This is Not About Anthony Weiner, Part II

This is my second blog which is not about Congressman Anthony Weiner.  The truth is, while I think he is a weasel, an embarrassment to what should be a sober and august body, and a singularly unattractive man (I like men on the beefy side—think Sean Connery, not Daniel Craig), his behavior is not my biggest problem.  This little squirrel seems to have some serious emotional baggage (not that obsessive narcissism is going to be cured by two weeks of spa treatment called rehab), but even that is not my biggest problem.   Even the fact that it would take less than an hour with Dr. Phil to figure out why this twit needs fawning females to wax rapturous over his equally waxed little body, is not my problem.   No, Anthony’s emotional bald spots aren’t my biggest problem. 

My problem is the seeming lack of parity between how the Republicans and the Democrats react to the weasels in their own party.  Quite frankly, I think the Republicans, while taking the high road, have left the Democrats laughing up their sleeves.  Sure, Pelosi is assuming a posture of righteous indignation, but she’s not doing anything.  That seems to be the historic response of Democrats to their own miscreants.   Why not?  They get to say the right thing, count on voters to have short attention spans, and leave the actual retribution to Republicans who routinely thin their ranks by culling out the fools. 

Here are a few comparisons:

Exhibit A:  Texting lewd photos.  Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY) resigned on orders from Speaker of the house Boener after he was found to send topless photos over the internet Versus Rep. Anthony Weiner  (D-NY) who is exposing himself but former speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was not her job to ask for his resignation.

 Exhibit B:  Use of a prostitute.  Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) was found to have solicited a female prostitute but did stay in Congress (no pun intended)  Versus  Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) admitted to using the services of a male prostitute and remains on the job.
           
Exhibit C: Fathering children with a mistress.   Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) Schwarzenegger has provided continuous privately funded support for the child and his mother.  He is also described by friends of the family as humiliated and embarrassed.  Far from causing problems for his wife, he is evaluating all decisions from the point of view making amends to his wife.  Versus    Gov. John Edwards (D-NC)  Edwards was evidently furious with the judge for ruling that some of his testimony would be made public and decided to take it out on his former mistress, Rielle Hunter.  He called her an idiot for not destroying a sex tape, and making a fool of him by talking him into making it.

Exhibit D:  Breaking the rules.  Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) was pressured to resign after his involvement with prostitutes.  Versus  Charlie Rangel (D-NY) censured on a  9-1 vote by the House for ethics violations and money manipulation and is still hanging around, thumbing his nose at Congressmen who play by the rules. 
 
Exhibit E:  Comparing party attitudes toward the guilty.  Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) resigned and was later censured by the South Carolina Republican committee for his behavior when it was revealed that he had an affair with an Argentine woman.  Versus William Jefferson (D-LA) who was sentenced to 13 years for corruption and bribery.  When he was first indicted, he was re-elected by constituents who were thinking God knows what and Pelosi said he could even keep his committee chairmanship.  That cozy relationship lasted until he was incarcerated or lost his next election, whichever came first.

 Exhibit F:  The big kahuna.  Nixon resigned after his impeachment because leading Republicans in the Senate came to him and told him he had to go or they would find him guilty.  Versus No such group met with Clinton after his impeachment.  Knowing his guilt, they chose to ignore it.

So my real problem is that Republicans have a documented history of intolerance toward bad behavior that is costing them seats from the Presidency on down.  I don’t know how I feel about that but I do know this:  You show me a politician with a sound understanding of the economy, a realistic foreign policy and a sense of social justice, and I won’t care if he screws sheep.   

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