In the 7 years I have been at Daily Kos, I have never before felt embarrassed at a diary on the Front Page. Disagreed? Well, that is another story. But I never felt shame.
Today was the day. When I read: A Mayor Anthony Weiner may be a good thing for New York and America I was stunned that such a prejudiced, sexist and biased piece based on false equivalencies could appear under our banner.
In this diary, Weiner's behavior is dismissed with a flutter of the hand and the real culprit is the media for making a circus of it. Anyone who thinks Weiner should go is considered to be a 'prude.'
This Front Page diary so offends on so many levels it is hard to know where to start.
I Call on Daily Kos to post a Front Page Rebuttal to this embarrassment. Up to the admins whom they choose. In fairness, a countering voice needs to be heard.
To start to explain some of what is so offensive, I will turn to La Feminista's excellent diary, which is deservedly on the top of the Rec List,
I'm Sorry but A**holes Like Weiner are anything but good for the US clearly explains:
OK the US can be a little crazy when it comes to sex scandals.
However sexual harassment is another thing entirely.
Sending unsolicited pictures of your penis and testicles to women is by any standards just plain gross.
Is this type of behavior good for anyone?
Weiner is running for high profile public office and a lot of it driven by his own ego not the desire to serve. He is going for a promotion after continuing the pathetic behavior that caused him to resign in the first place. He also lied about the facts.
So, no. Unwelcome sex is not about sex. It is about Power and Dominating Women. Period. Full Stop. It is not about prudery, it is about narcissitic entitlement and power.
Secondly, that front page diary is based on false equivalencies. To quote my comments with others in the diary:
I am ashamed that this diary is on the front page (20+ / 0-)
Ashamed that the admins let it be put on the front page.
Talk about a paen to false equivalency! This diary so misses the point. This is NOT about Sex! The reason Weiner should go is because he is an uncommon narcissiist who cannot realize the impact of his actions, ALL IS ACTIONS, and has about as much political sense as a bull in a china shop. (Not to mention that his actions reveal in a very real sense a serious addiction he shows no awareness about.)
The diarist says:
Weiner hurts no one but his family with his actions.
Oh REALLY? Who are you kidding? He has made himself a laughing stock and holds no gravitas or credibility. His 'weiner jokes' will always precede him into a room. Not quite the image wanted for a political negotiator. He has neutralized any good he could have done. He is toast.
This is not about his sexual escapades, it is about his stupidity, and his continuing blind stupidity. And you know who agrees with me?
Anthony Weiner’s campaign manager has resigned following new revelations that Weiner sent sexually explicit messages to women online after his resignation from Congress.
Danny Kedem stepped down from Weiner’s campaign for New York City mayor over the weekend after new allegations surfaced that the former Congressman exchanged lewd messages under the nom de plume “Carlos Danger” with a 22-year-old woman.
link
Why didn't the diarist mention this detail about the campaign manager's resignation in the diary? It seems to be central to the discussion. But perhaps not the meta content of this diary. As the matter of fact, the only source in the diary is to links that are not about Weiner or his work/or lack thereof. There is no discussion of his record. It is a fluff, biased, opinionated piece about 'how the media has gone after raw meat' and oh, isn't that awful when there are so many other issues that need to be discussed. Well, that is what the media does. And it is the job of a politician to NOT GET CAUGHT WITH HIS PANTS DOWN IN PUBLIC, so to speak. And if he does and the media has a feeding frenzy, they are doing what they do. (Not defending it, but that is the way the game is played today.)
Stop flogging a dead horse! There is no way to defend Weiner. None. And for Daily Kos to do so is a big let down in critical thinking and good journalistic standards, letting meta opinion and false equivalency get in the way of the facts.
I believe that the Front Page should publish a diary giving an author the opportunity to rebutt this embarrassing diary.
Our integrity on this site is at stake, in my opinion.