Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt He'll just be replaced by another lying politician. And you know what? The new representative will probably lie about something far more important than sexting.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt It didn't take long for the Republicans to start baring their teeth: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/anthony-weiner-campaign-contributions-republicans_n_872648.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...648.html</a> Yep. He's done for. Why don't we ask all the Republicans who lied about their campaign promises last November to resign? The hypocrisy is practically unbearable. Maybe I'm naive, but I can't fathom why anyone would want to run for political office. The response to this mess is far worse than the lies that were told.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I don't think the press should go digging around looking for scandal in every politicians life, but when behavior so clearly immoral becomes known the guy should do the decent thing and resign. And yes, I believe cheating on a spouse is immoral, no matter what the circumstances.
Originally Posted By ecdc I just don't think it's as simple as "Why would anyone lie?" There's a whole body of research on lying and guess what...we all do it. Even the most conservative estimates say the average person lies once a day, with others saying it's more like five times a day. Sure, it's not usually about an affair or a murder or embezzlement, but we do lie. And we do so in compartmentalized ways. A person who lies to his wife about whether those pants make her look fat can be completely honest in his plumbing business. People may get comfortable lying in one particular area (say...cheating) but not lie in others. Turns out we can also be pretty hypocritical. We might attack someone for something they do when we do something very similar, but we perceive it as different. This is the messy truth of the human experience. I think we just tend to want to be understood but struggle to understand others. None of us are consistent in our emotions or behavior but we expect everyone else - especially those in the public eye, to do just that. I get that cheating is serious business and I'm not condoning it. Again, I'm no Don Juan so I admit it's hard for me to understand why someone chooses to do this. Regardless, I dislike attempts to categorize what is usually complex human emotions and behavior into neat groups of right and wrong, virtuous and villainous, even if I ultimately conclude they were foolish. Mind, that's all separate from whether or not he should resign, and I've heard some persuasive arguments today that perhaps it's for the best if he stepped down. But regardless, I won't be shaking my head in disgust if he does.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder I guess it's all a matter of how low one is willing to lower their standards then. Mine don't go this low. The man's dishonest, and that's not a hard call to make at all.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Few things in this world are that cut and dry. There are degrees of dishonesty.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "Few things in this world are that cut and dry. There are degrees of dishonesty." Oh brother. That's like being a little bit pregnant. "Degrees of dishonesty". Hmmm. Nope, sorry, not buying it here. He lied. Period.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 I just read that Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin(?) is a long time aide to Hillary Clinton. I have to imagine the conversations between those two have been pretty interesting these days.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>I guess it's all a matter of how low one is willing to lower their standards then. Mine don't go this low. The man's dishonest, and that's not a hard call to make at all.<< There's no reason to make it personal by suggesting some of us have low standards. I'm acknowledging the complexity of the human experience. Again, I never said he wasn't dishonest or even that he should be exempt or not resign. You've lied in your lifetime. I have in mine. Hopefully not about stuff like this. Yes, there are degrees to honesty; it's nothing like "a little pregnant."
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I'll be honest. If it were me in that situation I likely would have lied about it last week. Then, when it became apparent that it was all going to spill out I likely would have admitted it just as he did. I don't know this guy from Adam but I think he needs to focus on family. And, to do that I think he should resign immediately and take the spotlight off himself and his wife. I think that is the only way the marriage lasts unless it is just a marriage for political purposes...not that we haven't seen any of THOSE before. To me it comes down to what is more important; his ego or his family?
Originally Posted By Labuda ""Few things in this world are that cut and dry. There are degrees of dishonesty." Oh brother. That's like being a little bit pregnant. "Degrees of dishonesty". Hmmm. Nope, sorry, not buying it here. He lied. Period." That reminds me of words of wisdom that are listed on FB as one of my favorite quotes... and there I credit the originally speaker, 2oony: Facts don't generally have two sides.
Originally Posted By ecdc But what facts are in dispute here? I can't think of any. There's no question whether or not he did it, whether or not he lied, or whether or not he should've done it. I see no disagreement over that. All I've argued is that these quick condemnations and "He's a liar, the end," strike me as overly simplistic to who a person really is. Someone can be a liar in one area of their life and honest in another. Anthony Weiner can be a fool on Twitter and cheat on his wife and be right about politics and fight for his constituents. That's a separate issue from whether or not he can now be effective...he probably can't be, and that's his fault. My brother lied for years about a heroin addiction. His choices, lying, and behavior were a complex experience that can't be summed up as "he lied, the end." Every single person on these boards has lied. I'd bet every one of us has, at some point, said something or done something in our private lives we're not proud of and would do differently if we could. Given that reality, I do not understand the vindictive lack of compassion when a public figure finds their private mistakes thrust in the spotlight.
Originally Posted By Labuda Well, for ME, I see this as Weiner cheated. Yeah, maybe not in deed, but he sure as hell did in thought. FOr that, I have MASSIVE issues with him, but I also do not think he should have to lose his job just because he is a poopiehead in his personal life.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 ^^^ Would you apply that to any politician who did the same thing regardless of party.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 But he didn't until it was too late. He insulted all of us, thinking we'd buy into the lies, as if we are as stupid as he is, and that's where he finally loses me, and where he should lose everyone else as well. I'm tired of employing a slippery slope when judging politicians. His type should not be wanted or accepted, because if we don't insist on it we'll never know where to draw the line. No more compromises, we're better than that. --- Amen to the entire post-- we deserve better and need to demand it.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "There's no reason to make it personal by suggesting some of us have low standards. I'm acknowledging the complexity of the human experience. Again, I never said he wasn't dishonest or even that he should be exempt or not resign." It's only personal if you take it that way. I was only addressing why I feel the way I do.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder I'll say this- If Weiner was single and did this, got caught, admitted, there might be a thread of 20-25 posts Single, caught, lied, admitted, 40-50 posts Married, caught, admitted, 40-50 posts Married, caught, lied, admitted, here we are.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder And not a Congressman when this happened? Who's Anthony Weiner?
