America's Fascination With Weiner, Spitzer and Sex Scandals
You can't scan the news lately without hearing about Anthony Weiner, Eliot Spitzer, their sex scandals and attempted comebacks. Both conservative and liberal news outlets are glued to covering the two fallen politicians. Everyone wants to psychoanalyze the cheaters. CNN found Spitzer so interesting they gave him his own political TV show after his prostitution scandal.
But why? What is so intriguing about a couple of liberal Democrats who cheated on their wives? At least one of them can't seem to stop. After the married Weiner resigned from Congress due to "sexting" multiple women, he continued to engage in sexting with at least three more women. The madam who provided Spitzer with high-priced prostitutes, Kristin Davis, thinks Spitzer is still using them.
The two scandal-ridden Democrats are now trying to revive their careers in public leadership. Weiner is running for mayor of New York City, and Spitzer is running for New York City Comptroller. Incredibly, Spitzer's former madam is also running for comptroller, as a Libertarian. Davis served four months behind bars for running the prostitution ring, while Spitzer was never prosecuted, even though he admitted hiring prostitutes.
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Both men are leading in the polls in their respective races. According to a Quinnipiac poll that came out last week, Weiner has 26 percent support from Democrat voters, compared to 22 percent for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and 20 percent for former city comptroller Bill Thompson. In another recent Quinnipiac poll, 48 percent of registered Democrats said they would vote for Spitzer, giving him a substantial lead over opponent Scott Stringer, president of the Borough of Manhattan, who has 33 percent.
Americans are fascinated by these two characters because of the allure of fame and sex. It is the same reason why Americans are obsessed with Hollywood. Americans are suckers for glitz and glamour, which is why the movie industry is a billion dollar industry. It helps that both Spitzer and Weiner were colorful characters that loved the cameras before their downfalls.
Ironically, these sleazy politicians have a good chance at getting elected to office again because of the scandals. The scandals have given them widespread name recognition, and the two have made money from the infamy. Spitzer, the son of a wealthy real estate developer, is funding the campaign himself.
Another reason these two sordid politicians have a chance at being elected to office again is because many Americans today sadly share their transgressions. The level of cheating within marriage has increased over the years. According to the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 74 percent of men say they would have an affair if they knew they would never get caught.
Although these scandals involved actions taken in the politicians' personal lives, they weren't moral, and were illegal in Spitzer's case. Weiner lied publicly eight times about his lewd photos, and one of the women he sexted was only 17 years old.
Other politicians with sex scandals have been able to bounce back and get elected to office again, such as Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.). San Diego Bob Filner is another Democrat politician in the midst of a sex scandal, accused of sexually harassing multiple women. He is being asked to resign by the head of the Democrat Party, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, but so far has resisted. In light of the continuing sexting by Weiner, both The New York Times and the New York Daily News have called for Weiner to drop out of the race.
It is amusing that these men claim to champion "women's rights," while backstabbing their wives or girlfriends in the back and mistreating other women on the side. If they win their elections, they are likely to continue abusing women. Incredibly, most liberal women don't seem to care. Feminist Tamara Holder tweeted a grossly made-up statistic to defend Weiner, "Public service has nothing to do with bedroom service. 98.4367% of men cheat. I do know a few good men who don't. Leave Weiner alone." Another female apologist wrote, "who cares" about Weiner's latest sexting.
Americans are voting for politicians like these based on amusement, not on qualifications or integrity. They are treating voting like changing the TV channel. In the end, the voters will pay, as these flawed politicians inevitably mismanage government and play fast and loose with ethics. Weiner has continued doing the exact same behavior he resigned over. An article in The Wall Street Journal suggested that Weiner's lack of real remorse is characteristic of a sociopath. If liberals in New York elect these degenerate politicians, everyone around the country will likely end up paying for their inevitable irresponsibleness in office, since the federal government loves bailing out irresponsible local governments.
