What if Weiner's wife was the one who wanted him to step down?

[nobodyspecial]

She was out of the country when this broke. She's back now and I'm sure they've had some long talks.

Would that be OK with DU if she wanted out of the spotlight to try to save her family and enjoy her pregnancy? If this was your husband and you were pregnant, would you want a parade of porn stars and others holding news conferences to spill salacious details about your husband?

Regardless if had support from other Dems, this was NOT going away? Would you pick your family or your career? Or should he have sacrificed his marriage to prove a point and stick it to the GOP?

[no_hypocrisy]

1. + 1

[EFerrari]

2. What if this was all a dream?

[nobodyspecial]

6. What kind of answer is that?

What I posted is not out-of-leftfield speculation. Weiner himself is on tape saying he would not make any decisions on resigning until he had a chance to talk to his wife. He has and now he's resigning. It's no huge leap that his wife and unborn child would have played a big role in his decision.

[dr.strangelove]

3. You raise a good point

I sometimes forget that whether or not someone should be forced to resign because of events in their private life, maybe its the right choice for that person to make because of events in their private life.

He is having a baby and has a young wife who appears to love him a great deal. I suspect there are many issues that they need to talk about and work on. Having had marriage issues in my own life, these things take time and require some privacy. Maybe he made the right choice for him and his family, even if it is arguably caving to the opposition party and in=party political opponents.

[Solomon]

4. I can't believe people are actually trying to blame other

democrats for Weiner's failure. It's ridiculous. If he was the "strong advocate" that people give him credit for, he would have stayed no matter what anybody said. To blame it on other democrats is just ridiculous.

[economistman]

13. If the president says you should step down then what choice do you have?

[Solomon]

17. The president didn't say that. I guess Obama should just tell

all the republicans senators to step down. WOW Now that's power!

The more I think about it, the more I see you got something there. Why don't he just tell all the republicans to step down and then we can get whatever we want.

SPREAD THE WORD SPREAD THE WORD. Obama should tell the republicans to step down. And they have to because they have no choice if the president tells them that.

[TBF]

19. He didn't say it outright but he hinted pretty strongly -

knowing that is how Mr. Obama feels would you want to go up for re-election with a president that doesn't have confidence in you? I really don't care either way on this because I think it happens very often (the extramarital affairs that is), and it really becomes a distraction. Butit would probably be a bigger distraction if everyone in this situation were made to resign, because then they'll be watching for it or even setting each other up. So it's a hard call and I guess you have to look at each case individually and how they handle it.

That said I can see how his wife might make it a condition - he get help and focus on it or she leaves. I can totally see that happening.

[JTFrog]

20. +1 n/t

[ecstatic]

25. Give it a rest! When has Weiner ever listened to Obama for guidance? nt

[grasswire]

5. considering that he's now unemployed....

...it might not have been a good choice if that's what happened.

I spose he has been in Congress long enough to keep his terrific health insurance and his pension. But the wives of former congresscritters have a significantly less interesting social life than those of sitting representatives.

[nobodyspecial]

9. She has her own job and her own career

and I'm sure he'll find a job. So, he should have stayed so his wife would have had a more interesting social life? Yeah, I'm sure that would be real fun to have people snickering behind her back.

[MoonRiver]

11. She's still employed, and enjoys the same health insurance he did.

[Blasphemer]

14. She is not simply the wife of a sitting representative... she is deputy Chief of Staff to the SoS

and all indications are that she prefers a private and low-key lifestyle. I highly doubt she is concerned with her D.C. social life when being forced to deal with potential betrayal in the public eye. I am sure Mr. Weiner and Ms. Abedin have taken all factors into consideration when reaching their decision. While Mr. Weiner has proven that he lacks good judgment, everything I have read about Ms. Abedin indicates that she has it in spades.

[WinkyDink]

15. Do you not know who Huma IS?

[Dappleganger]

23. LOL, she not Betty Homemaker.

[Beacool]

27. You obviously don't know Huma.

She doesn't need anyone to help her with her social life. She's been under Hillary's wing since she was in her early 20s. Huma is bright, capable and a nice person. Many Dems are furious at Weiner because Huma is so well liked within party circles.

;-)

[Dreamer Tatum]

7. I actually suspect she is why he is resigning. nt

[sketchy]

8. Wasn't there a headline yesterday that said exactly this?

That he was waiting for her, and whatever she wanted he would do. I could swear I read this yesterday.

[nobodyspecial]

10. Yes, but DU demands he stay

so that should have been the most important factor.

[kestrel91316]

12. I've said all along this is between him and her.

[Skidmore]

16. She will be labelled by some here as part of a conspiracy to bring down

a "progressive." And I'm being sarcastic. Apparently, some seem to think that Weiner has no will of his own whatsoever or control over his actions. He has been just a one faceted individual who is the only person capable of liberal ideas and action. We are lost without him and can't open our own mouths or connect our beliefs to actions on this side of the political spectrum. Who the eff are we to talk about lemmings on the right? I'm so sick of the idea that bad behavior must be rewarded because a person's political position is acceptable. Bad behavior, unethical or illegal, is just that and it renders those in positions of authority ineffective and voiceless on the very issues you want to promote.

Let me make your eyelashes curl further. I'm not a sexual prude, but I don't need to have anyone's hoohah in my face on the television, cell phone, or in a magazine. There seems to be this idea that sexual liberation is synonymous with exhibitionism. Liberation does not mean that someone can do anything they want to do all the time without limits or being expected to take responsibility for their actions or words. Whatever you practice in terms of your sexuality, unless it is illegal, keep in the privacy of your own personal space. Do not invade mine. I'm not interested in your junk or what you have between your legs. For all the screaming we do about privacy on this board, it baffles me as to why we are suddenly supposed to be up in arms about this invasion of someone's personal space in a very intimate way.

Aside from that, Weiner violated public and private trust on a variety of levels. He made himself vulnerable to public humiliation and scorn. He put his wife in the public eye in a way she did not asked to be and it is her place to deal with her relationship with him and salvation of the marriage. However, it is the public's business when an elected official cannot function because of his personal behavior. Whatever Weiner chooses to do, he has the futures of many people at stake, and right now he can do none of them much good until he tends to the business of being Anthony Weiner.

[nobodyspecial]

21. Yep, I can see it now

Hillary, acting on behalf of the DLC, threatened his wife's job unless she got him to resign.

[MineralMan]

18. Their personal conversation about this whole thing is none of my business.

Truly, it is not. Therefore, I will not speculate on it at all.

[Dappleganger]

22. This is the only acceptable reason IMO.

I didn't want him to resign at all but if it is what she wants, then it's ok.

Time to move on, people. The dems throw their best under the bus on a regular basis, the only thing that we can do is move on and replace them with someone better. They will never stop throwing people under the bus.

[ecstatic]

24. I think that is the reason, but that won't stop some people from

blaming others.

[JohnnyLib2]

26. Maybe she understands the whole mess better than he does?