Weinergate Go Away

Weinergate Go Away

There is nothing else we would rather do with Wienergate than get over it! Maybe by the time this reaches print, Anthony Wiener will have resigned and we can all move on. Until then, it raises too many legal, moral, ethical and political questions, which need to be dealt with.

Anthony Wiener is one more name to be added to a growing list of political contemporaries (Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Edwards among the recently anointed) who have paid a huge price for believing their actions wouldn’t get noticed. Some people (writers, bloggers etc) even go so far as to ask “whether we should even care”. After all it’s only sex… the same battle cry we heard about President Clinton’s now famous tryst with an intern named Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office. I’m afraid too many Americans share the same sentiment when responding to sexual misconduct – ‘Whatever’... Sex is somehow a no accountability zone.

Why some in the media cannot bring themselves to admit the immoral, unethical and (in some cases) illegal actions are simply reckless and irresponsible behavior is baffling. Isn't habitual lying and abuse of power a big deal? That goes for the countless other members of a rogues gallery of leading men conducting themselves inappropriately. People seem to justify bad behavior by referring to previous bad behavior, even if it involves our much admired Founding Fathers or our beloved JFK. In their argument, the ends justify the means.

Do President Kennedy’s extra marital affairs deserve a pass because he successfully handled the Cuban Missile crisis? Does President Clinton have a license to cheat and lie, since after all, the economy was the most robust in modern times? (I tend to think our strong economy was the result of the media attention, and lawyers keeping Clinton focused on his personal struggles lest he interfere with the hi-tech boom of the 90’s … but let’s not digress).

So do Congressman Weiner’s juvenile actions with multiple women somehow slip by because a majority of his constituents and apologists give him a passing grade? It was with disbelief that I read a local writer express in print an immensely hyped up notion of Mr. Weiner turning out to be the “political savior of the 21st Century” by “being instrumental in rescuing the economy and bringing peace to the Middle East”. Mr. Weiner is merely a liberal US Congressman with a liberal district in Queens, New York, and by most accounts an unrestrained mouthpiece for the liberal Democrats. In his best day he may fit the modest description of the Mouse (or Mouth) that Roared.

These scandals, including the celebrated nature of Clinton’s lascivious legacy, indeed tell us-- in a way few events can-- where we are in our public philosophy. They reveal insights into how we view politics and power; virtue and vice; public trust; respect for the law; sexual morality and standards of personal conduct.
Many Americans (myself included) have an intuitive understanding that something is deeply troubling about this conduct and the defenses offered by certain supporters. Do we really want this caliber of elected official? Do we want our sons and daughters to equate “sexting” his private parts to unfamiliar women a pardonable offense for a US Congressman? Even the President and Democratic leaders in the House, like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are calling for him to step down, their concerns perhaps more political than moral.

If Mr. Weiner were a high ranking employee of most any company, public or private operating today, he would be fired for this conduct (many employees have been terminated for far less). It is noteworthy that our business leaders with all their ethical shortcomings may have a higher moral code than our elected government officials. Congressman Weiner needs to quit being a selfish distraction on our political discourse. There are serious and challenging issues facing our country and its citizens. Weinergate needs proper closure, not excuses.

Posted by Michael Parente at 7:29 AM Email This
BlogThis!