Weiner Sexting Gate Redux
07/29/2013
Should Weiner drop out of the NYC Mayoralty Race?
Perhaps there is a good reason for the term “mayoralty.” The word includes the notion of moral, but then again it may just mean royalty. Who knows? Who cares? We have all become cynical to the extent that it shouldn’t be a shock that Anthony Weiner admitted to sexting several times even after his mea culpa two years ago about sexting women while serving in the U.S. Congress. Unless you are an ostrich you know that Weiner resigned in disgrace. He was well liked by in-your-face New Yorkers who were well-represented by Weiner in Congress. Many were deeply disappointed about his sexting and abusing the trust placed in him as a representative of the people, which presumably would cover representing us in a moral way.
Fast forward to July 2013 and amazingly Weiner is caught in SextGate one more time while seeking to be the mayor of NYC. Personally, I’m not surprised. Once a creep, always a creep is my mantra with politicians. I do, however, have some specific thoughts about his actions that bring into question whether he should drop out of the race.
We must remember that Weiner’s admission came only after the sexting pictures surfaced so he is not a person of integrity. A person of integrity running for NYC mayor after a sexting scandal once that led to his resignation from Congress would have admitted to the practice a second time at the time he announced his candidacy. A person of integrity would have indicated he was seeking help for his “problem” but believed he still could contribute to the betterment of NYC. A person of integrity would have sought forgiveness (even a second time), seem genuinely remorseful (tears would help), promise not to do it again – and don’t do it again.
That Weiner is not a person of integrity is unremarkable. Show me a politician of integrity and I’ll show a scandal waiting to happen. Whether it’s misuse of one’s office, abuse of power, accepting gifts for favors, voting for a political contributor’s favored position, sexting, sexual harassment, or good old fashioned having an affair, we have come to think of our political “leaders” as having no moral compass.
No, Weiner should drop put of the race because he is incorrigible. Moreover, he is stupid and exercised poor judgment. Do the voters of NYC really want someone representing their interests with these negative characteristics? Fuhgeddaboudit New Yorkers. You deserve better. The takeaway of SextGate is that poltitical ethics is an oxymoron. As Lily Tomlin once said, "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up."
Blog posted by Steven Mintz, aka Ethics Sage, on July 29, 2013