This last week, I think I've seen more of Anthony Weiner's genitalia than I have of my own. There is, alas, a powerful argument out there that he oughta go away because we all can't stop talking about this. It's like his big sin is giving us an issue that's dominating the press and news-like programming and he has to fall on his sword (no penile reference intended) so we can get on to other matters. I don't think that's a good argument but it's powerful.
A much better one is this: He represents New York's 9th congressional district. They hired him. They oughta be the ones to decide if they want him out of the job. Right now, polls say that by a wide margin, they'd like him to stay on…but of course, that's a poll, not a real vote and it's conducted with no alternative. Supposing the choice was "You can have Weiner or you can have this other guy who is identical on the issues but doesn't have this scandal eroding his effectiveness and causing you to question his judgment." Offered that, a lot of Weiner backers would probably throw him overboard. Or what if the likely replacement was like Michele Bachmann but without that strong tether to reality? They might keep him even if he started robbing convenience stores.
Keith Olbermann had an interesting idea: Weiner ought to resign, then run for his seat in the special election that would be called. The trouble with that of course is that it wouldn't be an election about anything of substance. It would be Weiner running on a platform of "I'm sorry…I'll never photograph my crotch again" competing with a slate of candidates whose platform would be "Well, I've never photographed my crotch."
I suspect this "seeking therapy on how to become a better husband" routine won't change anything and that he'll quit, disappear for a while and then come back as some sort of broadcaster. I tweeted that Current TV oughta grab him for the slot after Olbermann's, not that I expect that to happen but I'll bet he'd be good at it. My sense is that Weiner was a lot more effective at arguing on newstalk shows than he ever was at getting things done in Congress. Maybe TV is a better venue for him. It certainly is for most people who like to expose themselves, one way or the other. Eventually, down the line, he might well get back into public service, possibly running for Mayor of New York. The worst interpretation of his transgressions doesn't fare too poorly when weighed against some who've held that position.
I think the moralizing bothers me more than anything he's said to have done, especially when it comes from folks who had no problem with David Vitter or John Ensign. It also bothers me that so many folks seem to feel we have a right to see all the photos and read all the correspondence in a private consensual exchange between adults. Years ago, Larry Flynt was offering to write some pretty large checks to anyone who could come up with dirt on Senators and Congressfolks, especially Republicans. It didn't matter how you got it. You could have hidden a camera in their bathrooms or broken into their homes and stolen their diaries. If it embarrassed some public official, Larry had money for you. Andrew Breitbart is just Larry Flynt without the budget.
The main reason I'm thinking Anthony Weiner should go away is because he was foolish. After all the politicans who've been caught doing this kind of stuff, he did this kind of stuff. He must have realized what his political foes would do if they ever got their mitts on it. He did it anyway. I still think his constituents oughta decide if he remains in office but if I were one of them and I felt his seat would be filled by someone good, I'd kick him outta there…but it would not be for moral transgressions. It would be for being stupid.