It's been a pretty craptastic couple of weeks hasn't it? I'm sure the shitstorm will not subside anytime soon but I wanted to write to you rather than at you or about you because, like many others, I have something to say.
Part of this has nothing really to do with your private sexually proclivity for sexting and the private relationships you've established with consenting women over the internet. None of my business. That part is truly between you and your wife. And the number of people who partake in this particular practice is probably not not so small to call it a perversion per se. Ultimately, this is between you and your wife.
The public part is what is most alarming to me. From the tweet mistake to the panicked cover-up, the slowly rolling boil that's been building has been disheartening to me and disappointing as many have expressed.
Yes, I'm a liberal. I don't really care what people do in their bedrooms or on their cell phones and their computers. That's how it should be.
Of course, when you have an opposition so hell bent on destroying your most strident voices, what you do in private becomes important, you've made yourself public enemy number one to the other side. You're vulnerable. That one mistake has led you to this world of hurt and the panic that drove you to lie to many, well that to me was the part I am so disappointed in. You were forced to confess, repent and to apologize.
You also, at one point, blamed it on a "vast right wing conspiracy", which is a bit frustrating. It's not entirely untrue, you just gave them something to run with, which is all too real. The Breitbarts of the world we're given a gift, they were merely waiting for the opportunity and they've managed to put a big bow on it.
And the hypocrisy is painful at best, having a sitting Republican Senator who admitted to hiring a prostitute and a Republican Governor who had an affair, both Right wing Christians. They didn't have to resign. I mean come on, the Appalachian trail?
Of course the uncomfortable part for me has been watching people I admire make attempts to prove that such a tweet hacking could take place. They tried to cover your story and tried to make it plausible (Oh, Rachel Maddow was so sincere, I admire her so. And the chart she put up to show where your public shame fell in the order of sex scandals was also a bit disheartening, as if trying to visually put into perspective just how minor your incident was compared to others indiscretions) .
Well, Rachel deserves an apology. Others deserve an apology more than Breitbart. Many people wanted to believe that you were indeed a victim of some hacking, I knew deep down that wasn't the case. Oh I really wanted it to be.
So now what? I know the Democratic Party is folding faster than a cheap party chair, this is unfortunate. You actually have stood up for many more people than the party has in a long while. You deserve better. Regardless if I can't support your personal behavior, I do support your politics.
You stood with the 9-11 Firefighters who needed health care in the most dire way possible. You've fought a lot of battles that other Democrats wouldn't touch and you've done so admirably. And this is what you get?
What about your standing up against the tax cuts for the rich? Hey, he goes on Fox news and actually fights for what we believe in.
Here are more examples of Anthony Weiner standing up for our side.
Anthony Weiner fought for Health Care, he even went so far as to tell people, You don't know what Socialism means? How many Democrats go on Fox News and fight for what we want, Single Payer. He lays it out.
Republicans don't want you to have what you have:
Congressman Weiner, you stood up many times for Health care, as you can see. I'm sure you remember this. You did this publicly and proudly.
What about the current attack on women's health issues? You stood up for that too!
You've stood up for a lot of good issues. You've done this publicly and strongly.
It pains me to say this, but because I so admire the non-profit work that Matt Damon does with his charity, Water.org (Check it out by the way, it is an AMAZING organization and one that I admire tremendously, Damon has done more humanitarian work then many can even imagine and it is one of the reasons I admire him so), I feel quite comfortable paraphrasing him, I support your politics. I think that people need to stand up for you now, as you have for so many people without a voice and say that just because you've made this mistake does not mean that your voice is not important.
It is far too important. Ultimately, it will be up to you and your wife in your personal life and up to your constituents when the time comes for them to vote for you.
I ask that those who believe that Congressman Weiner's ability to put into words our anger, disbelief and downright disgust with the Republicans attempt to take our Country down the wrong path again, to stand up and support him.
I know I will.
It doesn't mean you or I condone his personal behavior.
< UPDATE: Regardless if I'm disturbed by it, just as if I'm irked by a man who cheats, etc., it's about the fact that we need to GET OVER OURSELVES.
This puritanical BS is ridiculous and our need to pass out personal judgement on this man is just awful.
What he does in his personal life has nothing to do with is ability to work in office. End of story.
Your personal feelings should not matter, it's just that, PERSONAL.
I want to add this from Glenn Greenwald because he reiterates something I think that is important:
"Yes, Anthony Weiner lied -- about something that is absolutely nobody's business but his and his wife's. If you're not his wife, you have absolutely no legitimate reason to want to know about -- let alone pass judgment on -- what he does in his private sexual life with other consenting adults." The joys of repressed voyeuristic titillation
End of Update>
It doesn't mean that you or I condone his lying or his poor attempt to cover up a mistake.
I'm sure many are disappointed. I know I am.
But I know I want to see you fight back from this Congressman Weiner, I want you to know that I have your back, just as you have for so many people who you've fought for, for the people who need health care, who need to keep roofs over their heads, unemployment insurance, etc. We need MORE Congress people like Anthony Weiner who actually fight for what they believe in, despite their personal flaws.
We all have personal flaws. We've all made mistakes, the question is, how you move forward from here?
How are you going to rise above this? How are you going to win people back?
And who here is going to fight to keep a progressive in Congress, one of the lone voices who fights for us all?