Wow. Just.....well, wow. I don't think anyone really sees the other side here. A few do, but many just don't.
For the last couple of weeks, the liberal blogosphere and the counterpart TV pundits who cater to it have kept the same feedback loop going ad infinitum. It's based on the premise that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) should not resign, since the likes of David Vitter still hold office despite admitted sexual escapades and marital infidelity. To make matters worse, it's these hypocritical conservatives who have pushed so-called family values as a basis for their legislative efforts, even though they violate those same values on a personal level when no one's looking.
Is there an integrity gap there? Absolutely. Should Vitter be held to the same standard that the GOP pundits are maintaining for Weiner? Yes, he should.
But here's the unfortunate reality: he won't be held to that standard. Not by anyone. Not today, tomorrow, next week, when he's up for re-election...never. If so, it would have happened by now, but it hasn't, so let it go. Just because a Democratic congressman got caught with his pants down doesn't mean that we can retroactively go back three years and force Vitter to fall on his sword along with Weiner. Honestly, do you think that you'll see that happen in our lifetimes? Don't hold your breath.
And yes, there's also the fact that Chris Lee (a.k.a. the "Craigslist Congressman") from the same state of New York was caught posting his shirtless pic on an ad for that site, leading to his very hasty resignation. But here comes my main point about why I think Weiner should resign. It's because unlike Weiner, Lee didn't go to such dramatic lengths to try and save his ass before realizing that he would never win against such damning proof. Sure, he gave the phony "someone hacked my Blackberry" excuse at first, but then he was out the door in a flash. Even Vitter came forward when Larry Flynt connected him with the DC madam instead of trying to deflect it as a false allegation.
Weiner, on the other hand, went overboard and insisted that he was being set up. He vehemently denied sending lewd photos, and lambasted those who alleged that he was doing so. He exclaimed to donors that he was the latest victim of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" via an attack on his character and reputation. He also insisted to that same group that "everything would be fine."
And guess what? You all fell for it. Hook, line and sinker. Some of you even went out of your way to take that fervor and devise examples of how Weiner's Twitter and yfrog accounts could have been hacked. Some even showed how the underwear photo could have been faked and perhaps tagged to someone other than the originator. You agreed that he was just another Breitbart target, or by some anonymous dude on Twitter with a Weiner complex. And Weiner himself did the rounds on TV, telling those same liberal pundits that he was being unfairly targeted and that he would even go so far as to seek legal action to stop this kind of slander and blackmail.
Then, the other shoe dropped and the truth came out.
Look, I'd hate to admit that a Democrat isn't worthy of their office when their GOP counterparts get a free pass on their side of the aisle. We obviously try to hold our elected officials to higher standards than their "family values" based reps and Senators. But do you know what's even more wrong and humiliating? When we hold ourselves to a different standard. When we decide that someone who blatantly lied to us when he could have come clean a lot sooner is still worthy of our trust despite a breach this considerable. One other Kos user (who I was unfortunately not able to locate or source) summed it up well in a recent diary with this statement:
"It's not OK for a Democrat"
Anthony Weiner should not resign because of the sexual nature of his behavior, or the fact that others who did have actual sexual contact in an inappropriate manner still have a job. It's because he lied to the country. He lied to his pregnant wife. He lied to his constituents. He lied to those who spent time and effort to help clear his name. And he lied to you. Even though we all had faith in him that he was telling us the truth the whole time, until he was forced to do nothing else but recant.
This isn't the first Kos diary recommending that Weiner should resign. But at this point, the continuing focus on "Weinergate" will do nothing positive for anyone but corporate media and conservatives. It will continue to dominate the news cycle when we have more pressing matters, and it will bring down the morale of the Democratic party at a time when we face a tough election in 2012. And mind you, we haven't even seen the revelations that may surface if an ethics investigation is launched and new allegations (such as the recent one about the 17-year-old girl) are uncovered. That may be why Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Nancy Pelosi are raising their respective red flags right now, because they see the damage risk. Even if no wrongdoing or ethics violations are found, do we really need that kind of distraction right now?
By insisting that Weiner not resign, we're doing the exact same thing that neocon bloggers did in Vitter's defense back in 2007. How does that make us any better? Instead of doing what the GOP does by propping up the Foleys, Ensigns and Vitters of the world, let's at least show that we can recognize a lack of integrity when we see it and hold ourselves to it.
8:30 AM PT: UPDATE: Thanks for all the rec's and comments. Just to reiterate, I don't care about what he did privately. But once it's made public and it contradicts his claims, it's no longer a private matter. And it's also not about just lying, it's about the indignant attempts to conceal the truth.
10:21 AM PT: UPDATE: Looks like new photos of Weiner posing in the House gym have surfaced, including ones in the buff. Again, it's not illegal and has nothing to do with his job, but it illustrates my point that the longer these almost daily distractions last, the worse it will get.
8:01 PM PT: UPDATE: It appears that some time in rehab and even more Democrats calling for his resignation has Weiner now considering that very prospect.