Weiner
***
The Spirit of 76 has invaded our nation’s capital!
I don’t mean that there is a new spirit of patriotism. I mean that politicians are more likely than ever to break the 7th commandment and the 6th commandment.
If a politician spends enough time in Washington, he is very likely to break the 6th Commandment and vote for an unnecessary war. And he is nearly as likely to break the 7th Commandment and commit adultery.
I am not here to judge. Adultery in Washington is virtually inevitable. Most congressmen are average-looking men in their 40s, 50s, and 60s who – under normal circumstances – would never be able to attract the attention of a young woman again for the rest of their lives.
But in Washington, these men are famous, powerful rock stars. And they are hundreds of miles away from their wives.
He can go to sex therapy all he wants, but there is nothing abnormal about Anthony Weiner’s behavior (apart from failing to check ID). The problem isn’t the sexting, it’s the cheating.
The documentary “Weiner” shows us the inner workings of a political power couple. And it taught me that there really is a way stop all that cheating in Washington.
“Weiner” follows a few painful months in the life of national joke Anthony Weiner and his ridiculously powerful wife Huma Abedin.
In 2013, Democrat Anthony Weiner ran for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City. Weiner guessed that the sexting scandal that forced him to resign from Congress was behind him. He was wrong.
Based on his name recognition and wealthy donor connections, Weiner jumped out to an early lead in the polls. Then proof came out that Weiner had continued to have sexting relationships with young women after he had promised the world that he had stopped. Weiner was humiliated and destroyed. He finished fifth.
The movie “Weiner” isn’t so much a study in political failure; it’s a study in bad marital judgement.
Anthony Weiner is a fiery, charismatic, impetuous, irresponsible New Yorker. Huma Abedin is a reserved, calculating, focused, introspective Midwesterner. Sometimes opposites attract. Sometimes opposites don’t belong together and make each other desperately unhappy.
It is possible that these two loved each other at one point. It is just as possible that the marriage was arranged by the Clinton family so that Hillary’s top advisor would look more like a regular American family woman and less like a cold-hearted backroom dealer.
Late in the film, I had a revelation: it no longer felt like Weiner is a bad man because he is cheating on Huma. It felt like Weiner is a bad man for cheating on his true love – flirty internet women – with Huma!
Weiner demonstrates a passionate positivity when interacting with strangers on the campaign trail. And he has a visceral lack of patience, appreciation, and love for the people he knows. The same attributes that made Anthony Weiner a great politician are the vices that made him a miserable husband.
The problem of perpetual adultery in Washington, D.C. can be solved….by only electing non-married, childless congressmen! (Or elect nothing but women. That would probably work, too).
Instead of sending the perfect family man to Washington and turning him into a hypocritical adulterer, why don’t we elect a single womanizer who can openly enjoy the fame and attention that comes with being a powerful politician.
There you have it, folks. I solved the Spirit of 76! Well, the 7 part, anyway. I don’t know how to stop war.
