Patterico's Pontifications

6/11/2011

On Weiner’s Therapy: Not To Be a Turd in the Punchbowl, but… (Update: Rangel’s Infuriating Defense) (Update: Police End Their Investigation?)

Filed under: General — Aaron Worthing @ 3:00 pm



[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.  Or by Twitter @AaronWorthing.]

BIG UPDATE: Police end their investigation?

A spokesman says police in Delaware have completed their investigation into Rep. Anthony Weiner’s online contact with a 17-year-old girl.

C.R. McLeod, a spokesman for the New Castle County government, told The Associated Press on Saturday that investigators have concluded their probe and don’t plan any further comment “unless something new arises that needs their attention.”

That is weirdly tight-lipped.

H/T: Hot Air.

Update: David Weigel takes us back in time, all the way to… Monday, when Weiner said this.

This is not something that can be treated away; this is my own personal mistake.

Update (II): Rangel offers a defense:

Rangel suggested that other members of Congress had done things more immoral than Weiner.
Rangel said Weiner “wasn’t going with prostitutes. He wasn’t going out with little boys.”

Words fail me, beyond… WHAT THE FRAK IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!

The original post follows…
——————-

So this morning we learn that apparently the Weiner is seeking treatment, I guess for sex addiction or something.

Indeed, he is requesting a short leave of absence from the House.  Hey, I have a better idea.  Leave and don’t come back.  But then he won’t do that unless he really has no other choice because 1) he can’t afford to lose his job and 2) he will lose his best virtual pick up line, “I’m Congressman Weiner.”

So, sex addiction… or at least sext addiction?  Myself, I tend to agree with South Park in its episode on the Tiger Woods story.  In the first clip, Kyle is mistakenly identified as a sex addict and the group therapist explains to us the mistake that sex addicts make:

In other words a lot of these guys seem to think, as Martin Luther King said, that there is only one commandment to obey:

The other thing is that we have adopted a sort of a pragmatic test for right and wrong—whatever works is right. (Yes) If it works, it’s all right. Nothing is wrong but that which does not work. If you don’t get caught, it’s right. [laughter] That’s the attitude, isn’t it? It’s all right to disobey the Ten Commandments, but just don’t disobey the eleventh, “Thou shall not get caught.”

(Mind you, Dr. King is denouncing this attitude.)  And apparently even Hillary seems to think the only problem  is that he was caught:

Clinton is said to be furious with how “stupid” Rep. Anthony Weiner acted when he tried to hide that he’d carried on a series of sleazy sexting sessions with at least six women on the Internet over the past three years….

The source said Hillary is mostly upset with how Weiner tried to cover up the allegations for a week before coming clean during a news conference on Monday afternoon.

“What especially infuriates Hillary is how Weiner blatantly lied, and then gave that embarrassing and humiliating press conference when he ’fessed up,” the longtime Clinton supporter told the newspaper.

“She can’t believe he’d just be so stupid about the whole thing.”

Back to South Park. as the episode progresses, the President declares that the epidemic of sex addiction is caused by an alien wizard who he asserts has been tracked to a historic landmark. In the middle of the silliness, a SWAT team member gives us what has to be the lesson of the episode.

Really, truly, watch the whole thing.  It’s crude but it is brilliant as satire.

And let me pause for a moment to make a philosophical point.  I remember a couple years ago when Dennis Miller discussed Iraq and the WMDs we (mainly) didn’t find.  He said, paraphrase, “thank God they didn’t have any.

Likewise if it is every shown that Rep. Weiner did nothing wrong with any of these young girls, not full-on sexting or the “manslaughter” option Ace described, I will be saying, like Dennis Miller, thank God. I don’t want Rep. Weiner to be guilty of that kind of misconduct because I don’t want it to have happened in the first place.

Yes, you can get wrapped up in politics and hope for a political victory.  I am sufficiently personally offended by his conduct that I don’t deny one bit that I want to chop off his head and mount it on a pike (metaphorically, Charles, you lying POS).  But in order for him to be guilty of sexting that child, first he would have had to have sexted that child, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we frankly hope our suspicions are unfounded.

That is why for me the mere fact that the police seem to be seriously investigating the matter is the victory.  I don’t want him to have committed any crime or even egaged in merely inappropriate conduct and I am not ready to conclude he is guilty of either.  But what I couldn’t abide was the possibility that he did do something wrong, and was now going to get away with it. Hopefully the police investigation will definitively answer the question and the answer will be that he was innocent.

But of course as we learn that “[s]ources say that much of the conversations between Weiner and the high schooler had been deleted from the girl’s computer” we can be rightfully concerned that Weiner did have something to hide.

And as for Weiner’s therapy, let me suggest that he go see Dr. Newhart.  He has a great technique:

[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]

56 Responses to “On Weiner’s Therapy: Not To Be a Turd in the Punchbowl, but… (Update: Rangel’s Infuriating Defense) (Update: Police End Their Investigation?)”

  1. He needed the week so his lawyers could clean up the messes he made.

    f1guyus (2a84e9)

  2. Another “addiction” industry fraud.

    SPQR (26be8b)

  3. This is the SOP celebritard response. Team R should hang a wiener around the neck of every one of their opponents in the next election cycle.

    JD (318f81)

  4. I wish I could believe that my concerns were unfounded. That’s as close as I can get to hoping this never happened.

    SarahW (af7312)

  5. Forcing someone into therapy, in my experience, is rarely successful. Going to avoid trouble is rarely effective either.

    JD (318f81)

  6. Weiner should be thankful he doesn’t have to be covered by the new ObamaCare. At least he won’t have to choose between the blue pill or the red pill.

    teebo (38e7bf)

  7. My bet is that he is also running to rehab because other bad stuff concerning underage girls is coming out. Pelosi knows what it is, and that’s why she wants him gone.

    Victoria (7b01cb)

  8. Did anyone see the photos of him this morning? He looked FURIOUS. He’s just mad he got caught.

    Victoria (7b01cb)

  9. Do you think that enough people know enough about this mess that it will be used as a teachable moment between millions of formerly clueless parents and their want to grow up too fast- potty-mouthed– twittery daughters and sons? If so, will such a conversation do any good at all?

    elissa (95e7be)

  10. He’s mad that people are underestimating the might of his dong.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  11. Smug snark and arrogant dismissivness aside the rehab scam is pretty good. When the next shoe drops (Weiner must be a centipede)all his supporters will say “That’s not faaiiirrr. Tony’s a siiiick maaan.” They’ll use that NPR whine we all know and love.

    f1guyus (2a84e9)

  12. I wonder when Whoopi Goldberg will opine on this?

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  13. Do you think that enough people know enough about this mess that it will be used as a teachable moment between millions of formerly clueless parents and their want to grow up too fast- potty-mouthed– twittery daughters and sons? If so, will such a conversation do any good at all?

    Comment by elissa

    If it’s true that the creepy old pervert can delete his twitters and they then vanish from the young ladies he just contacted, one lesson should be that parents keep their kids the hell off twitter until that’s changed.

    JD’s certainly right that if Weiner is going only because he has to, not because he wants to get better, that’s not much.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  14. Ah, yes, rehab. The liberal variety of absolution.

    Never mind confession, repentance, atonement or (and this is key) A FIRM PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT. Skip the hard bits, get absolution, and no one should ever say anything about so private and painful again.

    Grrrr.

    Frankly, I don’t see it that way. “Therapy” is not a get out of jail free card, and the hard parts are the important ones.

    Resign, Weiner. Leave and don’t come back. Consider it as part of the repentance and atonement.

    Dianna (f12db5)

  15. Whatever “problem” he’s going to rehab for didn’t just develop in the past six weeks, and it damned sure won’t be cured in the next six weeks.

    teebo (38e7bf)

  16. doh

    whoopi will ask if they were exchanging sext-sexts.

    Aaron Worthing (73a7ea)

  17. Did anyone see the photos of him this morning? He looked FURIOUS. He’s just mad he got caught.

    Comment by Victoria — 6/11/2011 @ 3:28 pm

    If his contact with the girl were misconstrued, he’d have only himself to blame really.

    SarahW (af7312)

  18. 1) deny
    2) attack accusers
    3) deny
    4) BUNNIES
    5) when denial no longer possible, big tearful apology
    6) rehab
    7) use apology and rehab as a shield against further wrongdoing.

    JD (318f81)

  19. Weiner is going into therapy to do one thing and one thing only and that is to give himself cover. It is the equivalent of Don Imus going to Sharpton and asking for forgiveness or Clinton having a prayer meeting with JJackson right after the Monica fiasco surfaced. The question is will it work? The one person who we have not heard from in this whole affair is his wife. If she comes out with a statement of support along the lines of “Anthony and I are working hard to make things better for the future and he looks forward to returning to serve his district…” the press will go wild because remember they are there do help D’s out of tough situations and this will give them the perfect excuse to do just that. Time will tell.

    BT (74cbec)

  20. JD– there is an #8 I believe you forgot to mention:

    8} lay in a large stock of butter and jam at home on accounta you’re toast because of, and despite, everything you did before, and in steps 1-7.

    elissa (95e7be)

  21. One woman’s opinion: This high school girl had such a filthy potty mouth, that her talk of lube/dicks/69 etc…. most likely DREW the Weiner in and he more than likely DID “play” dirty talk with this teen… I can only imagine (being the mom of a 22 yr old myself) What her parents thought when they saw her Twitter feed and highly sexual comments… WOW! It must be one hellufa day at that house today! Her school mates KNOW her name and the parents in that high school ALL know who she is and who her parents are.. and NOW the parents know their daughter was a TweetSlut with a US Congressman and he played along knowing she was a HIGH SCHOOL GIRL! Ouch!Its a lot like watching a Train Wreck….

    Hargoosh (d0e9bc)

  22. That Hillary is shocked that a man with political power, ambition and position, could and would be so stupid and lie about his involvement with other women when there is a staggering amount of evidence to the contrary, is not only a delicious irony but also tells me that Hillary is simply not as smart as I’ve been led to believe.

    Dana (4eca6e)

  23. Has Fox acknowledged the contribution by this Blog? Slate’s article gives the impression that Fox caused the police investigation of Ethel, all by their lonesome. I suspect either Fox or the police (or both) have been following Patterico. Fox has a prior record of raiding and using the work of bloggers without giving them credit. I hope this situation will not be another case of borrowing other people’s work with a credit. I don’t think anyone looked hard enough at Ethel until Patterico published that point by point examination of their interactions. Before your publication, the situation was very hazy; afterwards, the sirens were going off. It bothers me to think they might do that to people they should support. If the 08 election proved anything it showed that elections cannot be won by one form of media or communications outlet.

    bmertz (d77c52)

  24. That Hillary is shocked upset that a man with political power, ambition and position, could and would be so stupid and lie about his involvement with other women when there is a staggering amount of evidence to the contrary, is not only a delicious irony but also tells me that Hillary is simply not as smart as I’ve been led to believe.

    Dana (4eca6e)

  25. Congratulations to Patterico and Aaron, we are lucky to have both of you.

    tessa (347819)

  26. bmertz,
    Patterico got his due at Big Journalism today.

    Writes Dana Loesch:

    “If you needed more proof that citizen media has encompassed traditional outlets (even after the Breitbart presser ownage and NYT and WaPo crowd-sourcing the Palin emails) look no further than the diligent sleuthing of Patterico.”

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (8b52d9)

  27. I call bucksnort on Hillarys being upset with Weiners delaying etc. She’s been around long enough to know he needed to give his team time to cleanup.

    f1guyus (2a84e9)

  28. @Hargoosh,
    Adults are expected to have more self-discipline and to protect our minors, not be excused because they were “drawn in” by a teen’s inappropriate behavior. Consider what could happen in schools if teachers decided it was OK to have affairs with students whom they felt were “drawing them in” by flirting, dressing inappropriately, using sexual language and so forth. Adolescence is the age of hormones and bad decisions. Teenagers will try and test boundaries with teachers and anyone else they view as a challenge (like Weiner). But that lack of control is precisely why they are a protected group. I agree with you that her parents need to play attention, and take action to confront her behavior. (So do the schools) But that doesn’t give Weiner the right to contact a minor and conduct private conversations that needed to be deleted. His behavior is inexcusable. If every adult responded in a sexual manner to our goslings shouting “I love you” at them, our children would be in serious trouble.

    bmertz (d77c52)

  29. On a side note I’d like to make a serious proposal, just to get this ball rolling early: in light of the standout work that has been done this year by right-leaning bloggers (I’m thinking of Patterico and Ace on this issue amongst others, as well as Althouse/Mead on the Madison Walker protests, among other achievements)… I believe that the 2012 Presidential debates should include a debate moderated and run not by the MSM but by right-leaning bloggers of note who are generally acclaimed for sustained achievement.

    Imagine if Obama (and the Dems at large) had to debate on live TV, questions put to him by a team of Patterico, Ann Althouse, Steve Sailer, John Hinderaker and Ace. I’d pay good money to see that. (Leave Rush and Breitbart and Coulter out merely b/c they’d attract too much of a circus environment.)

    In light of the on-going achievements in the right-blogosphere I say we start demanding that debate. If prez contenders can debate in a Hispanophone environment, as they disgracefully did in the last election, then these worthy political titans can surely condescend to answer some probing and incisive questions from Sailer, Althouse and Patterico.

    Make it so.

    d. in c. (ae55d7)

  30. Rengel for Rangel in the updated headline. And yes that is pathetic.

    Have you seen any other source for the “police end investigation story” besides this story linked?

    Have Blue (dbbcd4)

  31. @brotherbradley,

    I’m glad to see Breitbart give a professional nod where it was due. But Breitbart did not conduct an BJ interview based on Patterico’s work, and then imply that Big Journalism had done the legwork.

    bmertz (d77c52)

  32. d in c @ #29 –

    And you think Ace wouldn’t bring a circus atmosphere? I’m suddenly picturing an audience full of my fellow Morons (most of whom are incredibly funny, unlike me), and realizing that America is just not ready for this.

    Though really, it’s a great suggestion.

    Dianna (f12db5)

  33. _____________________________________________

    Hillary is simply not as smart as I’ve been led to believe.

    Well, during her time as First Lady, you gotta give her credit for being athletic enough to successfully dodge sniper fire while walking on an airport tarmac in Bosnia.

    Update (II): Rangel offers a defense:

    Meanwhile, there’s another thick layer of irony involving Weiner — and another shining example of limousine liberalism — and another great role model who represents the face of the Democrat Party…

    Foxnews.com, November 2010:

    New York Rep. Charles Rangel, a longtime power in the U.S. House, violated its rules with financial misconduct, brought it discredit and will be punished, fellow lawmakers sitting as jurors ruled on Tuesday.

    The conduct often cited by critics was his failure to report income to the IRS from a unit he owned in a Dominican Republic resort — showing the chairman in charge of tax legislation shortchanged the IRS.

    Rangel’s downfall, in part, came in the way he solicited money for a New York college center designed as a monument to himself. There also was his decade of misleading annual disclosures of his income and assets and his use of a subsidized New York apartment — designated for residential use — as a campaign office.

    The eight-member jury panel was unanimous on most charges against Rangel. Members split 4-4 on a charge that he violated a ban on gifts because he was to have an office — and storage of his papers — at the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York. Two counts charging him with misuse of Congress’ free mail privilege were merged into one. And the panel voted 7-1 on a final charge that he had brought discredit on the House.

    [Rangel] also admitted he initially did not report his rental income from a unit he owned at the Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic.

    It’s almost a miracle that when people of the left are running things and in a position of dominance (eg, various big-city governments throughout America), there aren’t even more forms of corruption, from A to Z, and even more major lapses in sound judgment. So far, they’ve somehow managed to not fully drive off the cliff while on that proverbial road to hell paved with good intentions.

    Mark (411533)

  34. Presidential debates should include a debate moderated and run not by the MSM but by right-leaning bloggers of note who are generally acclaimed for sustained achievement.

    That’s a great idea. One question and follow up per blogger. And by all means, throw in a few lefties and moderates (althouse among that group).

    I think the candidates should type their response personally (no staff), free of hyperlinks, but in text nonetheless. They all show up to a bank of terminals, and answer the questions they see, which are then posted on each of the participating blogs.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  35. #32 Dianna — the “circus atmosphere” I’m mostly referring to is the fact that Rush, Ann Coulter and Breitbart are all rabidly and irrationally hated on the left, which draws out their leftist thuggishness and their giant puppet heads, and makes civil discourse next to impossible.

    The other bloggers I mentioned aren’t (to my knowledge) honorary citizens of Palin County, that abstract place which attracts all the naked leftist venom and hate. I don’t think Ace is big enough for that, and besides, my bet is that he cleans up well. Or, in a debate setting, he could always have his questions read by a proxy.

    But the larger point is that I’m completely serious. I want to see Obama answer non-softball questions posed by Steve Sailer, Ann Althouse, Patterico, Hinderaker/Johnson, and maybe Richard Fernandez too, though I think he may be a foreign national. Adding Ace and Lawrence Auster would be great, but I’d settle for a core of Sailer, Patterico and Althouse, ESPECIALLY Sailer. And Althouse would be doubly great b/c we’d get to see a real ConLaw prof grill an unserious one.

    I think we should demand this. The MSM has frankly disgraced itself far too many times in recent memory to be even remotely trusted.

    The MSM cannot be trusted.

    Demand this debate format.

    We Insist.

    d. in c. (68ff46)

  36. get well soon Mr. Weiner and after that you won’t feel compelled to show young teen girls your penis and I bet you’ll be better able to focus on the important stuff plus you’re about to be a dad!

    just do what the doctors tell you, ok? You don’t want to still be sick and perverted when you have a young child around cause that my friend is Not The Goal.

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  37. So far, they’ve somehow managed to not fully drive off the cliff while on that proverbial road to hell paved with good intentions.

    Well, America is a great country, and it’s taking a little time to completely destroy it. Thankfully, at every turn, Americans are standing up to it. The Tea Parties are something we should have expected (I didn’t).

    But also, perhaps the greatest level of corruption is hidden particularly because it is such a pervasive corruption. Education.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  38. dustin

    can we give candidates a basic constitutional literacy test.

    question 5: who has the power to initiate a war?

    1) the president
    2) the congress
    3) the courts
    4) option 1 and 2.
    5) George Soros

    Aaron Worthing (73a7ea)

  39. 36 I can’t think of sufficient flattery for the way you make me laugh but my tea-table looks really nice and I’m glad I have it.

    SarahW (af7312)

  40. can we give candidates a basic constitutional literacy test.

    I’d love that.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  41. d. in c. – It would suit me to see a debate moderated by bloggers; I guess I didn’t make that clear.

    I’m very fond of Ace, and his commenters, and his cobloggers, too. There’s some very sharp minds.

    There was, however, a mental image of an audience full of the Morons, at which I rather boggled. Then I started giggling, and I guess I didn’t share the image clearly enough.

    Dianna (f12db5)

  42. According to the keft we are calling on weiner to resign because we’re all secret self-hating gay homophobes.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  43. Comment by Have Blue — 6/11/2011 @ 5:01 pm

    That’s a good point. The AP is about as trustworthy as congressman Weiner. Paraphrased comments, unnamed sources, rushing to the end with a “Move along now. Nothing to see here”.
    That’s not reporting. It’s just professional courtesy among scumbags.

    papertiger (e55ba0)

  44. @ Comment by DohBiden — 6/11/2011 @ 6:26 pm

    That’s a little better then yesterday, when they were arguing there’s nothing creepy about 46 year old congressmen DM ing teenagers.

    papertiger (e55ba0)

  45. So we’re just going to wait until congressman Weiner gets better?

    Is there traction for a corrupt soul? Will it be like when his groupies visit the hospital there’s this great big amorphous black glob wrapped in cotton gauze hanging above the bed?

    “What is that”?

    “Oh, that’s my soul.” Weiner answers, “Don’t touch it for Heaven sakes.”

    papertiger (e55ba0)

  46. They should let any military retiree with a bronze star or greater throw one tomato during a debate per qualifying decoration.

    Dustin (c16eca)

  47. #46 papertiger — well check out the ending of Bakshi’s “Fritz the Cat.”

    d. in c. (352bcf)

  48. Or some kind of machine. Like a magnetic imaging framistat, where the wealthy and powerful can get their moral compass recalibrated.

    papertiger (e55ba0)

  49. papertiger–wouldn’t some kind of mandatory ultrasound to look for moral defects and corrupt souls before candidates are allowed to run be even better?

    elissa (95e7be)

  50. BTW what happened to Jewish Mother? I’m sure Weiner has one.

    Did she pass on, and take the guilt trip with her?

    You know that would be therapeutic.

    Stick Weiner with a ball gag in the middle of a Jewish ladies knitting circle for six months.

    Admittedly this is just a variation of the Newhart therapy – but I like the personalized wrinkle.
    Really focuses in on Weiner’s problem.

    papertiger (e55ba0)

  51. @ Comment by elissa — 6/11/2011 @ 7:13 pm

    I like it.

    papertiger (e55ba0)

  52. Rangel proves himself a class act once again. The “Hey, somebody else did something worse,” defense. Lovely.

    Icy Texan (d71a2d)

  53. will weiner be going into therapy for LYING ? this bogus sexting ‘therapy’ is a diversion from the fact that the man has not an ounce of veracity and that he will happily impugn anyone if he thinks that doing so will save his sorry butt. is this the kind of person we want governing?

    el polacko (aa118c)

  54. Patterico: keep up the good work. Weiner will NOT resign and Dems will not vote to expel unless pressure is kept on. Unfortunately, this means details of tweets w/teen girls will have to be dug up & exposed.

    Wdk535 (6dcf67)

  55. Whoopi will then want to have a threesome with Anthony and Huma.

    DohBiden (15aa57)

  56. And i love the lefty trolls who insist AGW is for real but yet they drive a gas guzzling SUV.

    DohBiden (15aa57)


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