There are only a very small handful of Democratic politicians who have really disappointed me to the point of anger in my life. The first was Bill Clinton. This was a man who had the potential to do so very much to help promote Democratic ideals and policies. Yet, at the pinnacle of his power, he engaged in sexual dalliances, got busted, and completely wasted any chance he had to take things to the next level.
Next up is John Edwards. Edwards, though I didn’t support him in the 2008 Democratic primary, was a man I respected. He really seemed to care for the American “underclass”. When he spoke of “Two Americas”, it resonated with me and gave me hope that he would help provide leadership that could bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. And then he cheated on his cancer-striken wife and lied about it for years.
And, now, this week Anthony Weiner. Congressman Weiner is a man that embodies so many of the things I adore about the Progressive movement. He’s spot-on with his politics, has a great sense of humor and seemed to be on roll pushing back against Republicans.
And then he fucking tweeted pictures of his junk to young women. Seriously, dude, what the fuck? Why on earth did you ever in a million years think anything good could come of something like that? You said you did it as a joke. Congressman, you are a man with tremendous power. When you do something like that, you are using your power in a sexual situation and that, in my book, is very, very close to sexual harassment. I don’t give a damn if the girl in question is okay with it, you are using power in a sexual way and that is offensive and nearly rape.
slugbol over at Reddit Politics might have put it best: Goddamit Weiner! You were one of the best reps the left had, and you pull this shit? Fuck you. Seriously. Fuck. You.
And, besides, girls don’t actually want to see your junk, asshole. Colorado is the Shiznit over at Daily Kos has an epic rant about this called An Open Letter to Men Everywhere.
STOP TAKING PICTURES OF YOUR DICKS AND SENDING THEM TO PEOPLE!I mean, Jesus H. Christ for breakfast, when the hell are you ever gonna learn?! Will this “Weinergate” thing finally teach you? Any gay man or straight woman accustomed to internet dating has been the unfortunate recipient of the dreaded cock shot. And I am totally cool with you taking pictures of your junk and sending them to your boyfriend or your girlfriend or your partner or your “roommate” or whatever, but with someone you just met?
Really? REALLY?! Hey! Wanna see a photo of my belly button lint, too?!
Why the fucking hell would you do stupid shit like that? I am honestly curious because, no matter how many times we tell you not to, you go ahead and do it anyway and then your penis winds up going viral and suddenly people are clamoring to find out what you know and when you knew it.
Seriously, what is your damage with this?! Speaking only for myself here, dicks are kind of
uglyweird. And I do admit to being turned on by them on occasion and stuff, but only after I actually know the guy who has the penis. I don’t just immediately want to sleep with a penis because it’s a penis. I want to sleep with a man I like, who just so happens to have a penis.I don’t see two eyes, a nose, and a mouth on some random cock and get all hot and bothered. Just doesn’t do it for me.
So. Regardless of whether or not it’s Rep. Anthony Weiner’s schlong in the gray underwear, let this be the final lesson to you all. FUCKING QUIT THAT!
I knew something was up last week when Weiner wouldn’t go on record definitively saying the lewd picture wasn’t of him and his junk. That made it very clear he was hiding something. And, in this case, the cover-up isn’t worse than the crime. What he did is so goddam sexist I want to scream. This is a power trip. This is a man getting so stoned on his own power that he thinks he can do and anything and is invincible. Want to know something you will never see?
- Barbara Boxer tweeting upskirt shots to an 18-year old boy.
- Amy Klobuchar emailing crotch shots to a 17-year old boy.
- Hillary Clinton sexting with a college boy.
- Nancy Pelosi hitting on young female pages on Capitol Hill
Why? Because women don’t succumb to the power they have and use it to dominate others sexually. That is a male-dominated sport. It’s pathetic. It’s weak. And it’s embarrassing to the vast majority of men like me who don’t.
Anthony Weiner: you disgust me.
UPDATE: I’ve gotten a bit of pushback about my statement that this is “nearly rape”. Make no mistake, I do NOT take rape lightly. I’ve dated a girlfriend who was raped by another guy while I was dating her. A woman who was like a second mother to me was raped. I have far, far too many very close female friends and acquaintances who went through that trauma.
I will defend my statement by saying that rape is not a sexual act. It is a display of power and violence in the context of sex. It is most often a display of power by a powerful man over a less-powerful woman (though not always, of course.) Rep. Weiner’s actions, whether they were received consensually or not, were a display of power. He is, by definition, as a Congressman, powerful. With that power comes the responsibility to use it wisely, ethically and with good judgment. Weiner used his power unwisely, unethically and with exceedingly poor judgment and he used it to take advantage of women with far less power.
If this is the level of his judgment, he’s not fit for office. I don’t give a damn if he considered it “flirting”. I don’t give a damn if he thought it was “part of a joke”. I don’t give a damn if the women involved enjoyed it. At the end of the day, he used his power against women in a sexual context. That is sexual harassment and, in my opinion, very close to rape, sans the violence.
UPDATE 2: Consider me schooled. I’ve had enough feedback from this site and others to understand that comparing Weiner’s actions to “near rape” is offensive to some and I do understand why. I still contend that this was a display of male power in a sexual situation and that makes it sexual harassment. However, I concur, it’s inaccurate (and very possibly insensitive) to compare it to “near rape”. I apologize to anyone who was offended by what I wrote.
