During the 10 days of WeinerGate, I tried to focus as hard as I could on following the main thread of the story, which was more than enough for anyone to attempt as the scandal rapidly developed. However, along the way I couldn’t help but notice a few distractions off on the periphery. And I vowed that, once the truth was known, I’d take a little time to double back and tie up a few loose ends, e.g.:
“As soon as I heard about the ‘scandal’ involving Rep. Anthony Weiner, and saw it being pushed like crazy by fraudster Andrew Breitbart, I knew it would turn out to be yet another phony story. And that’s exactly what happened.”
— Charles Johnson, Little Green Footballs, May 30, 2011
Spoke a bit too soon, didn’t you, Charles? Your link was to a DKos conspiracy theory citing “sources” that were, alas, 100% wrong.
Now Breitbart’s scoop, which you called a “phony story,” is front-page news in the New York Times:
“The lying is what disturbs me. He implicated a lot of us. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, let’s just say that. And, you know, I look kind of stupid. But on the other hand . . .”
If Anthony Weiner did what Breitbart said he did, how is it a “smear” for Breitbart to describe what Weiner did? You still haven’t answered that question, Ms. Walsh and so, yeah, you’re right: You look kind of stupid.
You see it’s all about that “D” beside his name. Just put a “D” beside your name and no progressive can ever find fault with you.
Well, maybe a few can find fault — like Democrats who are trying to win elections. Former Democratic National Committee chairman (and 2012 Virginia Senate candidate) Tim Kaine: “Lying is unforgivable. Lying publicly about something like this is unforgivable and he should resign.” And the CNN headline:
Whenever Ms. Marcotte delivers herself of a sanctimonious sermon like today’s 1,095-word opus, it induces a terrible strain to resist the temptation of responding with language that would make Rahm Emanuel blush. Alternately, one might respond with a mere jest:
Of course, no Democratic sex scandal is complete until Amanda Marcotte embarrasses herself.
Life is a big joke and Ms. Marcotte is the punchline, so that all we need do is to say, “Hey, go read what this idiot wrote,” and everyone will see for themselves why she is so transparently absurd.
Yet Amanda Marcotte is taken seriously by influential people, who pay her to preach to the rest of us, and it would be wrong to dismiss her without at least attempting a serious analysis of her errors. Continue reading WeinerGate Götterdämmerung →
The “Triumph of Civic Virtue,” the nearly 100-year old statue, is a public statue in Queens that depicts a nude man standing over two prone women. Rep. Anthony Weiner wants it taken down and to sell it on Craigslist. Weiner believes the statue to be sexist:
“I believe in art, I believe in public art…But that doesn‘t mean that we don’t have a right to say, forcefully, some art is simply offensive to us and we think it should go.”
I’ve been able to find video of the February press conference where Weiner denounced the statue:
“By depicting women in that role, by depicting women under a muscular man, was a common artistic form of its time, which is out of step with our cultural expression of the moment.”
— Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Feburary 2011
Indeed. And “our cultural expression of the moment” evidently involves married 46-year-old congressmen sending photos of their crotches to college girls.
ANTHONY WEINER, FEMINIST HERO Saving Women From the Menace of Neo-Classical Statues
UPDATE: “They told me that if I voted Republican that the government would try to destroy the arts . . . and they were right!”
Let’s be clear about one thing: Andrew Breitbart was right, right, right and his critics were wrong, wrong, wrong.
As BigGovernment.com explains, “Andrew Breitbart was in New York for previously scheduled meetings,” and went to Anthony Weiner’s press conference as an observer. So how did he end up on stage? I touch on that in my American Spectator column today:
It started with a Tweet that was reported on a blog and, by the time it led to a Monday press conference in Manhattan, the story known as “WeinerGate” was the first full-blown cybersex scandal of the New Media era. And it was perhaps altogether fitting that disgraced Rep. Anthony Weiner had to wait to make his guilty admission while Andrew Breitbart gave an impromptu lecture to the reporters assembled in a ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel.
“Everything we’ve reported about this story has been true,” said Breitbart, whose BigGovernment.com was first to tell how, late on the night of May 27, the Democratic congressman from New York’s 9th District had used Twitter to send a 21-year-old college coed a message that included a photo of Weiner’s underwear-clad crotch in a condition of obvious arousal. After ten days of denials from Weiner, ABC News was prepared to air new revelations and the congressman was at last ready to confess. Breitbart showed up at the Sheraton and was asked by reporters to speak, ascending the podium to declare: “Quite frankly, I’d like an apology from [Weiner] for being complicit in a blame-the-messenger strategy.” . . .
I’ve been busy the past few hours writing 1,300 words for Tuesday’s American Spectator, so I’ve lost track of what’s been happening online in the aftermath of Monday’s big press conference. I don’t care what anybody says, Weiner will resign soon. The Democrats just can’t afford to have him hanging around stepping on their message for the next several weeks. I’m very tired, but wanted to let Ace have the last word tonight, talking about the ABC interview:
It’s not just that he lies, but that he lies arrogantly and condescendingly, lecturing and hectoring the interviewer . . . And what is even worse is his constant insistence that the interviewer may not — may not — ask Weiner why he was following underage girls because to lay such a question at Weiner’s feet is to impugn the honor of these poor little girls, an affront Weiner shall not stand for.
Yeah, that’s going to haunt him, because Weiner spent an entire week flipping the bird in the media’s face, and they want revenge, baby. As for me, I’m ready to dance. Everybody sing along!
Bryan Preston thinks he’s already found a lie that’s easily proven. Weiner claimed he used no Congressional resources in his trim-trolling endeavors; but his office is a resource, isn’t it?
I’m now on deadline for The American Spectator. Enjoy the pudding. You earned it. Yub yub.
And by “yub yub,” I mean: Hit the freaking tip jar! I just spent 10 days blogging about a dude Tweeting his junk. That’s got to be worth something, right?
A 26-year-old single mom and Army veteran, she “liked” one of Weiner’s Facebook videos and soon found herself in online chats with the congressman that became increasingly intimate.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Steve Israel . . . issued a sharp statement attempting to inoculate himself from the scandal:“To remove all remaining doubt about this situation, I agree with Leader Pelosi’s request that the House Ethics Committee use its authority to begin an investigation.”
Remember, the Dems just won Chris Lee’s former seat in NY-26 — Lee resigned after his own online sex scandal — and the WeinerGate scandal threatens to derail whatever momentum they got out of that victory.
On Hardball with Chris Matthews just now, I heard Richard Wolffe say: “The only way to stop this is [for Weiner] to leave the public stage.” In other words, even after Weiner’s confession, the scandal will continue chewing up news cycle after news cycle for days to come. Only Weiner’s resignation can stop the political damage to Democrats.
So with Nancy Pelosi calling for an ethics investigation and the DCCC chairman supporting that investigation, the choice of whether to resign or not may not be Weiner’s to make. He is now politically toxic, without a friend in the world.
UPDATE6 p.m. ET: Here’s another version of the press conference video from Talking Points Memo:
Notice that liberal TPM titles the video: “Weiner Confesses To Tweeting Controversial Picture.” As in, “Hey, little girl, wanna see my controversy? Heh heh heh.”
The announcement came as ABC News prepared to release an interview with Meagan Broussard, a 26-year-old single mother from Texas who provided dozens of photos, emails, Facebook messages and cell phone call logs that she says chronicle a sexually-charged electronic relationship with Weiner that rapidly-evolved for more than a month, starting on April 20, 2011.
See? He thought he could stonewall and spin as long as it was just him vs. a bunch of right-wing bloggers.
UPDATE 4:53 p.m. ET: His communications were “inappropriate” but “consensual.” He walks off the stage as someone in the back shouts: “Were you fully erect?”
UPDATE 4:50 p.m. ET: Weiner admits that he had no way of knowing whether any of his online contacts were minors, but says that was not his intent. “I do not see anyhthing I did that violates the rules of the House.” Of the women he contacted: “These were people that I had developed relationships with online.” Says he also misled his congressional staff.
UPDATE 4:46 p.m. ET: His wife “was unhappy and she let me know she was unhappy.” Yeah.
UPDATE 4:41 p.m. ET: “I do not believe I did anything here that violates any law or violates my oath of office.” Says he will not “rebut” anything that any of his female accusers say.
UPDATE 4:37 p.m. ET: Says his wife “did not know until this morning that I had lied” about the photo he sent to the Seattle coed. Also: “I apologize to Andrew Breitbart.”
UPDATE 4:33 p.m. ET: “This was a very dumb thing to do . . . It was a destructive thing I did.” He does not deny the possibility that X-rated photos of him exist.
UPDATE 4:31 p.m. ET: “I love my wife very much and we have no intention of splitting up over this.”
UPDATE 4:29 p.m. ET: He says he is NOT resigning.
UPDATE 4:26 p.m. ET: “I’d like to take . . . full responsibility for my actions.” He begins choking up. He ADMITS he meant to send the photo as a DM!
UPDATE 4:20 p.m. ET: It is being reported that Anthony Weiner will not announce his resignation. We are still awaiting the congressman’s appearance at his press conference, which was momentarily . . . well, hacked by Andrew Breitbart.
UPDATE 4:10 p.m. ET: No sign of Weiner yet, but Andrew Breitbart holds forth: “Quite frankly, I’d like an apology . . . for a blame-the-messenger strategy. . . . I’m here for some vindication.”
UPDATE 4:04 p.m. ET: Huh? Andrew Breitbart is at the press conference? Speaking at the podium?
PREVIOUSLY: We are awaiting the announced 4 p.m. start of Rep. Anthony Weiner’s press conference in New York. Will have full coverage as soon as it starts.
