The RNC covered $2,000 in expenses for an evening at Voyeur, a West Hollywood bondage-themed club with topless strippers and waitresses.
Republicans living in glass brothels shouldn't cast stones at lewd tweets
By Leo Kapakos, NY Political Buzz Examiner
June 8th, 2011 5:59 am ET
It’s the second day of Congressman Anthony Weiner’s confession and there are still no signs of actual sex that we know of or laws that were broken. Moreover, millions of New Yorkers still appreciate the congressman for his political skills and his battles on the House floor for his constituents including the passionate plea for the 9/11 families. According to NY1-Marist Poll released Tuesday 51% of New Yorkers believed Weiner should stay in Congress; 30% said he should step down. Almost one in five, 18%, said they were unsure. The findings were a little clearer on the 2013 mayoral race, in which Weiner had been expected to run. About 56% said they would prefer if Weiner stayed out of the election; one in four, 25%, said he should run anyway. Nineteen percent said they were unsure.
So, it appears that more than half of New Yorkers polled believe that Rep. Anthony Weiner, who has apologized for electronically sending inappropriate pictures and messages to six women, should stay in the House of Representatives, but even more want him to skip a bid to become mayor. His own party however shamefully has not come out in his defense. Even MSNBC’s progressive talking head Ed Schultz surprised many on the left by calling for Weiner to “step aside.” Even after Schultz took the same poll as noted above and found that "71%" of his viewers "do not" want Weiner to resign. The MSNBC commentator’s main gripe is that Weiner “lied for days.” Well here’s a newsflash for Mr. Schultz, most if not all participants caught in sex scandals are inclined to lie about it at first and try to cover it up if necessary. For that matter politicians “lie” every day. However, the reason Congressman Weiner's constituents remain supportive is that they realize there is a difference between a lie over a “personal” matter and a lie over weapons of mass destruction or healthcare costs.
The congressman appears to have no plans to resign nor should he. The next few months however will be challenging ones. He is facing a congressional probe by the House Ethics Committee (as they investigate whether “Weiner used government computers and phones” for his personal digital dalliances as if Chris Christie going to ball games in government helicopters is any different) and he is already the target of right-wing media types. Rush Limbaugh predictably took the opportunity to paint the Democrats as the “culture of corruption, the culture of erection.” Sean Hannity called for Weiner to resign and couldn’t wait to interview 26-year-old tweeter Megan Broussard who received the lewd photos. Hannity who likes to play America’s morality cop referred to Broussard as a young "girl" and Weiner as the “older man” (“old enough to be her father”) as if tweeter Broussard is not an adult who “consensually” participat*ed in the sexting. I guess in Sean Hannity’s world if a 26-year-ol*d female is a "girl," adolescenc*e must kick in at around 30. When does a woman reach the age of consent over at Fox News, when she is no longer the victim of those evil older men?
In addition to right-wing media, GOP House Majority leader Eric Cantor has called for Weiner’s resignation. In a statement he said, “I don’t condone his activity, I think he should resign.” Keep in mind that this is the same Eric Cantor who was asked in July 2009 by Fox News' Chris Wallace if “Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford should resign after admitting to an extramarital affair and using state funds for a trip to Argentina to visit his mistress?" Cantor said, “Well in the instance of the people of South Carolina -- it is up to them.” So “it’s up to them” -- the voters in South Carolina in the case of Sanford, but Weiner should resign? By the way, did we mention that Sanford also "lied" to cover his getaway with the mistress, saying he was hiking on the Appalachian trails. Eric Cantor and not a single Republican said that Sanford should resign.
So this writer along with most fair-minded Americans are growing tired of the hypocrisy coming from the "family values" Republican Party as if we have suddenly forgotten:
Pete Sessions (R-TX) who held fundraisers at a strip club in Vegas called Forty Deuce.
The RNC using party funds to pay rich, young Republican donors to attend an evening at Voyeur, a West Hollywood bondage-themed club with topless strippers and waitresses.
Republican Senator David Vitter who was re-elected and remains a U.S. senator after his number showed up on a list of the "D.C. Madam" who owned a high-end house of prostitution.
If the Republicans are going to be consistent, why are they not asking for David Vitter’s resignation – isn’t soliciting a prostitute illegal?
At the end of the day, what we have here – Republican hypocrisy withstanding – are cases of personal foibles on both the left and right. Politics shouldn’t be about personal foibles -- it should be about an elected official’s performance in office. Assuming there were no laws broken these type of personal scandals should be left to the voters. Moreover, if every CEO, banker, athlete and politician resigned for every sex or “sexting” scandal that was made public, virtually millions of office buildings and sports arenas throughout the country would be empty.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Republicans living in glass brothels shouldn’t cast stones at lewd tweets - New York Political Buzz | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/political-bu...#ixzz1Ok45ne3P
Comment