{"id":359,"date":"2011-06-03T10:00:16","date_gmt":"2011-06-03T14:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/philosophicalfragments\/?p=359"},"modified":"2011-06-03T10:00:16","modified_gmt":"2011-06-03T14:00:16","slug":"the-battle-of-the-bulge-is-the-weiner-war-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/philosophicalfragments\/2011\/06\/03\/the-battle-of-the-bulge-is-the-weiner-war-worth-it\/","title":{"rendered":"The Battle of the Bulge: Is the Weiner War Worth It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

As most of America knows by now, recently a picture went out from New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner\u2019s Twitter feed to a pretty young coed, containing a picture of some bulging underpants. \u00a0The picture was quickly deleted from yfrog and Twitter, and Weiner claimed that his account was hacked. \u00a0A lot of folks seemed willing to give Weiner the benefit of the doubt, but then his actions, evasions and non-answer answers have only intensified interest in the story and speculation about what really might have happened. \u00a0Weiner denies that he sent the photo out; he does not deny that the picture is indeed his own. \u00a0Nor does he deny that he has Twitter conversations with a fairly select group of eligible young ladies, or with porn stars who insist that he Tweets to them are really quite, you know, innocent.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Anthony Weiner, of Weinergate Fame<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don\u2019t want to get into the merits and demerits of the various arguments here, because that\u2019s precisely my point. \u00a0What is the utility of this kind of argument? \u00a0Is this something on which we ought to be spending our time? \u00a0The blogosphere is all abuzz and our televisions are filled with talking heads discussing the ins and outs of the story. \u00a0But is this something that we as Christians ought to care about? \u00a0Here are a couple points for engaging in this kind of conversation, and some points against it.<\/p>\n

POINTS FOR: <\/strong><\/p>\n

1. \u00a0The comic value alone is priceless.<\/em> When else can you use a title like the one for this post? \u00a0When Jon Stewart suggested the picture might be Weiner\u2019s, because it shows that he \u201cleans hard to the left,\u201d I could not stifle a laugh. \u00a0Nor, for that matter, did I try. \u00a0Being a believer does not mean one cannot have a sense of humor. \u00a0But this is not a compelling reason why Christians ought to care about, much less argue about, whether Rep Weiner is sending such pictures to adoring female fans.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Character matters.<\/em> Representative Weiner already does make important decisions on our behalf, as a member of the House of Representatives, and (if tales of his ambitions are true) he aspires to make even more of them in the future. \u00a0We need to know whether he is upstanding, honest and trustworthy. \u00a0If he is fool enough to send lewd photos via Twitter to a young woman he had only recently met, can we really trust him with the enormous responsibilities that come to one as the mayor of a major city, the governor of a state, or the President of the United States? \u00a0If he is duplicitous enough to remove the incriminating evidence, repeatedly lie about the situation, and then berate and even call the cops on any reporter intrepid enough to press for an answer, then can we trust him to tell us the truth about our economy, our health care system, our foreign affairs, when it does not serve his political interests? \u00a0If he is faithless enough to betray his recent marriage\u2026well, you get the picture. \u00a0Americans would like to trust their politicians, and we trust those who demonstrate character and honesty. \u00a0If Weiner is demonstrating neither of those right now, then the American electorate needs to know about it.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Unilateral disarmament in political warfare is tantamount to suicide<\/em>. \u00a0This is also known as the \u201cThe Other Party Does It\u201d defense. \u00a0Democrats make hay with the faults and infidelities of Republican figures such as John Ensign, Mark Foley, Larry Craig, David Vitter, et al. \u00a0If they had not made a big deal of Newt Gingrich\u2019s indiscretions, we might be looking at a current or former President Newt right now. \u00a0Who can say where the devious Rep. Weiner might end up, if he is not (it\u2019s hard to avoid puns here) exposed now for who he really is? \u00a0If Republicans do not advance the ball when it\u2019s in their possession, they\u2019ll find themselves constantly on defense; if only one side carries out character assassinations on these sorts of things, while the other side gives up its arms, the latter will get slaughtered, will it not? \u00a0And perhaps we will find ourselves under the governance of leaders who are profoundly morally corrupt?<\/p>\n

POINTS AGAINST:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. \u00a0We have much, much more pressing concerns right now. <\/em>Economists are mortified by the leading economic indicators. \u00a0\u201cWelcome to the recovery\u201d has been replaced by \u201cDid we just drive right past the recovery?\u201d \u00a0We face an entitlement crisis, an ocean of red ink, and various strains on the international financial system at the same time as our political system is paralyzed and sclerotic. \u00a0We\u2019re engaged in kinetic warfare in several places around the world. \u00a0Gas prices have gone through the roof. \u00a0Once-stable parts of the world seem unstable, as nascent democratic movements take shape and threaten to be engulfed by new forms of old tyrannies, and even highly advanced civilizations like Japan\u2019s are at the mercy of sudden disasters. \u00a0In short, it\u2019s no coincidence that Harold Camping\u2019s doomsday prophecy spread like wildfire; people are feeling like the world is unmoored and they wonder if it will ever feel stable and safe again.<\/p>\n

In the midst of all this, we\u2019re discussing\u2026whether a lowly House Representative sent someone a picture of himself in his underwear? \u00a0I don\u2019t buy for a minute that Rep. Weiner is being principled when he tries to put this \u201cdistraction\u201d behind him. \u00a0But perhaps we should be.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Character doesn\u2019t matter with this character.<\/em> Weiner was never exactly a paragon of virtue in the first place. \u00a0He\u2019s a brash, angry, acid-tongued political brawler from New York. \u00a0He never sought to build a career on his family portrait and sterling old-fashioned values. \u00a0He\u2019s built a career on being a kind of hyper-partisan attack dog, a Tom Delay for the limousine liberal set.<\/p>\n

Some Republicans will protest that it\u2019s important to uncover the general depravity of the Democratic party, or at least its leadership. \u00a0But this runs afoul of one of my first principles of faithful political engagement: specifically, the un-titillating but very important principle that people are more or less the same. \u00a0I do not believe that people in one party are significantly more moral or caring or even intelligent than the people in the other party. \u00a0Or, to put it more negatively, neither party has a monopoly on good ideas and good intentions \u2014 or, for that matter, on bad ones. \u00a0There are different cultural values between the two parties, to be sure, and those values may be more or less in line with biblical values, but I do not believe that the members, much less the leadership of one party are significantly more virtuous than that of the other. \u00a0We don\u2019t need Rep. Weiner to illustrate that Democrats are immoral because, well, we\u2019re all immoral, all prone to temptation. \u00a0There but for the grace of God goes each and every one of us.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Political priapism is not strategically sound<\/em>. \u00a0This is not a time for theatrics and gamesmanship. \u00a0This is a time, perhaps moreso than any time in recent memory, when the American people will reward the party that puts forth the most serious people advancing the most serious ideas. \u00a0We are anxious. \u00a0We\u2019re afraid for the future of our country, concerned that the old stabilities are foundering. \u00a0Under such circumstances, those who dither and talk about underwear bulges come across as childish, unserious and unworthy of our attention.<\/p>\n

For Christians on both sides of the aisle, this is an opportunity to set a tone. \u00a0I\u2019m skeptical whether \u201cthe other side does it\u201d is ever a legitimate excuse for a believer, since Christ taught us to begin with the logs in our own eyes. \u00a0If Christians want to show the way toward a better kind of political dialogue, a more honest, charitable and focused dialogue, then this might present the perfect opportunity.<\/p>\n

What would be the consequences if Christians took seriously, as a political matter, Paul\u2019s admonition in Philippians 4:8: \u201cFinally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable\u2013if anything is excellent or praiseworthy\u2013think about such things.\u201d \u00a0Of course, this needn\u2019t mean that we look the other way when a politician commits a grave sin that demonstrates an absence of character. \u00a0But it does mean that Christians should not attach too much importance to such things, should not get so caught up in the political sport of it all that he or she forgets to focus on the most important public policy challenges facing the present moment.<\/p>\n

If others want to carry on with the Weiner roast, that\u2019s their prerogative. \u00a0I don\u2019t think it\u2019s worthy of the calling of the politician or the writer, and I don\u2019t think it demonstrates the kind of high integrity that a Christian participant in political dialogue ought to seek to model. \u00a0We have policy problems, but many stem from our process problems. \u00a0We need better forms of political dialogue. \u00a0Let\u2019s try to lead by example.<\/p>\n

What do you think? \u00a0Are there other points I\u2019m missing here? \u00a0Is this time wasted, or time well spent?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As most of America knows by now, recently a picture went out from New York Democratic Rep. 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