Over the weekend I said that I suspect this will not end well for Congressman Weiner. I still think I’m right. Rep.Weiner stands accused of sending a lewd picture to a young girl via Twitter. He says he didn’t do it. At first his office said his Twitter account was “hacked.” Now he says it was all a “prank.” This is an important change in language because to claim his account was hacked is to claim he was a victim of a crime. Meanwhile a prank is something he can wave away.
Meanwhile, the Left has been all over the place. They seem torn between wanting this all to go away and wanting to pin it on Andrew Breitbart or some other conservatives to be named later. That’s a problem because Breitbart et al. seem perfectly happy to have an investigation.
Meanwhile, the only person who wants to let the story die is Weiner, which suggests he’s the one who has done something wrong or knows something he doesn’t want others to know. Even some at Daily Kos realize this is a problem. And while the MSM seems perfectly inclined to follow Weiner’s lead, there are just too many other outlets that will not let go of the story.
I honestly have no idea what happened, but I do know that Anthony Weiner is exactly the kind of Democrat who would sensationalize a story like this if the politician involved was a Republican. And you can be sure the press wouldn’t have to be dragged kicking and screaming to cover it.
I don’t think this is a colossal scandal, but the selective standards of the MSM drive me crazy. Recall that the NY-26 race we’ve just finished analyzing was a result of the fact that a sitting congressman had to resign because he sent a picture of himself without shirt to a woman on Craigslist. In 2006, Nancy Pelosi used Mark Foley’s scandal to help win back the Congress.
And what if Weiner’s innocent and this is a dirty trick by some right-wingers? Don’t we need to know that? Shouldn’t they be exposed? (You know what I mean! Do you people have any idea how hard it is not to pepper this post with double entendre?)
At minimum, it seems to me that if the Left wants to claim Weiner was set up, then they are honor bound to support a full investigation.
"Honor bound"? Where have you been?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSomehow the phrases "left" and "honor bound" don't ring true together.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI am leaning towards believing it was a fake, due to reading EileenB's comment here:
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That's good evidence of a subtle use of Photoshop to make it look as though the photo was on Weiner's yFrog account when it really never was.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"if the politician involved WERE a Republican."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe obstreperous Weiner has finally, um, overextended himself.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse(Rim shot)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo sympathy here for Weiner. He is the single most annoying man on capitol Hill (Wasserman-Schultz heads up the women).
"Prank"? That's an interesting explanation. I suspect he'll blame a staffer. It reminds me of "alphabetical snafu" during the Clinton FileGate scandal.
"Honor bound"? The only time anyone on the left feels "honor bound" is from inside Hefner's mansion.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"I am leaning towards believing it was a fake, due to reading EileenB"
Weiner says he was hacked... why would a photoshop be needed?
You have to pick, was there a photoshop or was there a hacker? It can't be both.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"That's good evidence of a subtle use of Photoshop to make it look as though the photo was on Weiner's yFrog account when it really never was."
Nice try.
Just get the good Congressman to call in the FBI and give a second opinion on Eileen B's analysis and we'll all believe.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseEvery time a Dem is caught like this and the media and Congress, et al , ignore it conservatives always ask the same question: "What if it was a Republican?", and we all know that there would be Congressional hearings and special reports on CNN, ad nauseum.
I am not sure this is so hypocritical. The Dems embrace this sort of activity and work to make sure it is covered by free speech, or preferences, of something that is wrapped in the Constitution. Republicans this sort of behaviour is wrong, so when they get caught they are the ones being hypocritical. In our post modern world, values and standards are individual choices, so this sort of thing may not be wrong for the individual the Democrat because their value system has this sort of latitude. Republicans have a more uniform standard, so can objectively be broken. Libertarians, who probably account for almost half the Republicans these days, would agree with the Democrats on this.
I say Weiner will get a justifiable pass.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@ Greetings Earthling
Ironic Surrealism blog has probably the most detailed accounts of this whole mess, including:
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Remember Palin's email hack? That guy went to jail. But for some reason El Wein-o doesn't think it's such a big deal that his Twitter account was hacked. What a gracious man.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt's pretty damning that Weiner, as the supposed victim, not only has neglected to report this purported "hack"/"prank" to the proper authorities (FBI, Capitol Police) but has actually lawyered up.
These are the actions of a guilty man.
Weiner knows that if he actually opens an investigation he's only going to incriminate himself and, aside from the scandal of sending a lewd photo to a young girl, face criminal charges for filing a false report. His only hope for survival is to ride this out without having to substantiate his hack/prank claims, and so far the MSM is obliging him.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseEsquire: How do you know this hasn't been reported to law enforcement?
Saying that anyone who gets a lawyer is guilty is patent nonsense and baseless wishful thinking.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNo, my dim-witted liberal friend, not "anyone." But someone who casts purports to be a victim, yes. There are no legal repercussions attendant to being an innocent victim of a crime that require one to consult with a lawyer prior to contacting authorities to report that crime - unless the self-asserted "victim" has something to hide.
And how do we know Weiner hasn't reported the incident to the authorities? Because they've told us so.
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Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou keep saying he hasn't reported it. Do you know this for a fact?
Just FYI...it was a young woman, not a young girl. She is 21, I believe.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs of yesterday, CNN reported that neither the FBI nor the Capitol Police were conducting an investigation. Since those two would be the relevant agencies conducting one, yes, its safe to say there is no ongoing police investigation here.
Meanwhile Weiner, who happens to be a lawyer himself, has shut his mouth about this, refusing to say ANYTHING else about the incident, and has gone so far as to retain legal counsel to "explore what comes next".
Seems pretty plain that hiding behind counsel and shutting your mouth is something you do when you want to hide the truth, not find it.
As to the eventual outcome here, sending a picture of your covered junk to some co-ed is relatively small potatoes. Embarrassing, yes, but not actually a crime, and no abuse of power was involved. Couple that with the fact that Weiner represents a strong majority Democrat precinct in NY, and he probably won't lose his seat over this.
Most probable "worst case" scenario for Weiner is that this incident gets some true national coverage, and by partially humiliating him, checks his political ambitions a bit. Weiner has tried to run for NYC mayor, and he is (or at least was) certainly angling for another run.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOooh, dark&dank. In the tank with a crank prank- how rank. How to thank? Take it to the bank- walk the plank(&sank).
Watch your Y's an W's, and fill in a blank.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWeiner, who seems destined to live up to his name, should be frank about whether he was hot-doggin' it, or whether the whole thing was just cooked up to BBQ his political career. While Weiner may not relish what The Onion may do with this story, hoping it will just go away will just not cut the mustard; for after the long weekend, even the Lamestream Media is liable to 'Ketchup' on every strange detail.
True or not, it certainly is a Memorial story.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Weiner, who seems destined to live up to his name, should be frank about whether he was hot-doggin' it...
...even the Lamestream Media is liable to 'Ketchup' on every strange detail."
-man, get me an ambulance.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBravo - well played, sir.
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