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A Tale Of Two Shirtless Legislators: How Anthony Weiner Is Not Another Craigslist Congressman

by Frances Martel | 7:52 pm, June 6th, 2011

» 55 comments

So here we are again, America. It seems like yesterday we had just emerged from the latest political sex scandal, but it was really way back in February 2011 that “Craigslist Congressman” Chris Lee‘s career ended nearly before it began thanks to his decision to solicit sex from a stranger on the internet, but that scandal has already been eclipsed by Rep. Anthony Weiner‘s surprisingly cut chest. How the media and the public reacted to both can serve as a scale on which to evaluate the forgiveness each is willing to give a fallen public servant.

Rep. Weiner, who finally laid the mystery to rest of how a photo of his aroused body appeared on his Twitter account today by admitting that he had, in fact, tweeted it, and engaged in several inappropriate relations with young women, has declared he isn’t resigning– nor is he getting a divorce. All this occurred merely hours ago, after a week of combative interviews and what he has admitted to be outright lying– not the best frame in which the story could rest for him. In contrast, his colleague, also from the state of New York, openly admitted to the Craigslist exchanges being his, and resigned immediately.

Neither is the first nor the last in the long list of ethically troubled public servants to face similar problems, but given their similar backgrounds and internet troubles, the naughtiness Congressmen of 2011– one Republican, one Democrats; one resigning, one remaining– serve as a neat little thought experiment on how the public reacts to their public officials when they prove to lack moral fortitude. While not exact, there does appear to be a science to public opinion regarding political sex scandals, and a metric with which to determine how the public will react to them.

Below are several large-scale factors in play when evaluating the egregiousness of a sexual trespass by a political figure:

Hypocrisy: Does your rhetoric match your behavior?

The politicians most vulnerable to their own moral shortcomings tend to have made their personal lives a public issue, either by heralding “family values” as a platform point or governing in a manner that deems some lifestyles more moral than others. Both the media and the public have made swift mincemeat of said politicians– from the Idaho Republican with the “wide stance” Larry Craig to Newt Gingrich, who was having an affair while criticizing Bill Clinton for his indiscretions with an intern.

Here Rep. Lee’s campaigning as a conservative could have prompted him to resign far quicker than a Democrat in the same situation (say, Rep. Weiner) would have, and his statement apologizing to his constituents proves indicates he knew that. Rep. Weiner, on the other hand, faces no such challenge. The point has been made several times that there is no hypocrisy in what Rep. Weiner may have been engaging in– after all, no one would describe him as a “family values conservative,” and Clinton himself officiated his wedding.

Intimacy: How private was the illicit behavior?

An affair away from the eyes and ears of the public, in forums where they are not exposed tend to be frowned upon less severely than loud, open, public ones. Public could mean both one in which a couple appears shameless in the outside world– say, former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey and his Secretary of Homeland Security boyfriend– or one in which the activity occurs in public (once again, Larry Craig is the example to follow here, who was caught in an airport bathroom and not in a bedroom.

Craigslist is about as public a forum as it gets, though Rep. Lee didn’t actually post his photo to the website like, say, Rep. Weiner did to Twitter. Even as a mistake, history shows that the media is not particularly forgiving with stupid mistakes, paramount among which is airing your dirty laundry in public.

Familiarity: How well did the politician know the other person in the scandal?

Scandals with strangers are far more insidious to the public eye than those where the people interacting have at least a cursory understanding of their personalities. This is why prostitutes are particularly frowned upon, even when hypocrisy is not a factor (take, for instance, the fall of Eliot Spitzer). Larry Craig, too, was not just a laughingstock because of hypocrisy. He was willing (allegedly) to engage in private activity with strangers.

While the story has yet not sufficiently unraveled, giving Rep. Weiner the benefit of the doubt would allow for him to have chatted with his ladies on Twitter for some time before interacting with them, even if not physically. Here Lee was far more in breach. Craigslist is a service that necessarily requires the user to engage in intimate activities with a stranger– no one goes there to find someone they know; that’s what texting is for. It took only one round of exchanges for Lee to send a shirtless photo. Scandalous as Rep. Weiner’s photos may be, there is no indication they were meant for someone with whom weiner hadn’t engendered the necessary familiarity for the photos to not be expressions of affection.

Media Friendliness: How salacious is this story after all?

Few politicians caught in embarrassing situations dare defy the press when caught, as the media is the lens through which most of the public will judge their behavior. Rep. Lee never went after Gawker for publishing their initial report. He also never really fought back; it took merely hours for him to resign. Rep. Weiner called a reporter a “jackass” and lied through his teeth before apologizing to the man who broke the story, Andrew Breitbart. While straight apologies go a long way, disrespecting the media with such dishonesty knowing the public would give him the benefit of the doubt causes nearly irreparable damage.

The Senator David Vitter Effect

Sen. Vitter has been in office since 2005. He was caught soliciting the services of prostitutes both in D.C. and his native Louisiana. One of his aides was arrested for domestic violence. He used to be a birther. He said Rachel Maddow didn’t really look like a woman anymore. He was reelected last November with 57% of the vote. He is a political mutant, for which political scientists have yet to find an explanation.

Neither Rep. Lee nor Rep. Weiner are Sen. David Vitter, so that factor instantly weighs against them. And difficult as it may be to judge what the future holds for Rep. Weiner, once a potential New York mayoral candidate, his chances of surviving depend heavily on him ingratiating himself to the media he treated so rudely and regaining the public’s trust. Rep. Lee had his rhetoric to contend with– being a Republican with social conservatism in his platform, his constituents expected him not to stray from his marriage. Rep. Weiner’s constituents, many likely being as liberal as he is, never expected the same. In exchange for such moral leniency, they also expect not to be lied to with a straight face. Rep. Weiner proved he could stare at news cameras for days and lie about something frivolous and inconsequential– how could he be expected to not do the same about issues that actually affect the people he works for? Rep. Lee never violated that oath– he told the truth, took the shame that came with it, and stepped aside. Rep. Lee never called the police on Gawker the way Rep. Weiner did on CBS. The media will be forever disinclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, and the public will be averse to believing him when he says the sky is blue. It’s a deep hole he has dug himself, but there is really only one way to climb out: heading back to the office and proving he cares about the people who hired him.

Andrew Breitbart, Anthony Weiner, chris lee, Congress, congressmen, David Vitter, eliot spitzer, inappropriate photos, Jim McGreevey, Larry Craig, politicians, Rachel Maddow, scandals, Sexting

Liberal Tormentor

What liberal media bias, eh Frannie? You’ve nothing if not predictable.
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

they are both idiots.
Lee did the right thing and resigned and went away.
Weiner lied, lied, smeared, smeared, lied, got irate, lied some more, and allowed innocent people to get trashed.

I’d say Lee comes out looking better.

nice to know that if you are a liberal you are not expected to have any morals or values, or even honor your wedding vows.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dronetek-Bulk-Vanderhuge/100000918732763 Dronetek

The spin continues!
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

they are both id io ts.
Lee did the right thing and resigned and went away.
Weiner lied, lied, smeared, smeared, lied, got irate, lied some more, and allowed innocent people to get trashed.

I’d say Lee comes out looking better.

nice to know that if you are a liberal you are not expected to have any morals or values, or even honor your wedding vows.
cjd ohio 1

i do love it when its pointed out and written that democrats have no family values……….love the defense
ModerateMan

Since when did being a Democrat allow you to be a horrible human being? Disrespecting your wife, lying to everyone, sending lewd pictures to young girls is not the platform that Democrats run on.

This is just a sick excuse by liberals who have an inferiority complex towards the imaginary moral values that they project on Republicans.
timzank

ModerateMan said:
Since when did being a Democrat allow you to be a horrible human being?

Since the late 60′spretty much.
http://constitutionallibertarian.co.cc DavidKramer

Oh well, there was once a really dumb defendant. He thought he would use the media slanted argument for his defense. He was charged with murder and his defense was that other people committed murder before, so he should be found not guilty.

Tell me Frances, do you think he was set free?

The twisted fallacies that media creates, to me, is almost as fascinating as watching a Jerry Springer show. Both arenas have about as much logic as a two 2 year olds fighting over a single toy.

Oblivious.
Nacho

FM said:
Hypocrisy: Does your rhetoric match your behavior?

The politicians most vulnerable to their own moral shortcomings tend to have made their personal lives a public issue, either by heralding “family values” as a platform point or governing in a manner that deems some lifestyles more moral than others.”

I absolutely agree with this
Nacho

sarainitaly said:
nice to know that if you are a liberal you are not expected to have any morals or values, or even honor your wedding vows.

I wonder if Sarah Palin could tell us how many of our founding fathers had mistresses.
kit9

Francis ‘Poli Sci’ Martel, Gingrich never went after Clinton on personal moral grounds over Lewinsky. In fact, he conspicuously never went after Clinton on personal moral grounds over Lewinsky. For someone who has touted their precious, not at all easy to get Poli Sci degree to bash others over their political ignorance, I’d expect you to know that. Gingrich limited his criticism of Clinton in the Lewinsky affair to the issue of lying under oath, etc. But, he NEVER attacked Clinton on personal moral grounds.
timzank

Nacho said:
I wonder if Sarah Palin could tell us how many of our founding fathers had mistresses.

Why would it matter if she could answer that question? Would it somehow make it ok then? I understand your world is different than mine, if I were to have an affair, my wife would leave me, yours would take pics, right?
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kit9 said:
Francis ‘Poli Sci’ Martel, Gingrich never went after Clinton on personal moral grounds over Lewinsky. In fact, he conspicuously never went after Clinton on personal moral grounds over Lewinsky. For someone who has touted their precious, not at all easy to get Poli Sci degree to bash others over their political ignorance, I’d expect you to know that. Gingrich limited his criticism of Clinton in the Lewinsky affair to the issue of lying under oath, etc. But, he NEVER attacked Clinton on personal moral grounds.

Frances Martel was 3 years old when Clinton was elected. I doubt she remembers the administration in perfect detail.
IIWII

timzank said:
Since the late 60’spretty much.

Hippy era…..
IIWII

Nacho said:
I wonder if Sarah Palin could tell us how many of our founding fathers had mistresses.

Wow… where in all this did Palin come up??????? Fixated much??????? Interersting how you try to score points when you are not even in the right game. Like kicking a soccer ball across home plate……
IIWII

sarainitaly said:
they are both id io ts.
Lee did the right thing and resigned and went away.
Weiner lied, lied, smeared, smeared, lied, got irate, lied some more, and allowed innocent people to get trashed.

I’d say Lee comes out looking better.

nice to know that if you are a liberal you are not expected to have any morals or values, or even honor your wedding vows.

Yep… Lee at least worked on his biceps and shoulders…. Weiner seems to be fixated on boo…obs…
OxyCon

“This is a Twitter hoax prank that was done. I’m the victim of it.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/flashback-weiners-web-lies-13776485
OxyCon

timzank said:
Since the late 60’spretty much.

You can say that again!
OxyCon

Democratic insiders: Weiner’s chances of survival are slim

Many of New York insiders contacted by The Huffington Post thought Weiner might revive himself, but only if there wasn’t another graphic or lurid chapter to the scandal. That might be overly hopeful, they added, predicting a slow drip of damaging revelations that could last all summer in New York’s already heated media market.

“He lied. He carried on a deception for a week in the national media,” said one influential and disgusted New York Democratic operative. “He should be hounded out of office.”

A fellow lawmaker was also pessimistic about Weiner’s survival. “I don’t think so,” the legislator said of the congressman maintaining his post. “I think the leadership has already turned on him.”…

“How is he going to raise money? Who in the delegation is going to campaign with him?” one New York Democrat wondered, noting that Representative Lee resigned over less…

On top of that, one New York lawmaker noted that the state is about to go through a redistricting of House seats in which it will lose two districts. There would be little incentive to protect a disgraced Weiner in a district that was not drawn to protect minority voting rights.
Nacho

IIWII said:
Wow… where in all this did Palin come up??????? Fixated much??????? Interersting how you try to score points when you are not even in the right game. Like kicking a soccer ball across home plate……

Isn’t it a bit early for you to be hitting the fire water all ready.

It was more of a joke to sarahinitaly, she got the point.
Jaurez

Nacho said:
I wonder if Sarah Palin could tell us how many of our founding fathers had mistresses.

I wonder if you’re a flaming troll?
Jaurez

Nacho said:
she got the point.

Really? I missed that part.
Nacho

Jaurez said:
Really? I missed that part.

Yes, I believe she more intelligent than you.
Nacho

timzank said:
Why would it matter if she could answer that question? Would it somehow make it ok then? I understand your world is different than mine, if I were to have an affair, my wife would leave me, yours would take pics, right?

Read the article, It’s about politicians and the standards that the public hold them to.

I don’t care what you and your wife do or if the founding fathers approve. My Palin comment was directed at sarahinitaly, if you wish to chime it, at least understand the context in which it was said.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Treacher/542957672 Jim Treacher

You can’t be a hypocrite if you don’t have any standards, right, Frances?
Bunker

I wonder if Frances would use his “hypocrisy standard” to demand that Dems who cheat on taxes step down.
Repubs want lower taxes so they should be able to cheat on what they give the goverment night-and-day.
Dems want higher taxes “FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!” so every time they park a boat in another state to avoid paying taxes, or lie about owning, or use Turbo Tax mistake excuses- they are being huge hypocrites.
Frances, have you asked for any Dem that cheats on taxes to step down?
If not perhaps Frances step down from his job due to his own “hypocrisy standard”?

IMHO it is much easier to use the “scumbag standard” and hope all the scumbags leave public office.
IIWII

Nacho said:
Isn’t it a bit early for you to be hitting the fire water all ready.

It was more of a joke to sarahinitaly, she got the point.

Only a few people on this site know my history/situation…”firewater” seems a bit racist…. sooooooooo, you are posting under an alias……….. go figure… libs never want to been seen in full light.
Jaurez

Nacho said:
Yes, I believe she more intelligent than you.

Prove that she “got the point” troll. She didn’t even respond, socky.
Nacho

IIWII said:
Only a few people on this site know my history/situation…”firewater” seems a bit racist…. sooooooooo, you are posting under an alias……….. go figure… libs never want to been seen in full light.

I imagine only a few people that you can remember. I’ve noticed you bring it up a few times, maybe it was the booze that makes you forget. I’m not judging, it was just a joke.

I’m already using an anonymous name, I don’t get the point of using multiple.
IIWII

Nacho said:
I imagine only a few people that you can remember. I’ve noticed you bring it up a few times, maybe it was the booze that makes you forget. I’m not judging, it was just a joke.

I’m already using an anonymous name, I don’t get the point of using multiple.

I have only brought it up a few times……….. and you seem to be fixated over that. Why do you hate Natives?????? “Firewater”…. nice……….. great liberal thought there, buddy………… and you and yours claim you are for the downtrodden. “Firewater”………. says all that needs to be said about you. “Firewater”….. I walk away shaking my head in your shame………………… my students will love this post of yours. Will give them something solid to make their life decisions on….. “Firewater”……………………………..
IIWII

Nacho said:
I imagine only a few people that you can remember. I’ve noticed you bring it up a few times, maybe it was the booze that makes you forget. I’m not judging, it was just a joke.

I’m already using an anonymous name, I don’t get the point of using multiple.

“Firewater”……. still amazes me there are people in this country who think that way………… “Firewater”…………………………………………………………………….
IIWII

Nacho said:
it was just a joke.

Joke???????????????? You think it is funny what I am doing??? A “JOKE”??? I make my life worth while teaching on a reservation and you think it is all a “joke”????????????????????? Explain how your use of a stereotype is a “joke”??????????????? Again…… “Firewater”….. this is 2011……… get a clue….
Nacho

Uh, oh, somebody call the lighthorse. We’ve might have a candidate for the next episode of Cops. Please do not take it out on your old lady.
IIWII

Nacho said:
Uh, oh, somebody call the lighthorse. We’ve might have a candidate for the next episode of Cops. Please do not take it out on your old lady.

You are joking again???? Stereotyping………….. “Cops”?????? Why do you hate those who live a life less than yours?????????? Wife beating???? You really do not know when to shutup, do you?????? Nice life…first “firewater” now wife beating… such compassion…… keep typing and show the world how compassionate and understanding you really are.
IIWII

Nacho said:
Uh, oh, somebody call the lighthorse. We’ve might have a candidate for the next episode of Cops. Please do not take it out on your old lady.

For all who follow this thread let it be known by previous posts (in her own words) Nacho is a racist (firewater) and an elitist (Cops… wife beating)…….and maybe more… she may reply to this… keep tunned….
IIWII

Nacho wrote:
We’ve might have
noticed you bring it up a few times
hitting the fire water all ready
she more intelligent than you

I am sorry. You are not an American… your English screams that…..
I am sorry I picked on you… you have a disadvantage… you cannot speak/type English
in a coherent manner
Again…. I apologize… I thought I was discoursing with an educated person……..
Nacho

I mainly implied that you were drunk, again…

I have no proof, but you are kinda losin’ it, chief.
IIWII

Nacho said:
I mainly implied that you were drunk, again…

I have no proof, but you are kinda losin’ it, chief.

“chief”???? again with the Native slurs…………………. “chief” “firewater”… what next????? Squaw??????????

unbelievable……….

and I am not drunk “again”…… I am “drunk” still…………

“firewater”……. unbelievable…………………. get back to 1847………………..
Nacho

I think you’re a fake because you didn’t pick up on lighthorse.
IIWII

As in Henry “Lighthorse” Lee????? or any of other multiple Lighthorses’?????? I think you are even less than a fake because your English really blowz and you have a pechant for slurring Natives….. racist.
Nacho

IIWII said:
and I am not drunk “again”…… I am “drunk” still…………

nice
IIWII

Nacho said:
I think you’re a fake because you didn’t pick up on lighthorse.

Or did you mean the Light Horse cavalry????????? Either way, your use of the language puts me at a disadvantage… see, I am Anerican and speak American english…. I am baffled as to what you are typing/speaking. Sorry ma’am……………. I just cannot understand most of your posts… too “non” English…
IIWII

Nacho said:
nice

Kekekekekeke…. I have my moments…………..lolololololol…..
tigerprez

Classic stuff, Frances. Since Democrats never say they aren’t dirtbags, we shouldn’t care when they act like them. I’m sure that would hold up in court.

By that same logic, I would assume the left should drop any claims against Republicans for being “anti-poor” or “anti-entitlement,” since they never campaigned on being champions of the poor or for bolstering government programs. Right? Or does the logic only work when excusing what Democrats do?
X-3

RE: Vitter. The soliciting prostitutes was a definite no-no. What one of his staffers may have been involved in is politically motivated slander and totally inconsequential. Opining that Mz. Maddow “no longer looks like a woman” is probably the greatest compliment he could have paid to her because I don’t think Mz. Maddow is trying to look like a woman. That he “used to be” a birther is more politically motivated slander. A lot of people “used to be” one thing or another but, with enlightenment and maturity, they change.

RE: Weiner vs. Lee. Here is yet another in a long list of examples showing the differences between conservatives and liberals.
Nacho

Campaigning on nonlegal “christian family values” is different than policies.

My guess is many democratic legislators voted to raise their own taxes and have voted against the tax loopholes that they themselves take. Just like most Republicans vote against healthcare when they themselves take it from the people. With the exception of (R) Rep Joe Walsh, who claimed he would not take his fed healthcare plan.
Longuerdo

Rep. Lee had his rhetoric to contend with– being a Republican with social conservatism in his platform, his constituents expected him not to stray from his marriage. Rep. Weiner’s constituents, many likely being as liberal as he is, never expected the same. In exchange for such moral leniency, they also expect not to be lied to with a straight face.

Lighten up, Frances. Seriously, I’m a liberal, it doesn’t mean I’m OK with a public official cheating – virtually or physically – on their spouse. About the only thing that’s true about your above statement is that Republicans make their version of individual morality a part of their platform and claim that it gives them an edge over Democrats. Of course that bites them in the behind when they don’t live up to their own standards. But suggesting that Democrats have “lower” standards insinuates something untrue and unfair. Some liberals will shrug off Weiner’s conduct. Most won’t. That doesn’t mean they won’t vote for him, but it’s not because they have lower standards. It’s because they didn’t hire him to be Huma Abedin’s non-horndog husband. So his failing in that area is not a reflection on his qualification for office. But his truthfulness is an issue and he’ll have a lot more trouble due to his lies than his online relationships.
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

Jaurez said:
Really? I missed that part.

i didn’t get it either….
Just4thefax

Fact: Republican shamed the party and fell on the sword and quit. Weiner just did a Weiner and says so what.
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http://www.facebook.com/people/Sue-Di/1479230071 Sue Di

This is just so ridiculous, so vacuous, so un-compelling, so weak as to prove you have “no leg to stand on”. RESIGN, WEINER!!!
valkyrie101

We have one shirtless congressman engaging in phone sex, and sexting his stuff in consensual relationships sitting in front of a computer screen. The other shirtless congressman is soliciting actual in person sex on-line, apparently not for the first time. I’m sorry, but those two situations are completely different.
mbs

You know, I kind of expect my elected representative, whether he is Republican or Democrat, whether he espouses family values or is a swinging single, to NOT send dirty pictures to strange women and engage in phone sex from his congressional office. Maybe that’s just me.
valkyrie101

mbs said:
You know, I kind of expect my elected representative, whether he is Republican or Democrat, whether he espouses family values or is a swinging single, to NOT send dirty pictures to strange women and engage in phone sex from his congressional office. Maybe that’s just me.

If you live in his district you can complain by voting him out of office. Otherwise, everyone gets their jollies some way, unfortunately for weiner, his way is on public display. If Bill had only engaged in phone sex he would not have had a Lewinsky problem.