Was he stupid? Yes. Was he wierd? Yes. Should the party leadership have forced him to resign? NO!
If you expect this to be a defense of Anthony Weiner, it is not. He is a perfect example of “men behaving badly”. But bad behavior does not mean that he should have been pushed into resigning by the Democratic leadership. Castigate? Yes. Criticize? Yes. Reprimand? Yes. Show disgust? Probably. But demand resignation? No.
The reasons are many but mostly well known. He did not have sex with any of his contacts – merely internet and phone contact (maybe even unwanted contact). What he did was not illegal in any way. What he did was possibly a violation of Congressional rules or at least ethics. That is often covered by reprimand or censure; but rarely by being drummed out of the House.
In the end, what he did was pure and simply…stupid. But stupidly is not unusual for our elected officials; and being intelligent or at least prudent has never been a requirement for electability.
Further, what he did was weird, strange, and even a bit repulsive…but maybe less “unusual” than we know. Some men act out strange fantasies, but rarely quit their job in the private sector because of bad behavior. Possibly we hold our elected officials to a higher standard. But why. In fact it seems that while we may “hold” them to a higher standard, they apparently have a very bad habit of performing to a “lower” standard than the general public regarding fidelity or “moral” behavior. Vitter, Sanford, Schwarzenegger, Spitzer, Edwards, Gingrich…well you get the idea. But none of them quit, resigned, or were forced out. Even the well thought of John McCain joins the list.
So then, why did the Democratic leadership (and President Obama) join the GOP chorus for resignation? Because Democrats think they have to prove their allegiance to “family values” That is an issue staked out by the Republicans (with massive hypocrisy I might add), and folks like Pelosi and Reid think they have to prove their fidelity to the issue. Thus they often (and did) overreach.
Additionally, there was nothing in what Weiner did that affected his ability to be a useful and effective congressman. So, if this is not a defense of Weiner (as first stated), what should be done with a man who is stupid? He should be reprimanded…allowed to fulfill his term…run for reelection…and be defeated. While I acknowledge that stupidity is not a prerequisite for electability, sometimes it goes over the top. This is one time it did! Thus the ones who are most affected by his actions (except for his wife), are the ones who should make the decision to let him continue to serve, or be retired.
But roasting a Weiner, as the Democratic leadership did, was premature, ill advised, and unnecessary.