By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO—While I shudder at the crudity exhibited by some members of the audience during the New York City press conference in which Anthony Weiner announced his resignation on Thursday, June 16, from Congress, there was an element of poetic justice to it.
By sending to women lewd photos of himself over the Internet, Weiner had treated the office of Congressman crudely and thoughtlessly, and now—as hecklers cried out “pervert” and even demanded to know the measurements of his genitals – he was being treated the same way.
The rule that seemed to be operating was if you are not respectful of others, you are not deserving of respect yourself. Or perhaps more succinctly, “what goes around comes around.”
It is a shame that a congressman who had a reputation for a fine intellect has now turned himself into a national joke. I feel sorry for his pregnant wife, Huna Abedin. I feel sorry for his constituents, who now have to go through a special election to replace him. I feel sorry for the nation of Israel, which loses a strong supporter in Congress with Weiner’s resignation.
I also feel sorry for the congressional colleagues who had to call for his resignation, including three prominent fellow members of the Jewish community: Republican Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader; Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, and Steve Israel, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. None of them could have relished the task.
It took Weiner a while to realize that refusing to resign would hurt not only himself but others. Looming in his future was a congressional ethics investigation sought by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, being stripped of choice committee assignments, and possibly being redistricted out of his congressional seat.
His wife, no doubt, was embarrassed enough by Weiner’s conduct; he was bound to ask himself whether his “virtual” infidelity must continue to be played out on the front pages and on the networks.
Reduction in his committee status would penalize his constituents, whose collective voice in Congress would be diminished. Must they pay the price for his obsessions?
Instead of being able to debate issues in the upcoming elections that they want to talk about, his Democratic congressional colleagues would have been forced to talk about Weiner’s improprieties, and whether they had been “tough enough” on him. How could Weiner in good conscience subject his colleagues to months and months of his being “Topic A?”
Ultimately Weiner must have realized it was unfair to penalize his wife, his constituents, and his colleagues in the vain hope that he could somehow rebound politically from the controversy. And with President Barack Obama expressing his belief on national television that Weiner should resign, and former President Bill Clinton – who officiated at Weiner’s wedding – said to be furious at him, where was Weiner to find solace if he continued in office? For former President Clinton, who almost was thrown out of office after his own sexual misconduct, and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who must have considered divorcing him, the Weiner scandal brought back many ugly memories, and invited endless comparisons over whose behavior was worse.
So during the news conference—when the hecklers allowed him to speak—Weiner began, at last, of taking responsibility not only by word but by deed for his actions. He said that his personal peccadilloes had become a national distraction – and that this intolerable situation was of one of his own making. It was therefore time for him to step aside, so the nation could attend to important business, and so he personally could begin the healing process. He apologized for his bad judgment and the hurt that he had caused.
This story may go a few more cycles, but something else eventually will come along to keep radio talk show hosts talking, newspaper columnists writing, and the electorate shaking their heads. Personally, I hope that Weiner will seriously address the behavioral issues that led to his undoing—that element in his makeup that dramatists might call his fatal flaw.
If he hasn’t already recognized it, I hope he will see that in the long run by bowing to his punishment, he has provided an important lesson to Americans – a lesson that bad or reckless deeds eventually will bring adverse consequences, and that elevation to high office doesn’t confer upon you immunity, but instead brings the prospect of a harder and more dramatic fall.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted at donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com