My Take on @RepWeiner & Weinergate. And Why I'm Not Upset.

It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog that I am a bleeding heart liberal significantly left of center. The politicians I support are the ones who have the figurative balls (or ovaries) to fight for the causes that are important to me. Representative Anthony Weiner from NY definitely has been at the top of my "favorites" list for a while now because of the way he didn't back down and in fact called out in very plain terms what I consider the general BS-titude of his (and my) opponents.

That was why when Weinergate began to, ahem, emerge in the recent days I was supremely disappointed by the apparent lack in judgment that would put him in such a vulnerable position where his opponents could literally catch him with his pants down.

But I wasn't outraged. I was pissed that he lied about it, because for once I'd like to see one of these politicians caught in these embarrassing or scandalous situations to just come right out and OWN their behavior rather than go through the typical "Wuddn't me" phase. Just once I'd like someone to harness the testicular fortitude of someone like Hugh Grant, who could just sheepishly say, "My bad."

Anthony Weiner had a reputation, at least for me, as one of the Left's biggest straight-shooters against typical right wing hypocrisy. Getting caught in a lie is the absolute worst thing that could happen to him, far worse than the whole cheating aspect.

So of all the behavior I found most troubling and most judgment worthy, it was the deceptive behavior and the lengths he went to in order to deny his more salacious behavior. This speaks more to his moral fiber than some sexual indiscretions because it is inconsistent with his character. It would have been far more in character for him to say, "Yeah. I did it. So what? Let's talk about the economy. Where are the jobs, m*therf*cker?"

(He's a New Yorker after all.)

So I'm upset he didn't do that. No matter if he was targeted or not, it was ultimately he who undercut his own character. And for what? Some titillating conversations over the Internet with women he never met (nor, if you see how he deftly averted all pleas from the Vegas dealer to get his ass to Vegas, probably never intended to meet.)

I'm also upset that underneath the politician is just a guy who could figuratively blow his wad on these types of throwaway playmates. Underneath the balls blazing liberal armor he's just a normal guy whose head is turned by a pretty face. He responded rather stereotypically to the greatest male weakness: hot women who "stroke" his ego. I've rarely met a guy who isn't susceptible to this. Those who would criticize him about it may act all pious, but if they're on marriage number 3 or 4 they quite simply need to STFU, because they have very little room to judge on the issue.

We're so conditionally puritanical in this country it's really hard to take any of the moral outrage seriously, quite frankly.

The good news (?) is that sexual scandals are fairly easy to rebound from if you're a guy because society kinda understands that boys will be boys. Everyone crying out for Weiner to resign need to take a deep breath and recall a couple of names from the past to see how truly crippling a sexual scandal is in the whole scheme of things.

We'll start with The King Bubba of all... Bill Clinton. He had a very similar situation happen to him back in the 90s, and he's so beloved now that he's more popular than the wife he cheated on. He could get re-elected in a second if the rules were to change.

In fact, one could argue that his fall from grace actually made him MORE accessible to people.

The reason people love flawed people is it makes them feel better about their own failures. That he was able to get the job done in the midst of all that practically made him a hero, especially after the disappointing two terms that followed.

We're a lot more forgiving when our lives improve in spite of (or because of) this stuff, and whether Bill was getting his pencil sharpened outside the marital bed lost a lot of its oomph when people started facing more dire consequences in their own pocketbook under a lesser president.

(That Weiner's wife is the assistant to Stand By Her Man Hillary Clinton is probably the most ironic part of the story. Wouldn't you love to be a fly on THAT wall as they hash this out?)

But it's not just the randy Democrats who get caught with their "hands" in the cookie jar.

Let's start with Louisiana Representative Bob Livingston, who was poised to follow Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House in the late 1990s but instead withdrew and even resigned as Congressman when it was revealed he had an extramarital affair. He challenged Bill Clinton to resign as well, as did Livingston's successor... one David Vitter.

Some short years later despite being named and accused of soliciting a prostitute, David Vitter retained the support of fellow "family values" Republicans who felt the biggest problem to arise after his sex scandal was that that if he did step down he would be replaced with an immoral Democrat. Instead he went on to win a second term as Junior Senator in Louisiana, and has refused to resign even when other colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, have been caught in similar situations and "honorably" stepped down like Bob Livingston.

To put this in perspective: Vitter was accused of soliciting a prostitute, which is a crime, in which he physically cheated on his wife. Yet he remained popular with his party AND the voters.

It's amazing what we're able to forgive when it's our guy who fumbled the ball, isn't it?

And speaking of Newt Gingrich, he's been married three times, had notorious affairs (including one during the Clinton/Lewinski scandal) and he's thrown in his hat to run for freaking president.

Yet... Anthony Weiner can supposedly kiss any hope of being governor goodbye?

Uh... yeah.

The way I look at it sexual scandals are best left between the people they directly affect. This means the husband and the wife. The only time I'll jump in is when morality gets a little subjective, and people who live in glass whorehouses want to throw some stones.

In other words, if you're fighting against gay marriage and you can't even be faithful to your own, I'm going to call your behavior into question. That's what happens when you set yourself up as the morality police.

(Ahem... David Vitter.)

Everything else is frankly none of my business. What he did with the prostitute isn't my business. That he can conduct himself in this way AND skate by on a family values platform... way my business.

If I have any beef at all it is that Weiner trusted the wrong kinda playmate in his indiscretions. Far too many women are opportunistic and will sell you out in a New York minute if they decide there is something in it for them... such as @LiberalLisa, who not only PUBLICIZED her private discussions with this man that SHE participated in (and now wants to play embarrassed victim, c'yeah right) but was shopping her story around via Twitter to the likes of Rachel Maddow.

A desperate grab at your 15 minutes of fame is far more reason to feel ashamed than some sophomoric pornographic exchanges.

(I mean really, Anthony... this is the BEST you could find in all of Liberal Land? I get that skanky can be sexy, but I'm sure there are some pretty AND classy women who know how to be a lady on the street but a freak in the bed... and discreet about it when push comes to shove. I mean, I can't be the ONLY one out there. :-P)

In short, or very, very long, I can't condemn the man for things that don't directly affect me, that are intimate matters between him and the woman he married, who may or may not have been aware or consented to this type of modern extracurricular activity.

(Famous folks operate by different rules, I've found. I don't get it but... it's best for us "ordinary" folks not to try and figure it out. Their world is just different.)

I'm disappointed that it stole some of his thunder and made him a lot less dangerous to his opponents (and mine.) And I'm sick that he lied and destroyed the part of his reputation that had made him so effective as a loud, liberal voice. The bottom line is Anthony Weiner neutered himself... and that's a damn shame.

All that other stuff... not our business. No matter how much we think it is.