In July of 2011, Anthony Weiner, an extremely fit-looking congressman from New York, resigned in disgrace. After the revelation that he had been exchanging sexy text messages (including naughty pictures) with women other than his wife, Weiner had lied for more than a week in efforts to protect himself. In May 2013, less than two years after his resignation, Weiner announced his intention to run for mayor of New York City. This struck many of us as a remarkable display of chutzpah.
Now, in July 2013, he is embroiled in accusations of further sexting activity, with at least one woman to whom he is not married. Then details are unclear. Last we heard, Weiner's office had admitted that "some" of the messages were authentic; what remains to be seen is whether
Some people say, in essence, "This is between him and his wife." We disagree. The guy is a liar and a cheat. Worse than that, he seems to lack the sort of self-discipline that is required for effective, long-term leadership, especially in a high-pressure position.
Yes, it is true that many effective politicians -- FDR, Ike, JFK and LBJ make four in a row -- were less than faithful to their wives. And one takes for granted that politicians are liars as a class. Still, Weiner looks like an addict to us, a man powerless over his own compulsions. We predict that the sex scandals of a Weiner mayoralty would make those of Rudolph Giuliani's tenure pale by comparison. (And Giuliani, lest we forget, announced his divorce to the media before telling his wife, whom he then kicked out of the house.)
Even if the serendipitous combination of his name and his most famous selfie were not a joke by itself, his campaign certainly would be. Seriously, New York -- don't vote for this guy.
[P.S.: Eliot Spitzer may not be quite as compulsive as Weiner, and comptroller isn't quite as tough a job as mayor. But don't vote for him either. Unless you're a high-rent hooker, in which case this guy is your best friend.]
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