNC. n/t