OPINION:
Rep. Anthony D. Weiner, New York Democrat, and former Rep. Chris Lee, New York Republican, are etched in the minds of Americans as the congressmen who used social media to cheat on their wives and send embarrassing photographs.
While the extent and number of Mr. Weiner’s offenses made Mr. Lee’s seem marginal, Mr. Lee felt he deserved a far greater punishment and resigned. Their recent scandals provide a stark contrast of the ethics, morality and respect for public office among Democrats and Republicans in Washington. Mr. Weiner’s initial refusal to step down reveals the amorality that exists among the far left and should be enough to persuade any Christian Democrat to fill out the paperwork to leave his party.
Mr. Lee, using a false identity, pursued one woman who was in his age range. She exposed him and revealed a semi-normal Internet conversation coupled with an embarrassing, shirtless picture. Despite the fact that Mr. Lee broke no House rules, he felt his infidelity and dishonesty had shamed his constituents and his party. After internal pressure from GOP leadership, he resigned.
Mr. Weiner used his position as a congressman to pursue numerous women. Mr. Weiner, 46, appears to have reached out to much younger women in unique circumstances, preying on college students and single mothers in their 20s. He produced pornographic images of himself that he sent to several of these women, some of whom were less than half his age, while having explicitly sexual conversations. He pressured these women to lie about their connections to him. He was exposed when he posted a lewd photo of himself on his Twitter feed, which has thousands of followers, presumably some of whom are under the age of 18.
Perhaps Mr. Weiner’s greatest offense was that he, in the fashion of Bill Clinton, vehemently lied to the press and the American people for several weeks. He fabricated an extensive story that he was the victim of a crime in which his Twitter account was hacked and his personal photos may have been distributed. He defended his story passionately, even once publicly referring to a reporter who questioned him as a “jackass.”
Mr. Weiner, however, did not feel the need on his own to resign, and he certainly didn’t announce his resignation in a timely manner. While many have claimed that lying about being the victim of a crime and posting homemade pornography are offenses worthy of resignation, Mr. Weiner apparently disagreed until finally resigning Thursday.
Mr. Weiner’s case should make two vital points to Christian Democrats. First, Democrats feel their supporters and issues are far enough removed from traditional morality that they can commit acts such as Mr. Weiner’s and feel they will not affect their ability to perform. Second, a majority of Democrats did not initially pressure Mr. Weiner to resign, as it risks losing the seat to a Republican in a special election. Leaders on the left seem willing to do almost anything to advance the party agenda; staying in power trumps doing the right thing, even in a case like Mr. Weiner’s.
With that in mind, it makes no sense for any informed Christian adult to vote for a Democrat, especially on the federal level. Regardless of how one feels on the issues, at the end of the day, a vote to send a Democrat to Washington is a vote against fundamental, American morality.
SAM HALE
Silver Spring
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