The most amazing thing about Anthony Weiner is that he is still running for mayor of New York City despite the revelations about his tawdry behavior. Maybe he will drop out because his poll numbers have plummeted in the last few days. Maybe he already has, and I haven’t heard the news.
It is upsetting to hear the “man on the street” say that he doesn’t care about Weiner’s behavior because it is personal and has no bearing on his fitness to serve.
If a teacher or a principal did what Weiner did, they would be fired.
Imagine if he were mayor. Would he continue sending lewd photos of himself to women he never met? He would be in full charge of the schools and 1.1 million children. Would he set a high moral standard for those who work in the schools?
Weiner continues to campaign because he has no shame. He believes that a majority of voters are also shameless and will forgive him his every trespass of what we once thought was a moral code. The moral code is not law. It is a basic sense of decency.
Shame is important in a civilized society. Shame is the recognition that certain behaviors are wrong even if they are not illegal.
As for Elliott Spitzer, who resigned the governorship in disgrace after being caught patronizing prostitutes, don’t get me started! He is running for City Comptroller, a position that requires a leader of unimpeachable integrity.
New York City politics feels like a Gong Show right now.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Would he continue sending lewd photos of himself to women he never met?”
You’d be a fool to bet against it.
Love the last line.
Gong show..good one.
Dong show? I’m sorry, I can’t help myself just like Senior Danger. I hope they gong him soon and the giant hook comes out and pulls him off the stage, out the door, and into a lock down no way out serious sex addiction center and the self respect fairy smacks his wife on her head.
Reprinted from a previous post:
Pseudonym or no pseudonym, this is all so hilarious and horrible. Ultimately and permanently, it resides in the latter.
Can’t you see thousands of parents breaking down the doors to get their kids under the educational umbrella of Anthony Weiner with declarations like, “I just have to have my little Melissa and Johnny in a system where the guy in charge is sending naked photos of himself to women outside his marriage. This is a major paradigm shift that I know my child will benefit from. I am taking my kids out of Spence (a very expensive tony private school) and putting him in one of Weiner’s public or charter schools!”
This guy should be banned from being in charge of minors in the public realm. Period, end of story.
Really, it’s too bad, because when he was active in NYC poltiics, his moves and rhetoric were reasonably populist and working class.
What happened to him? Did the power go to his head? Did he get a really great calling plan?
A power house and effective former deputy superintendent of mine once said to the entire faculty of the district, “Do not engage in any behavior that you would not want on the front cover of a newspaper or that you would not want your mother to know about. That’s how you gauge what you should say and do as you continue your careers as public servants.” He was especially referring to this in the context of social media and internet. His were wise and empowering words, and he could not have been more correct.
Social media and information technology has not magnified narcissism, but they have facilitated putting one’s life up in big shiny bright lights that blink, advertising everything for everyone to see. You can make the accurate argument that it’s people who create problems and not technology. I agree with that non-negotiably. But I also think that social media, when not used for good is another kind of electronic substance abuse that potentially appeals to our base side. One simply does not have to work as hard to get and send informtation. Self absorption and its showcasing were never easier.
I am pro-public schools, and having Weiner have anything to do with them is ridiculous. I hope he drops out. It will have been one more pro-charter school/co-location and anti-local-school-control politician out of the race.
Why not just put La Ciocciolina in charge? She made it to the Italian Parliament. Or maybe we should ship Mr. Weiner off to Italy where he could possibly run for some kind of office and win, all in the presence of Berlusconi and Ms. Blond Cioccilina herself . . .
What next in the American circus of opportunity and self love? Zimmerman doing gun commercials? Spitzer lending his name to in the branding of birth control products? Lloyd Blankfein selling ceramic piggy banks that glow in the dark on QVC? Michelle Rhee selling multi-colored, mutli-cultural duct tape along on Home Shopping Network, all complete with a perky host to stand beside her, giggle a lot, and ooh- and aah at her product?
America seems to be one of the few society’s where the ruling class gets rewarded for doing the wrong thing, all in the name of forgiveness and the public’s mistaken notion of civilian-celebrity connection.
But Mr. Weiner’s attempts to be genuine won’t even work if here calls Oprah and asks for a confession/forgiveness interview. Tears, hugs, great lighting, and transfixed looks on faces of the upper middle class mostly white women in her audience. . . . nothing will work for him at this point. He has cried wolf too many times. . . . .
“…or that you would not want your mother to know about.”
I don’t think Weiner has enough shame to care what his mother knows about.
The sexting and is just the canary in the coal mine with this guy. If you talk to anyone who’s worked for Weiner, you’ll hear the stories about the yelling, the threats, the bullying, the general abuse of subordinates. He’s all ego, all about Weiner, and mean, nasty, horrible boss. It might be excusable if the public could trust him, because he was never a moralist (at least not about sex). But he’s shown that he will tell any lie. A total train wreck.
How to give corporate reform in New York City irritable bowel syndrome:
Add Diane’s name to the ballot for mayor. 😉
Funny. (I mean it) IBS – yup.
I saw an interview where Diane was asked if she would run and she said no but would be happy to consult. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? That should be a prerequisite for any candidate because of her expertise.
Sadly, referring to what Diane said about shame….a lot of people lack it. I would stick my head in a pillow. I can only imagine what is waiting to be exposed that hasn’t yet with these candidates.
The problem is his behavior is not consensual and, as such, really should be criminal. If it’s illegal to expose yourself unsolicited to a strange woman in person, why should it not be illegal to do the same over the internet, email, text message, etc.? We really need to update indecent exposure laws for the 21st century.
I was just going to write that–he sent one of these photos unsolicited. If he flashed a woman in a park, he would be committing a criminal act. Why should the internet be any different?
A Weiner exposed is a wiener exposed!
Exhibitionism for sure!
Narcissism keeps it going and going and going!
His son will grow up with these headlines. Poor kid. No place to hide.
His mother is not capable of protecting him – she supports him all the way.
Don’t forget our Highest Court, Clarence Thomas. Haven’t been able to drink out of a CokaCola can since. We are surrounded by such lowlife examples and we celebrate them more and more in reality shows. Weiner, there is an idea!?
You are right about the Code of Ethics for teachers. Whatever happened to: Moral turpitude? No, it is not a paint thinner.
Our public matters are so upside down that it is not easy bringing up children in this mess.
Per Weiner, even his wife Huma smiled/grinned during the press conference. What??
Anyone concerned about an open exhibitionist raising a child while mom fully supports him. Is this a concern for anyone else? It is mine!
As the world churns!!!
Omg,the Gong Show! Brilliant reference . Diane you are absolutely right . Now that even more of Carlos shenanigans have surfaced I think he’s done and he may be pulling Spitzer down with him .
Unfortunately, politics in general has become a Gong Show. It’s no wonder many people are so cynical about our government and don’t even bother to show up at the polls in November. “Any way you look at this you lose.”
I feel like there is a difference between having a long-standing affair (as many European politicians do, not that I am condoning them), and exposing yourself via cellphone photos to unsuspecting women, under a dumb pretend moniker like “Carlos Danger.” That’s just highly immature, reckless and plain idiotic behavior that is not suitable for any adult, let alone a leader. I just feel really sorry for his wife.
“It is upsetting to hear the “man on the street” say that he doesn’t care about Weiner’s behavior because it is personal and has no bearing on his fitness to serve.”
The general consensus in Toronto is that our mayor, Rob Ford, will probably get re-elected by his yahoo Ford Nation constituents in spite of his recent escapades as outlined in the animated video below:
Zimmerman did absolutely nothing wrong. He was the victim of anti-white racial hysteria whipped up by the media.
Jim, while this is departing from the central issues of this list serve, my understanding is that Mr. Zimmerman ignored the explicit request of the 411 dispatcher to stay away from Mr. Martin. IF he had followed that advice, Mr. Martin probably would be alive today.
Do you have a different understanding of the facts?
Zimmerman got away with murder, the trial was a farce.
“Moreover, as Alafair Burke of the Huffington Post pointed out, the defense persuaded the judge to leave this instruction out based on a misreading of the ruling in the case they cited.”
“The defense fought hard and won the exclusion of an instruction on the following clause:l
Use of force by aggressor.—The justification described in the preceding sections of this chapter is not available to a person who:
(1) Is attempting to commit, committing, or escaping after the commission of, a forcible felony; or
Initially provokes the use of force against himself or herself, unless:
(a) Such force is so great that the person reasonably believes that he or she is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that he or she has exhausted every reasonable means to escape such danger other than the use of force which is likely to cause death or great bodily harm to the assailant; or
(b) In good faith, the person withdraws from physical contact with the assailant and indicates clearly to the assailant that he or she desires to withdraw and terminate the use of force, but the assailant continues or resumes the use of force. (my emphasis)”
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/07/16/case-breibarted-justice.html
The whole thing is unbelievable. Why on earth his wife took part in the press conference is beyond me. I’m tired of seeing politician’s wives who stand behind them in press conferences. Please have the dignity to just stop defending the idiot.
While I understand everyones disgust at A.W. I also don’t get it. If he were an alcoholic and fell off the wagon, we would have a very different and more sympathetic view of his problem. And yes, based on what I know of his conduct as reported in the less than dependable media, I do think he has an addiction or compulsion problem, not that he was just thumbing his nose at everyone including his wife. The idea that this latest revelation is a second separate incident rather than the continuation of the original one is dubious at best in the context of this being a psychological issue rather than just and ethical/moral one. Addictions/compulsions are not simply a switch you can turn off. Him admitting his guilt and resigning has nothing to do with his being cured of the problem or not. The fact that he’s a politician doesn’t help the situation at all, just makes it worse since we hate and mistrust just about all of them. For me, this conduct cannot be a litmus test unless it is proven that it was all entirely volitional and not the result of some pathology. First and last, America has a problem with sex, with any and all public manifestations thereof unless it’s the objectification of women. Had this been about gambling or some other addiction the tone of the outrage would have been quite different. I am totally pissed off at Weiner (again) for giving his enemies such a boat load of stuff to use against him since he was quite capable and correct in many ways as a progressive, though the jury is still out on his positions on education reform. Failure on his part to scrap all that is Bloomberg would be a total deal killer for me. That is something to run him out of town on a rail for.
This is not “sex”.
This is a sick behavior on the part of someone who still cannot understand why it’s wrong. And it also calls into question his judgment. He lied about it the first time blaming the Right-wing media, then he lied about it again when interviewed by People magazine. Now he seems to wear it like a badge of honor.
This is degrading behavior towards women. And these are women he never met. Nor is it a “private matter”. I wouldn’t want an alcoholic running for office unless he has been in treatment for many years and not touched a drop in many years. Weiner is sick. He needs therapy and many years of it.
And don’t get me started on Spitzer. People have no idea how Stringer stood up to Mayor Moneybags and voted against all his ed reform plans. Stringer needs money to get ads on TV!!
I also heard that Spitzer’s wife is planning to divorce him after the election. Now if Huma can get her head (no pun intended) on straight because he is already blaming her for this if you heard his remark while she was speaking. What a horrid little weasel!!
Schoolgal,
Weiner is a first rate narcissist. . . . He thinks he can do anything he wants, make it public, and then figure that no one would find out, mind, or if they did, they’d forgive him.
His depth of denial is right up there Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. . . . And we see where they are right now . . .
I agree with Robert!!!!
End of story!!
No one takes one word he says with a grain of salt!!
The first step in treating alcoholism is for the addict to admit he has a problem – Weiner hasn’t taken that step. A further step is to acknowledge the harm done to others and, to the extent possible, apologize and make reparations/atonement for such harm. Weiner is a long way from that step.
Plus everything schoolgal said.
Yeah, I looked deeper into his past behavior on other matters and am retracting my defense of his pathology. In spite of his acerbic and spot on rants against the absurdities of the right while in office, the Weiner package is too high a price to pay for that. Sorry for the bad double entendre.