Intro: "Representative Anthony D. Weiner planned to check himself into a treatment center on Saturday after House Democratic leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, called on him to resign and suggested he needed psychiatric counseling. A spokeswoman for Mr. Weiner said he would request a leave of absence from the House and seek treatment."

Members of the news media surrounded Representative Anthony D. Weiner near his apartment in Queens on Saturday, 06/11/11. (photo: David Karp/AP)

Weiner Takes Leave, Enters Treatment Center

By Raymond Hernandez and Thomas Kaplan, The New York Times

11 June 11

epresentative Anthony D. Weiner planned to check himself into a treatment center on Saturday after House Democratic leaders, including Nancy Pelosi, called on him to resign and suggested he needed psychiatric counseling.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Weiner said he would request a leave of absence from the House and seek treatment, but provided no further details.

"Congressman Weiner departed this morning to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person," said the spokeswoman, Risa Heller. "In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well.

"Congressman Weiner takes the views of his colleagues very seriously and has determined that he needs this time to get healthy and make the best decision possible for himself, his family and his constituents."

Ms. Pelosi, the minority leader, was joined in her call for Mr. Weiner to step down by other leading Democrats, including the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida; and the leader of the House Democrats' re-election efforts, Representative Steve J. Israel of New York. Their calls underscored the growing concern that his online exchanges with women had become a distraction for the party.

"Congressman Weiner has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents, and the recognition that he needs help," Ms. Pelosi said in a statement. "I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a member of Congress."

Ms. Wasserman Schultz called Mr. Weiner's online exchanges a "sordid affair" that had become an "unacceptable distraction" for the congressman, his constituents and the House.

"The behavior he has exhibited is indefensible and Rep. Weiner's continued service in Congress is untenable," Ms. Wasserman Schultz said.

The calls by Ms. Pelosi and the other top Democrats, who issued their statements within minutes of one another Saturday afternoon, were the culmination of a tumultuous week that began when Mr. Weiner admitted to having inappropriate conversations with at least six women online, after nearly a week of denying any wrongdoing.

The officials' statements reflected the panic within Democratic circles that Mr. Weiner would return to Washington, after a weeklong Congressional recess, and bring yet another round of controversy and distraction to House Democrats.

On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Israel called Mr. Weiner, a New York Democrat, to let him know that Mr. Weiner's situation had become politically untenable and that he would be calling on him publicly to step down. On Friday, Mr. Weiner acknowledged he had exchanged at least five private messages on Twitter with a 17-year-old Delaware girl, but indicated that the messages were "neither explicit nor indecent."

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+137 # CTPatriot 2011-06-11 14:47

You have to love the way Democratic leadership scurries around like scared little mice every time Republicans go "boo!" Their willingness to sacrifice their own in order to stop Republican attacks and get out from under the media's kleg light is reminiscent of what Democrats did to ACORN and Shirley Sherrod. When the true history of this era is written, Democrats will have been every bit as responsible for their own demise and the destruction of the American dream as those who actually orchestrated it, the Republicans.

To illustrate just how ludicrous all this hand-wringing over Weiner is, remember that Republican David Vitter, who employed the services of a prostitute, and Republican Larry Craig, who diddled with other men in airport bathroom stalls, both remain in congress with full Republican support. The appropriate response by Democratic leadership to the Republicans should have been, "we'll bother ourselves with pushing Anthony Weiner to resign when you all do the same for David Vitter and Larry Craig, whose illegalities and moral failures are far worse than anything Weiner did. Until then, please shut the f*ck up and lets spend our time on the people's business."

+58 # Pelauria 2011-06-11 16:02

MOST BRILLIANT COMMENT I'VE READ IN A WHILE
Quoting CTPatriot:

You have to love the way Democratic leadership scurries around like scared little mice every time Republicans go "boo!" Their willingness to sacrifice their own in order to stop Republican attacks and get out from under the media's kleg light is reminiscent of what Democrats did to ACORN and Shirley Sherrod. When the true history of this era is written, Democrats will have been every bit as responsible for their own demise and the destruction of the American dream as those who actually orchestrated it, the Republicans.

To illustrate just how ludicrous all this hand-wringing over Weiner is, remember that Republican David Vitter, who employed the services of a prostitute, and Republican Larry Craig, who diddled with other men in airport bathroom stalls, both remain in congress with full Republican support. The appropriate response by Democratic leadership to the Republicans should have been, "we'll bother ourselves with pushing Anthony Weiner to resign when you all do the same for David Vitter and Larry Craig, whose illegalities and moral failures are far worse than anything Weiner did. Until then, please shut the f*ck up and lets spend our time on the people's business."

+19 # Mickeyfilm 2011-06-11 16:38

Brilliant comment!!!!!
\

+5 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 05:41

I think it is dangerous for us to simply blame Repubs without looking squarely in the mirror. No Republican told Weiner to do this. He has created his own undoing. In the same vein, Obama and the DNC created a mess in 2010 by totally whiffing on election strategies and totally missing the Repub tidal wave that was brewing. I hate Repub slimeball strategies, but some things, like emailing your junk around, you just have to own up to and take the heat. By the way- The Repubs are staying pretty quiet on this one. This is a Dem mess that we have to clean up ourselves

+24 # stonecutter 2011-06-11 16:52

Brilliant comment, CTPatriot, absolutely on point, and stone-cold true. The Democratic Party has become a corporate-drive n shell of what it once was, and once represented, and has had a parallel descent into irrelevance alongside the impotence of private unions and the death of Ted Kennedy.

+8 # Progressive Patriot 2011-06-11 20:40

So have the Republicans, but they just started a lot earlier and have reached the cellar sooner.

Today's Republican Party is not the party of Eisenhower, or even of Reagan. but then, the Democrats are not the party of FDR, either.

+40 # stonecutter 2011-06-11 17:01

Of course the Dems are sacrificing Weiner out in the open because all they've got to run against is the Ryan budget hogwash and kill-Medicare threat, and unless they can focus the media spotlight on that every day, the public continues to marinate in economic misery the GOP lays on Obama's lap.

It's not about what Weiner did, which is chicken pellets...it's about the legs of the story, the salacious, tabloid mindset of TV/cable media, and the distraction away from Ryan and the GOP dwarfs running for president. There's less loyalty among Dems for Weiner, who has never been a joiner in Washington, and who is not especially well-liked by his caucus, than there was for the turncoat Joe Lieberman. What a truly disgusting profession.

+6 # genierae 2011-06-12 05:34

The Republicans just gave Dems another present. They're now talking about privatizing Social Security! These people are absolutely heartless, they are psychopaths bent on destroying everything good and decent about America. People are waking up, but will they wake up in time?

+31 # jean palmer 2011-06-11 17:12

thank you for this excellent summary. The democratic so-called leadership is pathetic in their obsessive bid to kowtow to the republicans on everything to the detriment of this country, its people and everything else this country is. It's time to deal with the real business of this country - corruption on wall street, in DC, unemployment crisis, wars, death and destruction that this empire is visiting everywhere, the sick-care industry and the list goes on and on.

+26 # cabotool 2011-06-11 19:14

[quote name="CTPatriot "]I am a 75 year old male and in my life I have done several things of which I am deeply ashamed. I have apologized to my wife and daughters about my behavior and asked them to forgive me.

I have also done some exceptional things to improve our country. I sincerely believe that my terrible behavior and my good behavior are two separate subjects. I ask the public and Weiner's family to keep the two subjects separate. I am very favorably impressed that Representative Weiner has checked into a facility to look at the source of his exceptionally bad behavior. I hope his wife and his constituents will forgive him. I hope to see him continue his good work in congress.

With the Republicans, the filthy pot is calling the modestly dirty kettle black. I want to see the filthy Republicans expelled from government for what they have done and to see good men like Representative Weiner to continue his good work.

+7 # billy bob 2011-06-11 20:25

We are all capable of doing good things and bad things. You put it beautifully. Personally, I'd rather support a good person who has done good things than make it impossible for them to continue doing those things because I can't forgive the fact that they're no better than me.

+5 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 05:37

I think for regular people, you make a good point. I certainly wouldn't want to be held to past transgressions without a way to make amends and move on. The problem, however, is that I literally elected this man to represent me and my interests. His person, um, shortcomings were not only entirely avoidable, but also now get in the way of his ability to represent me, and perhaps more importantly for the Dems to focus on winning back the next elections. We should be talking Medicare right now not Weiner, and I find his distracting unprofessionali sm in the time of our country's need to be borderline inexcusable. And to be clear- I love this man's politics!

+1 # Dave W. 2011-06-12 09:45

billy bob, "Personally, I'd rather support a good person who has done good things than make it impossible for them to continue doing those things because I can't forgive the fact that they're no better than me." The Republicans "believe" that Boehner, Cantor, McConnell, Ryan, and the rest of their nefarious crew are "doing good things." That's why they forgive dirtbags like Vitter and Craig for their indiscretions. Just some food for thought. CTPatriot is the star of the post and begins his well thought out foray by castigating DEMOCRATS who, he says, "will have been every bit as responsible for their own demise and the destruction of the American dream as those who actually orchestrated it, the Republicans." When I write something of this nature I get either a NEGATIVE reaction or none at all. Genierae, who apparently has never met a Democrat she doesn't like, and has criticized me often, then states "Excellent comment, CTPatriot,Bravo !" YOUR comment ends with "because I can't forgive the fact that they're no better than me." I coach and counsel girls the SAME age (as an inner city softball coach) as our illustrious Congressman Weiner sends lewd photos to. I've done things in my life I regret like everybody else. I've NEVER considered doing ANYTHING of the nature an elected Representative of the United States Congress has done. In that respect, I AM BETTER THAN HIM! cont.

+3 # Dave W. 2011-06-12 10:18

We who call ourselves Progressives,Li berals, Democrats better come to grips with something right now. We have been, and many continue to, play with half a deck. The Republicans have outsmarted us for three decades. They are COMPLETELY united in their desire to destroy lower and middle class America and essentially create a neo-feudal state. And it's the abdication of defending New Deal and Great Society principles by DEMOCRATS that has made the Republicans aspirations now standing on the cusp of reality. I believe I may have learned more about Democrats, and why they continue to lose ground, from the Weiner incident than any other single issue I've read on RSN. And I've read and posted many hundreds of times. The Republicans are thoroughly debauched. We are thoroughly dysfunctional. Logic and truth have become a menace...TO BOTH GROUPS. We're buried up to the neck in Conservative bullshit and we're DEFENDING a MAN who plays with himself and sends pictures/tweets of it to HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS, or we're preparing for Boehner and Obama's "golf game", or reading of Pelosi's "bar bill" on her cush flights back and forth from D.C to San Fran. PRINCIPLES APPLY TO EVERYONE OR THEY APPLY TO NO ONE! END OF LINE.

+22 # Harold R. Mencher 2011-06-11 19:56

Why don't you send this comment to the DNC & to Nancy Pelosi & to Harry Reid & perhaps to Obama himself. Perhaps they'll grow a spine. But, I doubt it very much.

Unfortunately, this is no longer funny anymore. This hasn't been funny for a long time. This is a true nightmare. So what are you people going to do about it?

The Repubs are completely corrupt & arrogant, and have been for a very long time. The Dems have become completely gutless & worthless, & our court system, both at the federal & state levels, have also become completely corrupted with judges who no longer have any respect for or support the tenets of our Constitution or our Bill of Rights.

And, to top the whole thing off, we have law enforcement at all levels of our govt that have become completely militarized & brainwashed enough to protect the corrupt officials & the financial elite in this country, & who are more than willing to shoot their own citizens if necessary if we had any thoughts of rising up, & I have to include the most powerful & best trained military in the world who have access to extremely sophisticated weaponry.

Oh, & I forgot to mention one more small matter here. Our electoral system has been completely hijacked from the American people by the use of these unverifiable & fraudulent e-voting machines. Good luck people. You'll need it.

0 # rumigirl 2011-06-15 15:54

It is amazing to me that the Dems ignore the problem of the voting machines, thanks for bring it up! Does anyone believe the Repugs haven't continued corrupting the system to ensure a 2012 "win" no matter the vote? Rove miscalculated how much he needed for the win in 2008. He won't do that again. Can we get a mature attention span and stop being jerked around every 15 minutes to talk about something else that is not the real issue? How wonderful for those undermining our system when it is so easy to get the people to fight among themselves instead of joining to reclaim our democracy and our economy?

-2 # genierae 2011-06-12 05:27

Excellent comment, CTPatriot! Bravo!

+2 # John Talbutt 2011-06-12 09:05

Are any of the leaders calling for Weiner to resign more effective than he on issues? Looks like the strike out artists are telling the best hitter on the team to sit down.

+6 # KittatinyHawk 2011-06-12 12:56

Dems aren't running. What this man did was wrong, he knew it as Congressman. His private life is his own but as long as he is taking taxpayers dollars he is to act responsibly as is anyone else regardless of party.

Personally he looks better dressed. Ego is man's downfall.

+1 # fgtaylor@yahoo.com 2011-06-13 04:40

thank you! It would be great to see Democrats be this united and full of purpose on something really important. Of course, they are more worried about Republicans than they are about their base.

+1 # Bobby S 2011-06-13 08:57

Quoting CTPatriot:

You have to love the way Democratic leadership scurries around like scared little mice every time Republicans go "boo!" Their willingness to sacrifice their own in order to stop Republican attacks and get out from under the media's kleg light is reminiscent of what Democrats did to ACORN and Shirley Sherrod. When the true history of this era is written, Democrats will have been every bit as responsible for their own demise and the destruction of the American dream as those who actually orchestrated it, the Republicans.

To illustrate just how ludicrous all this hand-wringing over Weiner is, remember that Republican David Vitter, who employed the services of a prostitute, and Republican Larry Craig, who diddled with other men in airport bathroom stalls, both remain in congress with full Republican support. The appropriate response by Democratic leadership to the Republicans should have been, "we'll bother ourselves with pushing Anthony Weiner to resign when you all do the same for David Vitter and Larry Craig, whose illegalities and moral failures are far worse than anything Weiner did. Until then, please shut the f*ck up and lets spend our time on the people's business."

Bravo! So true. You should run for office

0 # Bobby S 2011-06-13 08:58

Bravo! So true. We need people like you and Anthony Weiner doing the people business. Well done.

+2 # Adoregon 2011-06-13 12:39

Righteo!
Let them all go to the Roosevelt-Kenne dy-Hart-Clinton -Guiliani-McCai n-Spitzer-Craig -Vitter-Edwards -Ad Nauseam center for sophmoronic behavior issues.

Who would want these cheats and liars representing them?

-19 # Syd 2011-06-11 15:12

Will that be long enough to make him to grow up? His actions were nothing short of being a flasher.

+31 # angelfish 2011-06-11 16:58

It seems all the women who engaged with Mr. Weiner did so WILLINGLY with NO coercion. They are ADULTS. No flesh was pressed. At least he admitted his mistake and is seeking help. The ReTHUGs admit NOTHING and go blithely on without even a blush! THEY are the true perverts!

-10 # hunkydorydecor@msn.com 2011-06-11 15:23

Well, that's one way out: claim illness. Illness of character is what it is...just like Tiger and all the rest that use this excuse.

+26 # DesignCreature 2011-06-11 15:24

He is not Paris Hilton, Jessie James or God forbid charlie Sheen. So why is he running away to hid in rehab. He needs to stand up on his hind legs and say, I messed up, let's move on. Bleep Nancy and Debbie and the rest of the cowardly Dems. This is making him look terrible and whoever is advising him should be fired.

+4 # signalfire 2011-06-12 06:31

This isn't 'messing up'. It's being repeatedly self destructive but with sexual overtones. He wanted to destroy himself. Why, who knows? But he obviously can't do the job he was hired for.

It'd be nice if the media would focus on our real problems, though, and leave this to the tabloids.

+2 # DesignCreature 2011-06-12 09:26

If he's not doing the job he was ELECTED to do, then the majority of his constituents are wrong in supporting him time and again and even now??

-6 # fredboy 2011-06-11 15:34

Unless this guy wants to set off guffaws every time he is introduced, he might also consider changing his name.

+7 # soularddave 2011-06-11 19:22

Then Boehner (boner) should change his name too. BTW, it seems strange that Boehner hasn't said d--k about Wiener.

+37 # Glen 2011-06-11 15:37

Glenn Greenwald has written an excellent article in Salon concerning this mess. I agree with him totally: the titillation is too much - the weak minded media cannot let it go, in a most self-righteous argument over very private matters that have nothing to do with anything illegal. If they spent as much time pounding away on greater matters and corruption in the government as they have judging Weiner's activities, we could give them some respect.

For the most part, they know not of what they judge. "It is the principle; not the person".

+16 # brianf 2011-06-11 15:42

Puritans....

+35 # Lucy4 2011-06-11 15:56

I want him to stand up for himself and his family. He's a normal human being who is sexually expressive but this has no affect on our daily lives and is none of our concern. Please don't let this define who you are.

+6 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 04:52

Sorry. Doesn't seem normal to me. Seems arrogant and dumb and intensely narcissistic. Do you do what he did? Does anyone you know? What goes through a person's brain when they press "send" on something like that?

+4 # Pickwicky 2011-06-12 20:27

The problem is, Lucy, it now defines who he is. And that's why people restrain themselves from doing such actions. The truth is some sexual actions do not fall within normality. You know this.

+1 # GeeRob 2011-06-13 13:43

He did stand up for himself, feebly, 2 weeks ago. Trouble was, he was lying. And the time to stand up for his family was BEFORE he sent out pictures of his genitalia.
His actions do have consequences for us. He's taken a leave of absence so now there's one less liberal voice in the House of Representatives . And last time I checked, the Republicans had a majority there.

+32 # ruth 2011-06-11 16:08

A dear friend shared the insight that while a small number of Democrats have made a name for themselves by not remaining within their trousers (ex: a past administration) , a far greater number of Repubicans are unable to keep their hands out of other people's pockets!

As we compare affronts by legislators, it's an unfortunate comment that one can ponder the fact that while Weiner
"flashed" the whole nation like a creep on the corner, Repubicans have been systematically mugging the poor for their groceries like a creep on the other corner.

+2 # Pickwicky 2011-06-12 20:23

What you say about Republicans is true, but it is irrelevant to what Weiner did. Why do people keep making these fallacy? Weiner brought on his own ruin. Comparisons are specious, useless.

The interesting aspect of this matter is why did this man endanger everything valuable to him in his life, and does such a person belong in public office? There is far more going wrong with Weiner than with "a creep on the corner." Weiner had a wonderful career, plans, ambitions, a lovely new wife, etc. Yet he hammered his self-destruct button. Frightening, no? Yes, indeed.

-11 # Underledge 2011-06-11 16:46

I wonder how those that support him would feel if he was a school teacher in their school system teaching their children? I think he would be ridden out of town on a rail. Incidentally if your arrested as a "flasher" you would be considered a sex criminal.

+8 # billy bob 2011-06-11 20:22

Do you feel the same way about Repuglican David Vitter after getting caught paying for a hooker?

Or Republican Larry Craig who got caught having gay sex in an airport bathroom?

Neither of them were run out of town on a rail, by the way. Both of them are still working with the full support of "GOD'S OWN PARTY".

Of course, neither of them were able to be the TOP headline for several days straight in the AP. For that, they would have had to be Democrats who are guilty of TALKING about sex, and having a non-sexual conversation with someone 17 years old.

I think the people who need to be run out of town on a rail are those who are willing to jump all over this rather than actually getting any work done.

+2 # xavieronassis 2011-06-12 04:17

Or, like the Repugs mentioned above just claim innocence and go on as if nothing happened at all.Quoting billy bob:

Do you feel the same way about Repuglican David Vitter after getting caught paying for a hooker?

Or Republican Larry Craig who got caught having gay sex in an airport bathroom?

Neither of them were run out of town on a rail, by the way. Both of them are still working with the full support of "GOD'S OWN PARTY".

Of course, neither of them were able to be the TOP headline for several days straight in the AP. For that, they would have had to be Democrats who are guilty of TALKING about sex, and having a non-sexual conversation with someone 17 years old.

I think the people who need to be run out of town on a rail are those who are willing to jump all over this rather than actually getting any work done.

Amen!

+2 # Pickwicky 2011-06-13 08:00

BB--everyone in their right mind disdains Vitter and Craig. The salient point here is: does the Democratic Party want to appear as seedy as the Republicans. Do we pretend Weiner is mature, in his right mind, and morally sound or do we not. Keep Weiner in the House, and we'll look as feckless as degraded, and as arrogant as the Republicans.

0 # brianf 2011-06-12 06:08

But he is not a schoolteacher, and he isn't a flasher. Why treat him like one?

+5 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 09:28

No. He's my representative to the Government, however, which has traditionally been worthy of some consideration. And certainly you could make the case that he is a digital flasher. Are there no standards by which to hold him accountable? I think there are

+24 # Mary L. Wentworth 2011-06-11 16:58

I agree with CTPAtriot. Weiner did mot have a sexual liaison with any of these women. And as far as the 17 year old goes, her parents back up Weiner when he says it was a straightforward conversation, nothing explicit, etc. Did they go after Clinton in this way? No. I say to the media and to the Democrats of which I am one, get off his back.

+7 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 04:50

Except... do you behave this way? Do your friends? Why is he emailing his junk to these women? Doesn't it show incredibly poor decision making and arrogance on his part? I dunno. I'm a true lib in true inner conflict over this. I was so proud of him, and am now so ashamed.

+5 # signalfire 2011-06-12 06:35

And WHY is he emailing a 17 year old? Is he still in high school himself? He's got a wife and a baby on the way, he's in Congress, and this is how he acts? He makes Bush look smart.

+13 # ParityFanatic 2011-06-11 17:01

Glad to see Congressman Weiner is seeking professional help. A leave of absence will help cool off the Republican attacks. The Repubs would be happy wasting time on SEX rather than deal with real issues like creating Jobs and preserving "traditional" Medicare and "traditional" Social Security for REAL working stiffs.
Their PAST lack of action regarding Senators Vitter and Craig doesn't fool voters who have some REAL gray matter in their heads !

+16 # Dave_s Not Here 2011-06-11 17:05

As a Canadian living in British Columbia I thought that the circus that is our provincial politcs could not be beat but I must say I'm thouroughly impressed with what I see is going on south of the border.

+14 # JazBing 2011-06-11 17:23

If everyone will recall, Bill Clinton went into therapy - not only therapy, but daily therapy - for months, at times with his family. If Weiner does really feel he has a problem, such as compulsiveness, sexual addiction, etc., in other words, something he feels he has no control over and has affected his life and relationships (which um, clearly, it has), then, unless he's going to the treatment center just to avoid public life, then what is wrong with him seeing that he has a problem and doing something about it? No one's saying he's resigning. Why not look at this as example of what more people in both the private and public sector who have similar problems can do to be better human beings/husbands /family members/employe es?

+13 # cherylpetro 2011-06-11 17:23

Anthony Weiner is tough and is taking the correct course of action! He isn't thumbing his nose at his illness like Republican Vitter, who actually visited a madam, and paid a LOT of money! That man it SILL SITTING IN CONGRESS WITHOUT TREATMENT! ANTHONY HAS THE BETTER JUDGMENT TO GET HELP! It is a medical condition, and he should NOT be made to resign! Let's be intelligent about it! (and for God's sake have some compassion!)

0 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 04:47

Medical condition? What do you mean?

0 # KittatinyHawk 2011-06-12 13:02

There are a lot of sexual perverts in the government. But I feel Weiner disgraced his office, they should all lose their jobs.

+7 # b_niles57 2011-06-11 17:52

While I agree that Dem Party has messed up big and Republicans are hypocrites, it's tough to turn a blind eye to how monumentally stupid and arrogant Weiner is. Millions of people are able to get through their lives without tweeting their junk around. Like Clinton, he has damaged the effectiveness of the Democratic Party with his actions, therefore handing more power to the cruel agenda of the Repubs. His actions have real consequences to innocent people

+15 # Heleni Thayre 2011-06-11 19:33

I agree that Anthony Wiener needs treatment. His judgement is so poor that he cannot be trusted with responsibility; he has been out of touch with reality.

However we need to turn our attention, among other matters, to the fact that two members of the Supreme Court attended a deluxe event hosted by the Koch brothers at the time that they were making a ruling in favor of Citizens United, further enabling the takeover of our Republican form of government by private corporate interests

Until we can reverse the power of money, in its myriad forms, over public policy, we will remain in the state that the colonists were in before their Declaration of Independence from the English King and his nobility. We the People have lost our power. This is what is important, this and the continuing and expanding exploitation for private profit of the American people and our land, air and water and freedoms. Our country will soon be destroyed if we do not take action.

Let's keep our eyes on the prize - our own freedom and Democracy - and relegate this adolescent ridiculousness to the back burner where it belongs. Let us turn this discussion around to what matters. We must take seriously that which is serious. America has been sold to the highest bidder and we her citizens are letting it happen.

Heleni Thayre

+3 # Gurka 2011-06-12 00:49

@Heleni Thayre:Thanks for your great comment!

+3 # brianf 2011-06-12 06:12

Right. Let's have a little perspective here.

+3 # Pickwicky 2011-06-12 20:31

Agreed--and that's why we must insist our public office holders practice self-discipline so that we are not side-tracked by sordid sexual behavior.

+8 # punk 2011-06-11 20:22

i think what he did was incredibly dumb- nothing approaching criminal, perverted, obscene, or sordid- just incredibly dumb. if he had been a ceo, this would be nothing but a joke. but you cant do this in congress [tho from my reading of the comments, some people have been quirkier].
but what's worse to me is the viciousness with which people are attacking him like a cornered animal when it's down. the whole world seems in the attack mode, seeking out the weak to pounce on. why are we all turning into animals who seem to enjoy inflicting pain while in a deluded state of own self-righteousn ess? and it is the most self-righteous who seem to enjoy giving pain the most.

+8 # AngryMan 2011-06-11 20:31

People seeking public office possess an amplified ego. This is probably genetic. That the same genes that amplify ego seem to express greater sexual urges, is not unusual given the history of many politicians. To be shocked by this behavior is akin to being in awe of how fast a cheetah runs, and then being shocked when the cheetah eats the prey it caught. What did you expect?

And since when are the sexual exploits of people you don't even know more important than wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Libya? "News" such as this is on display 24/7. Give it a rest, PLEASE! I care about jobs. I care about our nation hemorrhaging money through the Pentagon. I care about the Koch brothers buying governmental control. I care about all the people that gave their lives to build this great nation, only to watch a bunch of criminals sell it off to the highest bidder. I don't give a damn about your gonads and what you do with them. It isn't any of my business. Stop moving the focus from shit that really matters, onto meaningless exploits of toe-tapping or shooting pictures of your 'nads. I don't care about your sex life and I have no interest in your opinion about what others should do as a consequence of their sexual urges. It is none of your business. Focus on doing the damn job I am paying you to do and stop this nonsense!

+11 # Progressive Patriot 2011-06-11 20:46

This is, of course a distraction, but the democratic "leadership" is wrong to demand that he leave Congress, unless _they_ are willing to step up AND START WORKING FOR THE PEOPLE.

The fact is, despite his weakness, WE NEED HIS PROGRESSIVE VOICE IN THE HOUSE.

+2 # jmisurell 2011-06-11 22:21

An Alternative Universe: The Anthony Weiner Story

Anthony Weiner saw his career crashing around him – the media was having a field day, and talk of resignation filled the air. To make matters worse, someone in his home district had blown up the photo of his genitals, doctored it up through Photoshop, and made a poster saying, “Please forgive me! And give me a little love!” across the shot of his testicles.

The heading of the poster read: “We Need Anthony Weiner in Congress!” And then there was the winking eye staring out from the top of the penis, like E Pluribus Unum. Someone painted a mouth across the scrotum, and the school kids began to call the penis “Smiley the Weiner”.

The posters flooded the district. As fast as his staff could take them down, they were put up again. All summer long there were Wiener Roasts for Weiner, and blowup balloons and keychains of Smiley the Weiner. Parents had to remind their sons that display of their Smileys was not appropriate in public. In the Labor Day Parade he rode atop a giant “Smiley” float, with Dr. Ruth aboard, both waving to hoards of enthusiastic and athletic supporters. He won his next election easily. The biopic on HBO, starring Adrien Brody, garnered rave reviews. By the end of his career Anthony Weiner had been Senate Majority Leader for a total of 20 years.

+5 # Gurka 2011-06-12 00:45

Oops! Sorry, I'll do the rehab. - The American Cliché

+11 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 04:43

It matters. It matters what Weiner does with his personal and sexual conduct. Whether we like to admit it or not, Clinton/Lewinsk i put the Dems on their back heels for years. Who knows how many votes that ultimately cost Gore? He couldn't campaign on Clinton accomplishments without a slight twinge of...gross. Guess what- Bam, we have GW. Next thing you know we are invading Iraq and people are dying. Can you trace the blame back to Clinton? I don't think these connections are too far of a stretch. People's personal conduct matters when you are an elected official. There is no excuse. I love Weiner the politician, but I can't separate his personal conduct like that. It matters

+9 # signalfire 2011-06-12 06:39

Amen! Thank you for having a memory longer than a 10 second commercial! Clinton's issues caused us the loss of Gore votes, no doubt about it. Without that, GWB would have had to work a little harder to steal the WH. Come to think of it, when are we going to indict that particular little prick?

+5 # genierae 2011-06-12 05:46

I still wonder if Anthony Weiner was deliberately targeted? I heard that Darrel Issa was keeping track of his tweets, was he the one who outed him? I think its the members of the Republican party who need to seek treatment, these people are mentally incompetent and need all they help they can get.

+6 # GGmaw 2011-06-12 06:43

I have been a supporter and admirer of Anthony Weiner because I thought he was smart and progressive. What anyone does in private is their own business - but to do this on-line where he should have been smart enough to know he would be caught indicates to me he is not smart enough to be in the US congress.

+5 # Laurel Moss 2011-06-12 07:00

What a weird,victorian country we are. To do public service, does one have to give up our right to privacy, our right to err in our life ocassionally as a human being?
We are all vulnerable to making stupid decisions which of course does not justify
freedom to do so, but hey, a nude photo in an email most of us can laugh about and forget in a short time, while the globe warms, there are disasters everywhere, the economy is failing and
we are being enveloped by the technocrats
to become the corporatocracy of robots.
Now, there's a problem we can munch on
or the necessity of changing the babies diapers.

+4 # wfalco 2011-06-12 07:56

CTPariot's comments are right on in response to the concept that the Dems always have to run and hide and make ammends. On the other hand the Republicans are always steadfast in their backing of those that have committed moral wrongs.Why is that?

The problem is that the Republicans have the support of the religious right.In this hypocritcal thinking any wrong or "sin" committed by "one of their own" is forgiveable.
And these hypocrits are a major, perhaps the most major, part of their base-particular ly regarding primary voters.

But what about Mr Weiner ? His base,thank God, is multi-cultural and encompasses Jews, Catholics, Protestants, and the hidden majority(agnost ics/atheists.) Which, perhaps, is our true "dirty little secret". Being rational/humani st/secularist liberals-many of us have the brains to think critically of all matters philosophic and religious.And that, my friends, is THE PROBLEM in these United States of America. We Dems are incapable of getting overwhelming majority support in matters of morality. My humanistic brain tells me that Weiner should not have given anyone a chance to be critical of his personal sexual peculiararities . He was unbelievably stupid and should have known that being a liberal/radical protagonist means being better than most. We have no room for forgiveness.

+5 # John Talbutt 2011-06-12 09:14

Agree it is not a question of forgiveness. We need him in Congress because he is more skilled at representation than anhyone likely to replace him.

+6 # mtnview 2011-06-12 08:13

Many of these comments speak to greater evils (ie: Koch, Supremes,the need to fight back against conservatism) as justification for retaining Weiner. This is moral relativism. I deeply appreciate the progressive political position of Weiner, However, it does make a difference if a member of Congress has good judgement, a reasonable personal life, and can honor the oath he has taken, be it marriage or the oath of office. Some comments speak to "privacy". Anyone who twitters, emails or phones these days is not acting in private. Anyone who has outside the norm behaviors is leaving themselves open to blackmail by the oligarchy, or by political opponents. If democrats want to pose as a party that respects women, and children, then Weiner's behavior is simply not acceptable. Any elected or appointed official has an obligation to the constituency, the citizens, that should come before ego or sexual needs. If they can not prioritze the ideals of service to the nation and its citizens, they do not deserve the office they are granted. Its that simple.

0 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 09:20

Extremely well said!

-1 # Diane Johnson 2011-06-12 09:37

One line from a movie "winter of the lions" about Henry the 8th and his wife Katherine of Aragon (imprisoned in the tower of london) went "I could care less if he peoples his bed with sheep as long as he leaves Aragon alone" ! Who cares what these megalomaniacs do in bed as long as they take care of the needs of the country.

-1 # Pickwicky 2011-06-12 20:38

In wasn't in bed it was on the internet, the highway to the world. And some of us care about how our elected officials act in public.

Just FYI--the name of the movie is THE LION IN WINTER. It's a great movie.

+2 # universlman 2011-06-12 09:39

when I look at Weiner. . . I see Pee Wee Herman. HaHa

0 # Pickwicky 2011-06-12 20:39

And that's the pity of it.

+6 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 09:50

I don't think it's prudish, victorian, puritan, uptight, or republican to believe that part of what Weiner agreed to by becoming a representative of the people is to not display his genitalia. He is a flasher of the digital age. Sorry. Plain and simple. He is the man in the trench coat. We don't need to be apologists for him.

+5 # Thomas Eaton 2011-06-12 10:32

Is this treatment one of the things Congressman Weiner's health care plan pays for?

+3 # fredboy 2011-06-12 11:16

A sad, skinny little egomaniac.

And new photos keep appearing...

+6 # Lulie 2011-06-12 14:05

There are two different issues here: 1)WHAT he did and why, and 2)the fact THAT he did it, regardless of the risk. If he were actually the skilled politician I used to think he was, he would have known this result would happen. His sin is reckless stupidity, not sexual transgress.

+5 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 16:24

One of the problems for the Dems is that we lose our heaviest hitters in the dumbest ways. Hart, Clinton, Edwards and now Weiner. That's a pretty impressive list of people who are supposed to be carrying our party forward, but who instead throw it in the toilet. The Republican list pales in comparison

+1 # b_niles57 2011-06-12 17:50

Forgot Spitzer on that list

+4 # head out the window 2011-06-12 19:04

What a weiner, and an immature one at that.

+1 # granny 2011-06-13 06:55

How nice! Maybe the Rethuglicans could invite Weiner into the "prayer" house fraternity and help him find salvation (and political cover.) What a bunch of hypocrites the Rethugs are, and what a bunch of cowards the Democrats are! And what FOOLS the media "leaders" are! At a time we SHOULD be talking about the tax welfare programs for millionaires and billionaires, and the billionaire-sup ported military industrial complex and its promotion of a sustained war in the Middle East, we talk about penis pictures.

0 # Pickwicky 2011-06-15 11:20

Granny--yes, you are talking "about penis pictures."

And notice that RSS lists the Weiner stories as the most popular. We have all been distracted by his sordid conduct--which is precisely why we should insist on better behavior. Our major problems require our focus.

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