Finally, Congressman Weiner started down the right road. He acknowledged that he had lied to the press and that he had sent pictures to not one but six different women. So this is a place to begin, where does he go from here?
My suggestion is that Congessman Weiner resign. His fellow New Yorker (Christopher Lee) did when he sent pictures of himself to a woman. The irony is that Weiner was one of those who demanded that Lee resign. Reminds me about the old saw, "those who live in glass houses, should not throw stones."
Minority leader, Representative Nancy Pilosi, has started an ethics investigation to find out if there have been any violations of law. Did he use government provided cell phones, computers, office space to conduct his twitters? Did he do it on "government time?" Of course he did. He thought that he was above the law and could do anything, anywhere.
The major difference between Weiner and Lee is that Lee was a Republican and his fellow party members asked him to resign and he did. Democrats do not do that to their own. They will continue to support him as they did Barney Frank when it was discovered that his partner was running a prostituion ring out of his house. It will be very interesting to see how this evolves but I am not so sure that he will resign.
My suggestion is that all who read this blog should write their Congressmen/women and demand that Weiner resign. If they get thousands of emails with this demand, they might decide to do the right thing and have Weiner become a regular citizen again.
Here is what I wrote my Congressman last night:
My suggestion is that Congessman Weiner resign. His fellow New Yorker (Christopher Lee) did when he sent pictures of himself to a woman. The irony is that Weiner was one of those who demanded that Lee resign. Reminds me about the old saw, "those who live in glass houses, should not throw stones."
Minority leader, Representative Nancy Pilosi, has started an ethics investigation to find out if there have been any violations of law. Did he use government provided cell phones, computers, office space to conduct his twitters? Did he do it on "government time?" Of course he did. He thought that he was above the law and could do anything, anywhere.
The major difference between Weiner and Lee is that Lee was a Republican and his fellow party members asked him to resign and he did. Democrats do not do that to their own. They will continue to support him as they did Barney Frank when it was discovered that his partner was running a prostituion ring out of his house. It will be very interesting to see how this evolves but I am not so sure that he will resign.
My suggestion is that all who read this blog should write their Congressmen/women and demand that Weiner resign. If they get thousands of emails with this demand, they might decide to do the right thing and have Weiner become a regular citizen again.
Here is what I wrote my Congressman last night:
Representative Peters,
It is time for Representative Weiner to resign. He has sullied the honor of the House by lying to the public. Not only did he twitter x-rated material to unsuspecting females but then denied it for several days.
The former occupant of NY 26 did something similar and resigned. It is time that Weiner follow suit.
I hope you agree and will encourage your fellow Representative to do the right thing.
Tom
Will you join me and demand that Weiner resign? If you do not agree, please explain.
Rather than writing Congress to pressure for a resignation, I would suggest a different approach. Need to keep this event alive as long as possible to keep reminding people how corrupt some of these people are. I recommend pressure be put on Nancy Pilosi to keep her stated commitment to have the cleanest congress ever and deal with this issue herself. That would keep it in the news and show just how wishy washy the Democratics can be. I would like to see this issue still in the news up to November 2012. It would be ideal if Weiner would be running again in that election cycle. It would be a message to independents to stay away from Democrats, and give support to a more conservative government wants the country back on the track that our Founding Fathers started us on.
ReplyDeleteI rarely write letters to Congress, but I agree that all these guys should resign as soon as they are caught.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever write letters to urge resignation of Republicans? Mark Foley? Larry Craig? David Vitter? John Ensign? Just curious.
Ensign stayed in the Senate for two years after his scandal, and Vitter is still in the Senate. What they did was worse than what Weiner did. Their offenses were not only unethical but also illegal.
--David
I am an unapologetic punisher of all people who do bad. No Representative, Senator, Mayor or other elected "representative" should avoid the shame of resignation should they commit a crime. I have and will continue to view all crimes thorugh the same filter and act accordingly.
ReplyDeleteI think that what made Weiner's crime worse is his denials--fabricated false denials. If someone does something wrong--face up to it and face it like a man/woman. This is what will sink John Edwards.
You did not answer my question. Did you write letters urging those Republicans I named to resign? Like Weiner, they all professed innocence when they were caught.
ReplyDelete--David
David, of course as I have written letters as I view all crimes "through the same filter."
ReplyDeleteHave you written letters to the editor or taken any other action against those with whom you do not agree? I hope so.
If I wrote letters against everything I disapprove, that is all I'd get done! But I do write to my representatives on the big issues, or call their offices.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that you wrote letters asking Foley, Vitter, Ensign, and Craig to resign. There should not be a double standard.
--David
Unfortunately,unless they find that Wiener used governmental devices to send these messages and pictures, I don't believe he's committed any crime, and can't be forced to resign. Look at Spitzer, JFK, Clinton, Sanford, schwarzenegger, etc....so many of them pull stunts like this and not a thing is done to them. Clinton, FOR ONE, should've been kicked out of office. He flat out lied to everyone, the courts and the american people on public TV. I'm surpised to see that they're actually trying to do something to Edwards.
ReplyDeleteDavid Vitter paid for sex, which is illegal in DC. Weiner took x-rated photos of himself and sent them to women.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who wants government out of private citizens lives, you certainly seem to have interest in what he did as a private citizen. If he used government time or resources, let him be punished accordingly. Let the people who actually LIVE in his district decide his fate.
-R
R, yes, I believe in the private citizen should be left alone, however, Weiner is not. First, he is a Congressman who demanded that Christopher Lee resign from NY 26 when he sent pictures of his chest to a woman. My point about people in glass houses should apply here.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, he denied sending the pictures to anyone in his press conference, an outright lie. At the same time he accused others of hacking his twitter account, another fabrication to which he has admitted.
Thirdly, he coached one of the women to lie about the situation telling her to deny ever knowing him and having never received any emails--that is conspiracy.
Fourth, I would bet that he used government equipment and did twittering during the time he should have been representing his electorate.
And lastly, being a Congressman/Congresswoman should require a higher standard of behavior. They are our representatives and with that should we not demand that for the benefits they receive from us, that they conduct themselves in honorable ways.
If you or I in our jobs did the same things that Weiner is "alleged" to have done, we would be fired. So why should he also?
He should be gone and sooner better than later, which is exactly what many Democrats are saying.
Of course, I have a friend who wants Weiner to stay around so that the Republicans can hang his "ethics" around the Democratic Party. I just want him gone.