This will not be a lengthy column. It will be relatively straightforward. I dislike hypocrites. It is that simple. I come close to hating them; but since I try not to hate anyone or anything, I don’t quite get there. As long as Anthony Weiner hasn’t broken any criminal laws then he shouldn’t succumb to the pressures being mounted on him to resign right now. The overwhelming majority of people calling for his resignation are hypocrites. And I am talking about both Republicans and Democrats (especially the spineless Democrats).
Let me deal with the republicans first. I will simply drop these names on you: Vitter, Gingrich, Ensign, Craig, Fossella, DeLay, Bruno and Sanford. All these men did things that are measurably (at least) twenty times worse than what Weiner did. In general, the repugnicans stood behind them in lockstep. John McCain was caught up in a brouhaha over money stolen from banks in the “Savings and Loans” scandals: he went on to become their nominee in the last presidential elections. I could list scores of republicans who actually broke the law in very visible ways, and their party stood up with them from day one.
Which republican adamantly, openly and publicly called for Spiro Agnew’s resignation in early 1973? I cannot remember any.
Relative to democrats -in this recent Weiner imbroglio- we can already see a bunch of cowards running for the exits. Democrats are willing to let one of their strongest voices on Capitol Hill be silenced over what amounts to silly-stuff. And we (as democrats) wonder why republicans get away with the crap they get away with daily.
Any democrat who refused to call for the resignation of Bill Clinton, Charles Rangel, David Paterson, Kevin Parker and Assembly member Adam Clayton Powell (just to name a few) has no moral right to call for the resignation of Anthony Weiner. It is that simple. What these folks did was twenty times worse than what Tony did.
When I recently saw Ed Schultz -on MSNBC- calling for Weiner’s resignation I almost puked. This is the same Ed Schultz who vociferously defended Bill Clinton’s lawbreaking in the White House. Even today, too many democrats fail to understand that they surrendered the moral high ground, by refusing to demand Bill Clinton’s resignation over the Paula Jones- Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Bill Clinton broke the law many times over in that sordid series of events. And yet you still have democrats -even today- saying he should have never been impeached. The man perjured himself (more than once). The man suborned perjury. The man tried to orchestrate a cover-up of his wrong-doings. Don’t you remember when he wagged his finger and told the whole world:”I never had relations with that woman”? Well, he lied to billions of people in that very public moment.
With all that as a backdrop, tell me why democrats are now singling out Anthony Wiener’s puerile attempts at a cover-up to his teenage-type-behavior? Bill Clinton hurt women over and over (from Ms. Flowers onwards). Hilary Clinton -as intelligent and competent an elected as she has demonstrated- enabled her husband from jump street. Before he even became governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton was doing his doggie-dirt. Tony Weiner’s stuff doesn’t even match-up. An overwhelming majority of democrats closed ranks behind Bill Clinton: from Arkansas, to pre-New Hampshire primary days, to the White House, and all the way to the end of his tenure as president. Now some of these same people are hypocritically calling for Weiner’s head: gimme a friggin break.
It has been fifteen years since the 1996 presidential election and I still get ribbed by friends (democrats) who are pissed that I refused to vote for Bill Clinton that year. I voted for Ralph Nader instead. My values, principles, ideals and integrity wouldn’t let me vote for Clinton. And as I have stated many times here: I have never regretted the times I voted for Ralph Nader (1996, 2000 and 2004) for president. I never will.
Right here in New York, we have hypocritical elected officials who sleep with their chief-of staffs. Some make kids with them; some eventually marry them. We have electeds who have sexual relations with their campaign managers and other staffers. We have those who traverse the red-light districts from Albany back to their home districts, while sexually covering both sides of the gender tracks. We had a senator who once had his wife, one of his interns, plus his mistress all pregnant during the same gestation cycle.
In this city and state, we have generally had a bunch of prolific crooks in office since Adam was a friggin boy; and we have done very little about fixing this. Now, suddenly -relative to Tony’s mistakes- we are demanding the moral high ground. Look, everything I have written here can be verified by the most of the big political players of this city and state. They know the ones who commit adultery as often as they go to the john. They know the ones who are on the “down-low”. They know the ones who are even more kinky and freaky than Tony. We have those who put drugs in women’s drinks in order to render them vulnerable to their advances.
Tony’s stuff is mild stuff compared to what’s happening out there in NY’s politics. So a few women out there in internet-land, now has naked pictures of his erect wiener: whoop-dee-damn-do. Let’s allow his wife to go upside his head a few times so he could grow up finally. Let them get some marriage-counseling in trying to keep their marriage together. And let’s get Tony a psychologist -to speak to- who can try to figure out what in his childhood, led to this level of stupidity.
Let’s also let the ethics committee investigate before we render final-verdicts. Nancy Pelosi should be ashamed of herself for throwing Tony under the proverbial bus. What has she publicly said about Charlie Rangel? He was censured by the House of Representatives. He broke the law (more than one count): so too did Kevin Parker.
If you ever go to some of these “gentlemen’s clubs” on a weekend -or try getting into some of the gay bars in the village too- you will be surprised to see who some of the patrons are. Yes; many of your supposedly “classy” electeds officials frequent these joints. I know because many of my sources tell me so: and some of my political sources are stuck in the mire(s) too. The secrets are well kept because too many people involved in politics here have dirt all over their bodies and under their fingernails.
There are operatives who love to attack me for the many races I have lost as candidate, technician, operative or consultant; and you know what: I am fine losing many races over the years; since what has posed a quality-electeds is nothing but fraudulence. I will take Anthony Weiner over near all the electeds in this city and state -with very few exceptions. Even with his warts and his semi-kinky self, Anthony Weiner is more effective than most electeds. Republicans want to still this man’s voice because they know how effective he is. Democrats who want him gone are just stupid, hypocritical, contradictory or player-hating.
Anthony needs to just ride this one out. He needs to hire a new team aimed at rehabbing his image etcetera. He shouldn’t go to the big name consulting companies, because he should recruit people who genuinely respect and care about him. He needs new advisors: and I have said this many times before. He needs to dispense with some of his arrogance too. I truly wish him luck. Let his constituents vote him out if they think his behavior was so horrible as some are making it.
Stay tuned-in folks.